Josh Mankiewicz Correspondent • Profile

SAN DIEGO - The few. The proud. The Marines. This is the story of one of them.

But it's not just the story of Sgt. Todd Sommer's life -- it's also the story of his mysterious and untimely death

It happened not on the shores of Tripoli, but in his own bedroom.

(911 call)

911 dispatch: 911. Do you have an emergency?

Cindy Sommer: Yeah, my husband just collapsed.

This is also the story of the woman who loved him.

(911 call)

Cindy Sommer: Todd, I love you, please don't do this to me. What am I going to do without you?

It was Feb. 18, 2002, at the Miramar Marine Base near San Diego.

(911 call)

911 dispatch: Is he still conscious?

Cindy Sommer: No.

911 dispatch: Are they there right now ma'am?

Cindy Sommer: I don't know ... Hey, right here.

911 dispatch: Are they there?

Cindy Sommer: Yeah.

But there was nothing medics could do. At only 23 years old, Todd Sommer was dead. The autopsy said it was a heart attack. But did that even make sense?

Rob Terwilliger, NCIS: We have a responsibility to look at all avenues of whether or not there was foul play here.

Rob Terwilliger is a special agent for NCIS, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, charged with investigating the death of any active Marine who didn't die in battle.

Todd's death was not considered suspicious, but it did raise questions.

Rob Terwilliger, NCIS: Even though this appeared to be a natural death that occurred in the home, you have a 23-year-old Marine with no clear health issues.

But if it was a mystery to investigators, it was devastating for Cindy Sommer. Her life with the man she described as her “knight in shining armor” had come to an abrupt end.

Cindy had met Todd Sommer three years earlier, when he was only 20. She was five years older, recently separated from her husband, with three young children.

But she was fun, beautiful, and full of energy. The two had an instant connection, both physical and romantic.

To Cindy, Todd was everything she wanted. She liked Marines, liked the strength they projected. Todd was also the kind of guy who didn't see her three young children as "baggage." He was well-off by Marine standards, the beneficiary of a trust fund of about $29,000. And he was eager to step up and become the father her kids needed.

Terwilliger: The main focus was that he loved her. He enjoyed having her kids.

When Cindy saw Todd in his full dress uniform, she was dazzled. A single parent without much money, she was proud to marry a Marine and in more than one sense he came to her rescue.

Terwilliger: He was a young man who had found his calling in the United States Marine Corps.

In December, 1999, Cindy, along with her three children, moved to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, where Todd was stationed.

But almost immediately, romance was crushed by reality when Todd’s unit was sent overseas.

Rick Rendone is also an NCIS agent.

Rick Rendone, NCIS: They're living in base housing at Camp Lejeune, and Todd being in a deployable unit immediately thrusts the family into a situation where she's essentially a single mom again.

But the honeymoon continued as best it could for a deployed Marine and his new wife. Todd and Cindy exchanged romantic love letters while he was at sea. When they finally reunited, Cindy says their love burned stronger than ever.

The following year, Cindy and Todd welcomed a son, Christian. They were thrilled.

In 2001, the family moved to sunny San Diego, living on base at Miramar Naval Air Station. It's not a life of luxury.

Todd's take-home pay as a Marine was pretty modest, about $1,700 a month. Even with benefits like medical care and this home on the base in Miramar, that's not a lot of money for two adults and four young children, and it wasn't long before the Sommer family got into financial trouble.

To make ends meet, Cindy began working at Subway, making sandwiches for about $7 an hour. That's where Cindy made friends with Chantra Wells.

Chantra Wells: She was a really nice girl. You know, she was really easy to get along with. And she made friends easily.

Though Chantra didn't know Cindy until after Todd died, she heard her talk about their great life together.

Josh Mankiewicz, Dateline NBC: What kind of guy was he? How was their marriage?

Chantra Wells: They had a good marriage, you know. He was great with the kids and loved her. And she loved him.

Videos   ‘It's finally over’ Cynthia Sommer talks about being released from prison and being reunited with her family.   Plans for the future Cynthia Sommer talks about she wants to use her story to help others who have been wrongly accused.   ‘I lost everything’ Cynthia Sommer talks about the financial hardship she has suffered since the death of her husband.   Cynthia Sommer’s true love Cynthia Sommer talks about how she fell in love with her husband.   Life after prison Cynthia Sommer talks about what it was like trying to rebuild her life after prison.

And now suddenly he was gone. Cindy recalls few warning signs in the days that led up to his death. Todd had missed Valentines' Day because of what seemed like a stomach bug. But he wasn't the type of guy to let that get in the way of a family outing two days later. Cindy and Todd treated their kids to a day at an amusement park. It was the day before Todd died.

Josh Mankiewicz: They go to Knott's Berry Farm on Friday.

Rob Terwilliger: And return on Sunday the 17th. And, according to Cindy’s statement, they go to bed. And somewhere around 1:30, 2 o'clock timeframe he gets up out of bed. Turns on the light. Says that he didn't feel good. And, he collapses. And she says that she calls 911.

Cindy Sommer: What do I do?

911 dispatch: OK, stay on the line, OK?

Cindy Sommer: What do I do? Can I -- can I --

911 dispatch: Just stand by right now, OK, ma’am?

Cindy Sommer: Todd, honey, Todd. Can I -- can I -- can I give him – uh, can I -- can I do CPR?

911 dispatch: OK, do -- are you doing CPR?

Cindy Sommer: Can I?

911 dispatch: Do you know how?

Paramedics were on the way. Cindy tried to save him.

It didn't make any sense. He was a healthy young man who hardly ever got sick.

Paramedics rushed him to the hospital. But about an hour after the initial 911 call, in the early morning hours of Feb. 18, 2002, the doctor pronounced Todd Sommer dead. He was 23 years old.

(Memorial tape)

He was a great husband, a great father, and a great Marine.

At his memorial, Cindy eulogized Todd, describing a life full of tenderness.

(Cindy Sommer)

Every night before he went to bed, he gave me a hug and a kiss and he said that “I love you. I'll see you in the morning. Say your prayers." And he would always say that to me and I still say that to him every night because I will see him again one day.

As Todd was laid to rest, the questions were already being asked by Todd’s parents, by his family, by his friends.

How could a perfectly healthy young Marine just drop dead, without warning?

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