Reported by Josh Mankiewicz, Series Examines the Controversial Death of a Young Marine and the Conviction That Sparked Questions About Bias, Science and Justice
Marks Mankiewicz’s Seventh Original Podcast; Click Here to Listen to Trailer for ‘Trace of Suspicion’
March 3, 2026 – Dateline NBC will launch an all-new podcast reported by Josh Mankiewicz on Tuesday, March 3 entitled Trace of Suspicion. The six-episode series revisits the 2002 death of 23-year-old Marine Todd Sommer in San Diego, which was initially ruled natural before suspicions began to mount. Mankiewicz sits down with key players, including Cynthia Sommer, the woman at the center of the case, to discuss the evidence, the truth behind the sensational headlines and the dramatic and unexpected twist.
The first two episodes will be available for download and streaming across major podcast platforms starting March 10. New episodes will continue to debut for all listeners on Tuesdays and Thursdays through March 26. Dateline Premium subscribers can start listening to the first two episodes now and will receive early access to all subsequent episodes.
Trace of Suspicion joins Dateline’s chart-topping podcast portfolio, which continues to captivate millions of listeners nationwide. Dateline’s Showcast ranked #5 on Apple’s Top Shows of the Year in 2025, while Deadly Mirage and Murder in the Moonlight both landed in the Top 5 for Apple’s Top New Shows. Additionally, Deadly Mirage, Dateline Originals, and Murder in the Moonlight all placed within the Top 6 for Top Series.
Tim Beacham is the producer. Brian Drew, Marshall Hausfeld, and Meredith Kramer are Audio Editors. Molli DeRosa is Associate Producer. Rachel Yang is Field Producer. Sound Mixing by Rich Cutler. Adam Gorfain is Co-Executive Producer. Paul Ryan is Executive Producer and Liz Cole is Senior Executive Producer.
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About Dateline NBC
Dateline NBC is the longest-running series in NBC primetime history and is in its 34rd season. Dateline is anchored by Lester Holt and features correspondents Blayne Alexander, Andrea Canning, Josh Mankiewicz, Keith Morrison and Dennis Murphy. Airing Fridays at 9/8c, Dateline also airs across NBC, cable and in broadcast syndication, with hundreds ofhours available to stream on Peacock’s Dateline 24/7 channel. Dateline 24/7 can also be viewed on channels on Roku, YouTube, Samsung TV Plus, Tubi, Pluto TV, Freevee, Local Now, Xfinity, Amazon Fire News App, TuneIn and Xumo. Additionally, the newsmagazine reaches millions through its #1 podcasts and its showcast. Liz Cole is the senior executive producer and Paul Ryan is the executive producer.
For more information contact:
Dominique Donahue
Courtney Clawson
