ABC 20/20 Wave of Deceit: Who Is Laura Lee Day & What Did She Do?

ABC 20/20‘s episode “Wave of Deceit” looks into Laura Lee Day’s case, who was convicted of drowning her stepson Taylor Syring in 2012. The episode will air on the network this Friday, July 5, 2024, at 9 p.m. ET. Laura maintains her innocence in Taylor’s death, claiming he accidentally drowned in the Texas beach. She claimed to have taken the 6-year-old boy to the hospital, where medical staff pronounced him dead. Eventually, Laura’s disturbing past, which included an extensive criminal record, began to surface.

The episode includes interviews with Laura and her then-husband and Taylor’s father, David Syring. It will also delve into crucial evidence, witness accounts from the day Taylor drowned, and feature archival footage from the investigation.

What did Laura Lee Day do & when was she convicted?

According to ABC News, on October 5, 2012, Laura Lee Day took her stepson, David Syring, to a Texas beach. There, she claimed the 6-year-old boy drowned and died. Laura told ABC 20/20 in an interview, “A tragic accident happened. I tried to save him.” She admitted she did not administer CPR and drove him to a hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead. Authorities arrested her three days later on charges of child endangerment.

During the following investigation, detectives learned that Laura did not call 911 after finding Taylor unconscious at the beach that day. Moreover, she drove 12 miles to the hospital when a fire station was about three miles from the beach.

Laura Lee Day’s then-husband, David Syring, told police that he made a shocking discovery not long before Taylor’s death. Reportedly, a week before Taylor drowned, the father learned that Laura had a criminal background. Her record included some grave crimes, including theft, murder, burglary, and more. David said he confronted her, but Laura said, “It was not her.”

Eventually, a witness named Rene Ruiz alleged he saw Laura on the day of Taylor’s death at the beach. Rene claimed he was fishing when he saw Laura leaving the beach. He said the woman smiled and waved at him. This revelation was a turning point in the case because, per Laura’s claims, she was driving Taylor to a hospital at the time.

Moreover, Laura Lee Day had previously claimed she and Taylor Syring drove home before going to the beach, but later discoveries proved that they never went home that day. During subsequent jailhouse calls, she admitted the same. Then, in January 2013, prosecutors charged her with capital murder alongside child endangerment.

A six-day-long trial resulted in Laura’s conviction, for which she received a life sentence in prison without the possibility of parole. She has maintained her innocence in Taylor’s death and claims to have loved the boy as her own son.

However, Laura Lee Day’s now ex-husband, David Syring, initially believed she was innocent. Later, in the ABC 20/20 interview, David claimed, “I feel so stupid to have been this naïve and to have stuck by her as long as I did.” He said that he believes “this is probably the worst punishment for her. To be in prison. She has never apologized. She has never said sorry for what she’s done,” he added.

David’s ex-wife and Taylor’s biological mother, Kelly Syring, said, “Well, I have forgiven Laura.” But Kelly added that it “doesn’t mean she needs to come out of jail. Look at that. Why should she get off so easy? She gets to spend the rest of her life in a jail cell. Miserable.”

ABC 20/20’s Wave of Deceit will air this Friday, July 5, 2023.