Where is Taylor Syring’s Father David Syring Now? – Laura Day was convicted of capital murder & sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of release in 2013 for drowning her 6-year-old stepson. She claims the boy’s drowning death on a Texas beach was an accident, despite serving nearly ten years of her life sentence.
Taylor Syring, then six years old, went to school for the last time in October 2012, and his father, David Syring, had no idea it would be the last time. But that’s exactly what happened when Taylor died while playing on a nearby beach. The inquiry into Taylor’s death and how his stepmother, Laura Day, was the perpetrator is the subject of ABC News’ ‘20/20: Wave of Deceit.’ On the podcast, David discusses how his views on Laura’s culpability evolved over time, as well as the agony he went through. So, how about we learn a little more about him?
Recommended: Taylor Syring Murder: How Did He Die? Who Killed Him?
Who is David Syring, and Where Did he Come From?
When David was still married to Kelly, Taylor’s mother, he met Laura Day in 2012. “I was going through a hard stretch with Kelly,” he explained. Laura was also quite pleasant. She, too, was married. She would tell me about the problems she was having in her marriage. We were both unhappy with our partner.” David began an affair with Laura in May 2012 and finally divorced Kelly.
David and Laura married in Las Vegas, Nevada, three months after their divorce. The pair had been married for two months when the incident occurred on October 5, 2012. Laura picked Taylor up from school that afternoon and drove him to a beach near their home in Corpus Christi, Texas. She never mentioned the trip to David when she spoke to him on the phone after picking Taylor up.
David later said that he would have advised Laura not to take Taylor to the beach because he had only recently begun to learn to swim and was not very good at it. “Kelly and I were going through a hard stretch. Laura was also quite pleasant. She, too, was married. She would tell me about the problems she was having in her marriage.” Syring stated.
Days before his son's death, David Syring said he was conducting background research online and discovered records that connected his wife Laura Day to a series of crimes and murder.
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Syring acknowledged to having an affair with Day in May 2012 and announced that his marriage was over. Kelly Syring admitted that her and Taylor’s divorce was traumatic. “It was not an easy task. I was still completely smitten by him. I was quite enraged,” Kelly Syring remarked. “[Taylor] was crushed.”
David Syring and Day were married in Las Vegas only three months after the Syrings’ divorce. They both admitted that we got married in a hurry because of the provision of morality in the divorce agreement.
“Kelly had wanted it in my divorce settlement that there be no overnight guests I wasn’t married to around Taylor,” Syring explained. “We both felt compelled to get married. Perhaps not soon. However, I wanted Taylor to be allowed to spend time with Laura. And Laura to be in his presence.”
Syring admitted that he was ripped between Laura Day and his ex-wife.
“With the way our relationship ended, I didn’t handle things well,” Syring admitted. “But there were concerns because it appeared like Kelly tried to make it difficult, especially for Laura.” “And Laura was scared that I might eventually return to Kelly because of my close friendship with Taylor.“
Day denies ever being envious of Syring’s relationship with his ex-wife or the fact that the two had a kid together.
“Without a doubt, NO. In fact, David—and we both—engaged an attorney to obtain complete custody of Taylor, “Day said. “At the time, I felt pretty safe in my relationship with David. I wasn’t envious of anyone.”
Investigators would later record phone talks between Day and Syring, during which Day would pose questions like, “Do you love me more than Kelly?”
“Despite the fact that I told her over and over that I was there with her,” Syring stated. “She insisted on it being just the two of us.”
Day expressed her affection for Taylor as if he were her own child.
“We accompanied each other everywhere. We went to the movies, Chuck E. Cheese, and I took him to Taekwondo. He had a promising future in front of him, according to me. Like I did with my own son, we talked about saving money and putting it aside for college.” Day, who has a son from a previous marriage, expressed his gratitude.
According to Kelly Syring, Laura Day was impassive the day Taylor died.
“She had taken a position. Just sitting around doing nothing. There will be no sobbing. Nothing. It was just me standing there. Kelly Syring told “20/20” that she felt “as if she had a right to be there.” “I couldn’t help but cry. I simply cried while laying my head on my son.”
That evening, David Syring and Day were taken to the Corpus Christi Police Department for interrogation.
“I just assumed that was sort of routine,” Syring explained. “I just wanted to be able to help in any way I could, just to make sure everyone got all the information they needed.”
During the interview, Syring informed police that a week before Taylor’s death, he discovered through an online search that Laura Day was linked to a series of crimes, including another murder. Laura Day had assured Syring that “it was not her” when he provided her with the information, according to Syring.
“I took her word for it… she provided me with an explanation for the situation. And he offered me logical and believable explanations, “Syring stated. “And I had faith in her.”
Laura Day was dating a 21-year-old college student called James Kendall in Laguna Beach, California in May 1982, when she was a 17-year-old named Laura Feist. According to Jason Kravetz, a former officer with the Laguna Beach Police Department, Day shot and killed him before turning the gun on herself when Kendall decided to quit the relationship.
Day pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and, instead of going to prison, was sentenced to the California Youth Authority. She informed investigators that she was a victim of abuse and that she was acting in self-defense at the time. However, according to the investigation, there was no evidence that Kendall was ever abusive.
When ABC News asked Day about the murder, she said she didn’t want to talk about it “I’m not supposed to say anything about it. My lawyer advised me not to, “Day remarked.
Laura Day changed her name and got married multiple times after her release. According to police reports, she was suspected of or convicted of stealing, fraud, burglary, and bigamy over the years.
Day returned home after being questioned by Corpus Christi police. She was arrested for child endangerment shortly after police repeated her story. At the time, Syring believed it was a mistake.
“I assumed the cops could have had some reservations or suspicions. It couldn’t possibly have been anything other than an accident, in my opinion. Particularly in the manner in which she described the events, “Syring stated.
Day returned home in less than 24 hours after posting $50,000 bail. Syring said that she had been acting oddly.
“Laura was simply attempting to resume her normal routine. I’m attempting to determine what it would take to keep me happy. When we were discussing the notion of us packing our belongings and travelling to Florida, “Syring stated. “Trying to persuade me to put my sentiments aside and return to normal behaviour, which seemed odd to me. I mean, it was all so sudden.”
When Rene Ruiz, a witness, stepped forward, the case took a turn for the better. Ruiz claimed he saw Laura Day while fishing on the beach the day Taylor died.
“The most disturbing, troubling, and telling thing Rene Ruiz stated was that when she finally left the beach—remember; she had a dying child in the back of her car—she waved and smiled at him as she drove off the beach,” former prosecutor Brittany Jensen said.
According to prosecutors, Taylor was also accused of not being the one who suggested the beach excursion. Taylor’s clothes were discovered in Day’s car, implying that he changed there and that the two never returned home before the beach. According to Day, Taylor had changed in the car because he had finished his snack first.
They would eventually gather evidence from Day’s jail phone calls to Syring, during which she explained that she had never returned home after picking up Taylor from school.
Laura Day was charged with capital murder and child endangerment in January 2013.
While the prosecution worked on its case, a drowning expert contacted detectives to look into the conditions on the beach on the day Taylor died.
“The difficulty with Laura Day’s claim that Taylor Syring’s body sank and subsequently rose up 50 yards to the right was that she was wrong. It would’ve gone left instead of right based on the circumstances, wind, and everything else that day “Jensen stated. “Unless she was standing very next to him, it’s highly unlikely that she would have been able to detect him immediately. Everything had been a lie.”
Laura Day was found guilty of first-degree capital murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of release after a six-day trial.
What Happened to David Syring and Where Is He Now?
Laura was eventually convicted guilty of Taylor’s murder. David was initially certain that she was innocent, but he has now changed his view. In terms of Syring and Day’s marriage, they are now divorced. Day, according to Syring, is now where she belongs.
“I believe this is perhaps the worst punishment for her,” David continued. She is being incarcerated. She has never expressed regret. I feel very foolish for being so naive and for sticking by her for so long.”
Kelly Syring has been without her kid for nearly a decade. She stated that she has forgiven what she is capable of.
“Laura, on the other hand, I have forgiven. That isn’t to say she should be released from prison. Look at that, why should she be given such a free pass? She will spend the rest of her life in prison. “Embarrassed,” Kelly Syring remarked. “And as far as my ex-husband… I blame him, too. I do blame him. It’s partially his fault. He was aware of her past.”
Syring stated that he is doing everything he can to move on.
“So many things, so many red flags, escaped me because I was so wrapped up in, twisted up in it all. I’m not sure if it was just the trauma of losing my son or if it was just her being a master manipulator. I’m at a loss for words,” Syring stated.
Laura Day kept writing to Syring until 2019, when he stopped responding. She did, however, discover a new boyfriend while incarcerated through a pen-pal service.
Taylor, according to Jensen, will live on in her memory as a reminder that justice does exist.
“I have a picture of Taylor Syring on the shelf just across from my desk to this day. While I’m at work, I see him every day “Jensen stated. “I do so because the justice that the case team and I could obtain for him was one of the most incredible things I believe I will ever do in my career.”
20/20 aired Friday, June 3 (9-11pm EDT), on ABC, and the next day on Hulu.
