48 Hours - Death At Soho House

Sylvie Cachay was an up-and-coming fashion designer. In 2010, she was found dead and partially clothed in an overflowing tub at the Soho House in New York City. Police learned Sylvie had checked into the hotel with her boyfriend, Nicholas Brooks. Although there was an empty bottle of prescription pills nearby, the on-scene medical examiner found marks on Sylvie’s neck that suggested strangulation and the investigation quickly turned to Brooks. "48 Hours" correspondent Troy Roberts reports. This classic "48 Hours" episode last aired on 8/1/2026. Watch all-new episodes of “48 Hours” on Saturdays and stream on demand on Paramount+.

Duration: 39m
Broadcast on: 07 Oct 2026
Audio Format: other

[MUSIC] On a cold December morning at the Soho House, an ultra-exclusive hotel club in New York City, a body was found floating in the bathtub. >> I see a young woman submerged under the tub who wasn't moving. I put my hands under her arms and just removed her. [MUSIC] >> I was saying, please, please, please don't go. >> No son of a, no son of a. >> We looked around, there was an empty bottle of prescription pills there. >> How did she die? Did she kill herself? What happened in this hotel room? >> With the medical investigator, says, look, the marks on her neck, do you see them? I said, yeah, absolutely, I said, it doesn't look right. >> Sylvie Cashay was a young rising swimsuit designer. She had interned for Mark Jacobs. She worked for Tommy Hilfiger and Victoria's Secret. And she launched her own swimsuit design company called Sila. My name is Susan Carton and I represent Sylvie Cashay's family. From the time I got this case, I knew that this was a murder. >> That night when she went to the Soho House, there was nobody there with her, but Nicholas Brooks. >> I believe that Nicholas Brooks caused the demise of Sylvie Cashay. >> Police say 24-year-old Nicholas Brooks choked his girlfriend 33-year-old fashion designer Sylvie Cashay, then left her to die in a posh hotel bathtub. >> My brother absolutely did not murder Sylvie Cashay. >> Nick said they had rough sex, and those bruises happened early. >> Yeah, that night. >> None of the injuries that were found on Sylvie's body were the result of rough sex. >> He loved Sylvie, I know my brother is innocent, I mean, this obviously was a great mistake. >> Sylvie went into the Soho House looking beautiful and alive. She came out in a body bag. >> It was summer in Miami, two years before her death, and Sylvie Cashay was on top of the world. >> From all over the country, top bathing suit designers were vying for attention, but all eyes were on Sylvie's scene, and her swimmer line, Cilla. >> You see a lot of stuff, but it's rare that you see, wow, and that's definitely what we felt. >> Lisa McHale was Sylvie's publicist and knew she had a hit on her hands. >> It was sort of a PR dream. The coverage was crossed the board from InStyle and Vogue and Lucky and Elle. They were attracted not only to her product, but to her as an individual, as sort of a style setter in her own right. >> Sports Illustrated chose Sylvie design bikinis to feature in their swimsuit video. >> She got her clothing in Barney's and all these amazing stores within the first year, which is unheard of. >> I shot her lookbooks, that's her photographer. >> Ben Baker was a lot more than her photographer. In 2008, Ben was Sylvie's fiancé. >> She's obviously a beautiful woman, and she's sort of a person that walks in a room

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