Ashley Summers Went Missing in 2007 at Age 14—Was She Abducted?

Police thought a missing teen was likely a runaway, until she disappeared longer than anybody expected. Nearly 20 years later, the family’s search continues. 

A village of family members raised Ashley Summers. She was a free spirit who bounced from one relative’s home to another. By age 13, “there was a little bit of teenage rebellion starting,” Ashley’s step grandmother, Linda Summers, told NewsNation. 

Shortly before turning 14, Ashley stole rent money from her mother, Jennifer, to get a tattoo of a heart with her boyfriend’s name on her right arm. They got into an argument and decided that Ashley should move out to give them both some space and possibly repair their relationship. 

Ashley was dropped off at her uncle Kevin Donathan’s home on July 7, 2007. She attended a pool party at her uncle Keith’s house in Cleveland on July 9 and told relatives on her way out that she would be staying at one of her aunt’s homes. She never arrived. 

After making a round of calls hoping to locate Ashley, Jennifer reported her daughter missing on July 11. Authorities initially said Ashley was reported as a runaway following a family argument and considered her “an endangered juvenile who may have been a runaway and possibly abducted,” Special Agent Vicki Anderson told CNN. According to Uncovered, the argument happened after Donathan overheard Ashley gossiping about their family on her cell phone, resulting in him destroying the phone.

Jennifer and her family posted flyers, which were being taken down within a day.  According to Linda, they initially thought Ashley or somebody who knew her whereabouts may have been responsible. 

On August 6, 2007, Jennifer received a call from a blocked number. The person on the line said, “Mom, it’s me. I’m OK. Don’t worry,” and hung up. It sounded like Ashley, but Jennifer couldn’t be certain. 

While driving through town on November 17, Linda recalled spotting somebody that looked like Ashley: “By the time we got turned around, she had disappeared down an alley.”

Cleveland police found themselves under tremendous pressure to solve cold cases, especially following the case of Anthony Sowell, who served 15 years in prison for rape. The victims’ families claimed that the city’s “straight release and indict later policy” allowed Sowell to be released early. He continued to rape and murder until he was caught in 2009. During a search of his home, police found shallow graves in the basement and bodies stuffed into crawl spaces.

An 85-count indictment against Sowell included 11 counts of aggravated murder. He received the death penalty and died of a terminal illness on February 8, 2021 at age 61 while in prison.

Authorities wondered whether the disappearances of three young women from Cleveland between 2002 and 2004 were connected to Ashley’s case since they lived in the same area. 

On May 6, 2013, a neighbor heard Amanda Berry screaming for help. Berry told the neighbor that she was being held against her will. She escaped with a child she bore while held captive. They called 911. 

Two other victims, Gina DeJesus, who’d been held captive for nine years, and Michelle Knight, who’d been held captive for 11, were locked up in the basement. Their rescues made international headlines and raised the possibility that the suspect may have abducted Ashley, too. 

“We're hoping that it's connected, and they knew where she was,” Ashley’s aunt Debra Summers told CNN at the time. “We're hoping for a miracle.” 

The suspect, Ariel Castro, was charged two days later with four counts of kidnapping and three counts of rape, against all three women. He claimed no involvement in Ashley’s disappearance. The FBI said there was no evidence linking him to Ashley. Castro hung himself in his cell in August 2013, eliminating the chance of a confession. 

While investigating Donathan, authorities found evidence of sexual abuse going back decades. Ashley’s uncle pleaded guilty in February 2020 to charges including rape and gross sexual misconduct of several minors. The FBI said Donathan was not a suspect in Ashley’s disappearance.

In addition to working with local law enforcement and the FBI, Ashley’s family has been involved with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). NCMEC’s Missing Children Division Vice President John Bischoff encourages anybody with information about Ashley to come forward. He tells A&E Crime + Investigation that no detail is too minor: “We don’t know the whereabouts of Ashley. Any small piece of information could be the key to breaking open the entire case.”

Bischoff says he has even witnessed a happy ending from a case more than half a century old. “We have seen people come home after many years, which gives us hope as an organization and gives us the drive,” he continues. “Ashley’s case going on 19 years is actually heartbreaking, but we haven’t given up, the family hasn’t given up and law enforcement, of course, hasn’t given up.”

The FBI still considers the investigation active. Anybody with information about Ashley’s disappearance is encouraged to contact the agency.