ASHLAND, Ohio (Fox8) — As the manhunt for accused killer Nathan Summerfield continues, CBS 6 affiliates in Ohio,the Fox 8 I-Team, is learning more about the difficulties that authorities may be facing in their search.
According to friends of murder victim Lynn Jackenheimer, it appears Summerfield is frustrating investigators with his knowledge of technology.
Rhiannon Burkhardt, a lifelong friend of Jackenheimer, told the I-Team, “He is extremely intelligent, that’s the problem we’re dealing with. He can hack into anything, he can play with your mind. Phone bills, phone towers, it’s been just a nightmare, showing that he’s one place and you go and he’s not at that place or it bounced off a different tower.”
Jackenheimer’s friends and relatives are convinced that Summerfield is getting help from someone to avoid capture. The victim’s sister, Tasha Holland, told the I-Team, “If you have the heart to help a murderer, you should be treated like one.”
Holland said the family is doing its best to raise her sister’s 13-year-old daughter, Ciara, and three-year-old son, Leland.
Jackenheimer, 33, was killed on July 4 while on vacation in North Carolina with the children and Summerfield, 27, who is Jackenheimer’s ex-boyfriend and Leland’s father.
Investigators say Summerfield stabbed and strangled Jackenheimer and dumped her body in Frisco, North Carolina.
He then returned to Ohio with the children and vanished after allegedly admitting to his brother that he had killed Lynn Jackenheimer.
Holland said that nearly one month after the murder, young Leland pointed to a star in the sky and asked, “How can I talk to an angel?”
Holland told Fox 8, “I said, ‘that’s mommy looking down and shining down on you.’ He still says, ‘how do I talk to mommy, how can I touch mommy?’”
When Jackenheimer’s parents went to Ashland County Family Court on Monday to ask for full custody of the two children, they were stunned to learn that Nathan Summerfield’s parents were seeking custody of Leland.
Fox 8 News went to the Summerfield home to ask about the custody dispute, but there was no answer at the door.
Jackenheimer’s family said their lawyer has advised them not to talk about the dispute, but their daughter’s friends have strong opinions about Nathan Summerfield’s family seeking custody of his son.
“You can’t separate brothers and sisters, I mean they’ve been through something no one should ever have to go through and they need to feed off of each other, and love one another,” said Rhiannon Burkhardt.
