Her in-laws couldn't accept the divorce. Eight days after she vanished, one of them finally told police where to find her.
Summer Inman, 25, was kidnapped and killed in Logan, Ohio, on March 22, 2011, by her ex-husband and his parents, following a bitter custody dispute over her three young children.
A Marriage That Started Young
Summer met William "Will" Inman II through church when she was 15; the two married in 2004 at 18 and 19. They settled near Will's parents, William "Bill" Inman Sr. and Sandra "Sandy" Inman, who had married young themselves and doted on their grandchildren. The families were close for years, with Bill and Sandy regularly watching the kids on weekends.
A Marriage That Turned Controlling
According to Summer's own journals and a later court affidavit, Will grew possessive and controlling as the marriage went on, expecting dinner ready when he came home and requiring her approval before she could go to bed. She wrote that she felt like she'd lost herself, describing her situation as feeling like a "slave." She also stated Will had begun exploring polygamy, downloading photos of other women from polygamy websites and expressing interest in having a second wife. When she pushed back during one argument, Will took her cats and later told her he'd thrown them out of a moving vehicle.
Divorce and a Custody Battle
Summer filed for divorce in June 2010 after starting a relationship with a man who'd been working on Bill's property. In her affidavit, she stated Will had threatened to kill her if she tried to take their three children away from him. She moved back in with her parents in Logan and began attending counseling for domestic violence survivors. A month before her disappearance, Will attempted to gain full custody of the children; a judge denied the request.
The Night She Disappeared
On March 22, 2011, Summer finished her night shift as a janitor at Century National Bank and never made it home. Her father called 911 when she didn't check in as usual; her coat and iPod were later found near the building. Separately, witnesses reported seeing two masked men use a stun gun on a woman outside a nearby bank and force her into a white Ford Crown Victoria.
An Alibi That Didn't Hold Up
When police questioned Will, Bill, and Sandy, all three claimed they'd been in Cleveland that night. A search warrant on their vehicle's GPS told a different story: it placed them in the Logan area that evening and showed the vehicle being used at a car wash the next morning. Surveillance footage from the car wash showed the three of them getting out of the car — without Summer. They'd also purchased new tires for the vehicle in the days after.
A Confession
Eight days after Summer went missing, all three were brought in for questioning. Will and Bill refused to answer questions; Sandy did not. She told investigators Summer had died, describing it as an accident rather than an intended killing. According to her account, they had confronted Summer to pressure her into allowing more visitation with the children. Will placed zip ties around Summer's wrists and one around her neck before they drove off; the neck tie was too tight, and by the time they realized what was happening, they had no way to cut it free. Summer suffocated in the car.
Recovery and Sentencing
Sandy accepted a plea deal, agreeing to reveal the location of Summer's body in exchange for a 15-year sentence and prosecutors dropping pursuit of the death penalty against Will and Bill. Investigators recovered Summer's body from a septic tank behind Faith Tabernacle Church in Nelsonville, Ohio — the same church where she'd first met Will as a teenager — roughly 20 miles from where she was taken. Both Will and Bill were convicted of aggravated murder, murder, kidnapping, tampering with evidence, and gross abuse of a corpse, and were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, along with additional consecutive sentences for the related charges.
Frequently Asked Questions
Were all three family members convicted?
Yes. William Inman II and William Inman Sr. were both sentenced to life without parole. Sandra Inman received a 15-year sentence as part of a plea deal for revealing where Summer's body was hidden.
Why was Summer killed?
Investigators said the family abducted her intending to intimidate her into allowing more contact with her children following their divorce and custody dispute; the killing itself was described by Sandra as an accident during the abduction.
How was the family caught?
GPS data from their vehicle contradicted their claimed alibi, and car wash surveillance footage showed the three returning without Summer, leading to their arrest and Sandra's eventual confession.