Victim’s Daughter Reacts to Summerfield Arrest

ASHLAND, Ohio — A 13-year-old girl put unimaginable emotions into words just hours after the man accused of murdering her mother was arrested.

The U.S. Marshals Office said Nate Summerfield, 27, was taken into custody in Wadsworth on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. after authorities tracked him to a motel on High Street.

Summerfield had been wanted for over a month after his estranged girlfriend, Lynn Jackenheimer, disappeared during a trip with him to North Carolina, where her body was later found.

Summerfield returned with the 3-year-old son he shared with Jackenheimer and Jackenheimer’s 13-year-old daughter, then took off.

Ciara Sheppard, Jackenheimer’s daughter, said the support that she received from the people in Ashland County has been overwhelming, and that she has stayed strong just like her mother would have wanted her to be through these tough times.

“Ever since Nate Summerfield murdered my mother I felt so sad and I’m so glad he’s gonna be found and everything and he’s now either gonna go to the electric chair or go in jail and die,” said Sheppard.  “I don’t care about him, he used me to get to my mother.  I really liked my mom.  I have these people now, I love you mom.”

Through her grief, Sheppard also expressed appreciation.

“I want to thank everybody for helping me and mom and everything. She was a great woman like me and I’m probably gonna be her replacement.  I am like her,” Sheppard told Fox8 News.

The Ashland community has shown its support for Jackenheimer’s family by making t-shirts and posters with Summerfield’s picture to help the authorities locate and capture him.  

“We wont forget it and we just had these (shirts) made to get his name out there and we’ve been selling them and the profits of the shirt sales go to the family.  We’ve been doing everything we can to help (the family) get justice,” said Megan Cooper of Ashland.

After a press conference held on Wednesday, Jackenheimer’s family hugged each law enforcement officer and thanked them for the work they did in capturing Summerfield.

At the time of this report, Summerfield was in the Medina County jail awaiting extradition to North Carolina where he will be tried in Jackenheimer’s murder.

Authorities said they are currently investigating if anyone helped harbor Summerfield over the past five-and-half weeks.

*Click here for extended coverage on Lynn Jackenheimer’s death and the arrest of Nate Summerfield