The Disappearance of Ashley Summers
For this case I watched an episode of Disappeared. It’s season 9 episode 1, titled ‘Edge of Fourteen.’
A fourteen girl disappears after leaving a family gathering.
Background
Ashley Summers
Ashley Nicole Summers was born on June 16, 1993. She was born into a very large extended family. She was the oldest child, and helped her mom with her younger half-siblings while she was working.
Ashley was very close to her many aunts, grandparents, uncles, etc. She would often bounce around from the homes of various family members. Ashley liked to march to the beat of her own drum, but she always talked to her mom even if they weren’t getting along.
A Rebellious Streak
Shortly before her 14th birthday, Ashley started seeing a boy named Gene. Gene was 16, and they met in the neighborhood. Ashley’s mom Jennifer didn’t approve, but Ashley often brought Gene over while her mom was working. Jennifer always found out from the other kids in the home.
Ashley’s rebellious behavior increased one day when Jennifer found out that Ashley took some of her money from her drawer, and used it to get a tattoo of her boyfriend’s name with a heart on her arm.
Jennifer decided it would be a good idea for Ashley to stay with her mom, who lived close by. Jennifer said she did this to keep her away from Gene. Ashley seemed happy with this arrangement, and she also spent time at her great uncle Kevin Donathan’s home. His home was always busy with various cousins being there.
At one point, Ashley asked her aunt Debra if she could move in. Debra agreed, but Ashley never did.
The Disappearance
On July 4, 2007, Ashley’s family had a family gathering at the home of her other great uncle’s home. His name was Keith Donathan, the brother of Kevin. It was Keith’s birthday, and he said they always celebrated his birthday with a huge party.
Ashley arrived, and said she had walked over from Kevin’s home. Her family described her as looking “down in the dumps,” but that her mood changed once she got into the pool to play with the kids.
Keith said that Ashley stayed for about three to four hours, and say goodbye to everyone around 6pm. She had told her family she was going to her aunt Christina’s, which was just a few blocks away. This was the last time anyone saw or heard from Ashley.
Two days later, Jennifer hadn’t heard from Ashley, and decided to ask various family members if they had seen her. No one had, but Kevin said he and Ashley had gotten into a fight the morning of July 4. Kevin said he found Ashley gossiping about the family on her phone. He said he got upset when she didn’t listen to him, and broke her phone.
Jennifer went to the Cleveland police department, and filed a missing persons report. They treated her case as if Ashley was just a runaway, who would return soon. However, this was not the case at all.
Family Suspicions
Ashley’s large family went out everyday to search for her. They searched on foot, bikes, in cars, and put up missing persons flyers. Many tips came in about possible sightings of Ashley, but they were dead ends.
The family was very suspicious of Gene. Jennifer said that they put up missing persons flyers near Gene’s home, and thought Ashley could’ve runaway to be with him. When they returned to the area, they discovered that the posters had been torn down.
The Cleveland police also spoke to Gene, but he denied knowing anything about where Ashley was. Gene said Ashley cut off all communication with him after July 4, which was unusual. He said he last saw Ashley a few days before when he and his dad dropped her off at Kevin’s.
Jennifer said she wasn’t convinced he was telling the truth, so she followed him. One night, she followed him to an abandoned house. She contacted the police, but Ashley was not in the home. Jennifer said she never confronted Gene directly, but Ashley’s aunt Debra did contact him through social media, and he always said he didn’t know anything.
Is Ashley Alive?
About four weeks after Ashley disappeared, Jennifer said she received a phone call from a blocked number. She said the caller said “it’s me mom, I’m okay.” Jennifer said she didn’t really believe it was Ashley because the caller abruptly hung up on her.
A few months later, in November, Ashley’s grandpa and step-grandma were driving around, and noticed a girl walking down the street. They said the girl was the same size and height as Ashley, and that her face was similar too. This girl had short blonde hair, but Ashley’s family had received a tip that Ashley’s hair could have been cut and dyed. They turned the car around to get a better look, but by this time the girl disappeared down a side street. This possible sighting never led to anyone either.
The Missing Cleveland Girls
In May 2008, Ashley’s case got the attention of the FBI Cleveland Division and of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The FBI was looking into Ashley’s case from a different angle. There had been other girls that disappeared from West Cleveland. These girls were Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus. All three girls had attended the same school at one point, and like I said disappeared from the same general area.
Meanwhile, Ashley’s family was questioned, especially her older male relatives and Gene. They were all given polygraph tests, but the results had never been revealed.
The FBI went door to door to homes in West Cleveland, and were able to walk around the homes when they were given permission. Nothing came up, until one day when a 911 call shocked the nation.
On May 6, 2013, a neighbor on Seymour Avenue heard a woman screaming. He knew that something was wrong because he knew a woman didn’t live there. Amanda Berry called 911, and said she had been kidnapped, and said “I’m here, and I’m free now.”
Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and a third woman named Michelle Knight were all rescued from the home of Ariel Castro. They had been in his home since 2002, 2003 and 2004, and had lived in hell. Ariel Castro was a former school bus driver and a monster, he had abused these women for years.
Michelle Knight, Gina DeJesus and Amanda Berry
In July 2013, Castro pleaded guilty to 937 criminal charges, including kidnapping, rape and aggravated murder. He had terminated Michelle’s pregnancies while she was held captive. He was sentenced to life plus 1,000 years, but hung himself in jail while waiting to be transferred.
Another Sighting?
There were rumors that Ashley had been in Ariel’s home, and that the words ‘RIP Ashley,’ were in the basement. However, Castro said he didn’t know Ashley, and the other women don’t recall a fourth person being there.
Ashley’s case stalled for many years. Several age progression photos have been released.
In January 2015, an ATM surveillance image was released of a woman possibly committing identity theft was released. The Rhode Island police had released this image on their most wanted website. The woman was also joined by a man.
The woman and man in the Rhode Island ATM surveillance
An age progression photo of Ashley
This image was soon all over the news, media outlets and on billboards. In March 2015, the Dr. Phil Show had facial experts on the show to compare Ashley’s photo to this photo of this woman. The expert said the photos had 80% similarities.
This turned out to be another heartbreak for Ashley’s family. The woman was later identified by her family. They said she had been in trouble with the law before, and although they hadn’t been in contact with her, it was their daughter.
Other
There was no conclusion at the end of this episode about what happened to Ashley. She is still missing to this day, and remains have never been found.
On December 4, 2018, Ashley’s great uncle Kevin Donathan was arrested and charged with rape. In February 2020, he was sentenced to 35 years in prison.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I looked into more information about Kevin, but couldn’t find anything. I truly hope Ashley’s family get some answers someday soon. It seems like they were back and forth on whether Ashley was kidnapped by someone she knew or someone she didn’t. It seems like if she was taken by someone she did know, than the family would have known immediately. This family was very large and very close. I wonder if they were ever suspicious of Kevin, especially after this information about him came out. He was the last known person to see Ashley, but as of right now he’s not a suspect in her case.
This family deserves answers, and Ashley deserves justice.
Sources
https://charleyproject.org/case/ashley-nicole-summers
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Ashley_Summers
