On what seemed like an ordinary day, Tennessee mother Sara Summer dropped her three children off at her mother’s home. However, this visit took an unexpected turn when Summer failed to return.

Fast forward six days to September 12, 2004, when investigators were drawn to a well-known teenage hangout called The Hole, situated in a field. There, they discovered Sara’s minivan engulfed in flames, as recounted in a November 30 episode of Oxygen’s Killer Relationship with Faith Jenkins.

Bradford Police Officer Ryan Shanklin reflected on the scene, saying, “When you arrive at such a scene, it’s impossible to predict what you’ll find. Naturally, there’s the scent of gasoline from the vehicle, but there was another distinct smell. Once you’ve encountered it, it’s unforgettable—the scent of decomposition.”

Authorities found Sara’s body positioned face down, her chin resting on the open sliding door’s running board, while her legs extended behind her on the ground.

This tragic and shocking discovery ignited a haunting mystery, as investigators began piecing together clues to solve the murder of the devoted mother of three.

Sara Summer Dreamed of Meeting Mr. Right

Growing up in the small town of Humboldt, Tennessee, Sara had always dreamed of meeting the perfect man. 

“Sara was always very insecure about herself, because she felt like she thought she wasn’t pretty and she thought she wasn’t worthy,” her sister Sonya McGill remembered. “And you know, she had those little girl dreams of Mr. Right.”

While still in high school, Sara got pregnant, but the baby’s father didn’t want to be in the picture.

“I knew mama loved me,” her son Christopher Summer shared. “She always was there anytime I needed her.”

Sara raised her son on her own until meeting Tim Hinson. They quickly fell in love and married that same year, later welcoming two more sons. 

But those who knew Sara said the marriage began to fall apart when Tim started drinking heavily, struggled to hold a job and took his anger out on his wife. 

“There was black eyes, there was bruises, there was cuts,” Sonya alleged. “He had actually shoved her while she was pregnant, you know, and hit her in the stomach.”

Sara Summer Disappears

The couple eventually divorced and Sara received custody of her children. To make ends meet, Sara began working at McDonald’s, where she intended to work her way up on the corporate ladder.

But Sara’s life took a sudden turn on Sept. 6, 2004, after she dropped her three children off at her mother’s house and never returned. According to her sister,  it was “extremely unusual” for the young mom.

As Sonya insisted, “She was not going to drop those boys off and not come back for those boys without telling us prior.”

Their concern grew when Sara didn’t show up for work the next day, prompting the family to report her missing. Authorities gathered all the information they could, but there was initially no sign of Sara. 

“We don’t have much to go on,” remarked Brad York, a patrol officer Humboldt Police. “Nobody in the community has seen her. Nobody at work has seen her.”

At the time, Tim told police he hadn’t talked to his ex-wife in over a year. 

New Suspect Emerges After Clue at Sara Summer’s Home

While searching Sara’s home, investigators discovered a possible clue. On her calendar, they noticed that she’d written “back with Jason” and a smiley face next to one of the dates. Investigators learned, after speaking to Sara’s family, that the message was likely a reference to Jason Sanders, a man she met in school and later dated.

“Jason was handsome and he’s very outgoing,” Sonya detailed. “He could be very arrogant, though, and I guess that was part of the attraction, because he was exciting.”

Sonya described him as a “very dominant person” who could be controlling and was always in need of money. At one point, Sara suspected he was stealing from her.

Although the couple broke up about five months before she disappeared, authorities suspected Sara had secretly rekindled the relationship.

Police set out to speak with Jason, but his father told them he was working in Kansas City. Jason eventually called investigators and told them he hadn’t seen Sara in weeks and would speak to them more when he returned to town.

Sara Summer’s Remains Are Discovered

Then, six days after Sara disappeared, her remains were found in the corn field, showing significant signs of decomposition.

“We probably have someone that committed this homicide and they had returned to the scene and then set the fire,” special agent with the TSBA Steve McClure said. “And it appears an ignitable liquid was probably poured on the body, as well as the van.”

Special Agent with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Jessica Shannon described it as a “heartbreaking” discovery, adding, “It was one of the most gruesome scenes that I’d worked.”

A male witness who lived nearby told police he’d seen a red pickup truck driving slowly on the road near The Hole, several hours before the fire. 

Suspect’s Alibi Falls Apart in Sara Summer Case

Investigators got another break when they learned that Jason had never been in Kansas City, like he claimed. Instead, he had been staying at his friend Beth Kaiser’s house just outside Humboldt. He was taken into custody on an outstanding warrant related to a DUI as authorities still tried to piece together Sara’s murder. 

Although Jason claimed he had never left Beth’s house, her teenage daughter told police a different story, revealing he had stepped out the same day Sara disappeared. When he returned around 9:30 p.m. or 10 p.m., his clothes were muddy and he wouldn’t tell her where he’d been. 

The teen also told police that on the day of the fire, she went with Jason to a convenience store in Beth’s red pickup truck, where he filled up a gas can—a purchase that was captured on surveillance footage. The teen said Jason asked to borrow the truck a second time later that day and left on his own.

According to McClure, the account gave investigators a “pretty good indicator” they had found their suspect. 

The case was strengthened after investigators found phone records that showed that Sara and Jason had been communicating the day she disappeared, before the the communication suddenly came to a sudden halt. 

“Why does he never call her again?” Shannon asked. “Because he knows she’s dead. He knows she’s not going to answer.”

After impounding Beth’s truck, investigators also found corn stalks stuck underneath the front of vehicle, placing Jason at the murder scene. They also found traces of the accelerant used in the fire on his boots.

Investigators theorized that Sara and Jason got into a confrontation the day she died and he killed her with a blow to the back of the head, before returning to the crime scene days later to light the fire.