AR AR - Deborah 'Debbie' Summers, 18, Faulkner County, 19 Sept 1975

Consider the murder of Debbie Summers.

At 12:45 a.m. Sept. 19, 1975, a girl's body was found on the shoulder of Highway 286 by a couple on their way home from Little Rock, according to Log Cabin Democrat reports. She had been shot in the neck by a .410 shotgun. She had red hair and no identification. An autopsy revealed Summers had been shot three times at close range and showed evidence of sexual intercourse before her death. Alcohol was also found in her system.

An investigation by the Faulkner County Sheriff's Office determined that she was Debbie Summers, 18, and she had been hitchhiking across country, which many young people did at that time.

A business card found near Debbie's body led police to a man who had given her a ride from Coral Gables, Fla., to Atlanta, Ga. Her diary was also found. Investigators came to believe she was enroute to St. Louis when she was killed.

In 1977, Debbie's parents were located by special investigator Jerry Snow of Russellville. Mr. and Mrs. James Summers were living in St. Louis at the time Debbie was killed.

Orlan Jones of Conway was chief deputy at the time of the murder.

"We never did find out who did it," he said. "We traced her from Florida to Atlanta. We talked to that guy who picked her up in Florida and let her out in Atlanta. It was 24 hours from the time he let her out to the time she was found dead."

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