First court appearance set for Ohio suspect in Outer Banks killing

A grand jury in Dare County will hear evidence next month in the case of an Ohio man charged with first-degree murder in the slaying of his ex-girlfriend at the Outer Banks.

Posted 7:12 p.m. Aug 16, 2012 — Updated 9:54 a.m. Aug 17, 2012

ASHLAND, OHIO — A grand jury in Dare County will hear evidence next month in the case of an Ohio man charged with first-degree murder in the slaying of his ex-girlfriend at the Outer Banks.

Chief Deputy Steve Hoggard of the Dare County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Thursday that a grand jury will convene Sept. 10 to listen to evidence against Nathan Summerfield.

Summerfield, 27, is accused of killing his on-and-off girlfriend, Lynn Jackenheimer, while they vacationed in July on Hatteras Island. Jackenheimer disappeared during the trip, and her body was found about two weeks later in a vacant lot in Frisco.

Summerfield was captured Wednesday after a monthlong manhunt. Authorities said he did not resist arrest when officers burst into his room at a Wadsworth, Ohio, hotel.

Hoggard said Summerfield is scheduled for his first court appearance Friday in the Common Pleas Court in Medina County, Ohio. The suspect could waive extradition and be returned quickly to Dare County, Hoggard said, or fight extradition and extend the process.

"The Ohio authorities and the U.S. Marshals Service, as well as the authorities in Michigan where his vehicle was located, have been absolutely top notch to work with," Hoggard said. "Whatever we needed, they provided."

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