Sara Summer case on Killer Relationship with Faith Jenkins - A detailed case overview

Sara Summer lived in Trenton, Tennessee. This 27-year-old mother of three little boys disappeared on September 6, 2004, after dropping her kids off at her mom's home. An exceedingly ordinary evening turned gradually into a nightmare, where Sara never came back. Over subsequent days, the burned body of Sara was found in a remote cornfield, beaten to death in a ruthless attack that appalled people living in this tight-knit community.

The investigation would reveal a complicated network of post-divorce romances, hidden tensions, and a lethal betrayal at the hands of a person Sara had trusted. The case was investigated in season 4, episode 4 of Killer Relationship with Faith Jenkins, titled Small Town, Big Lies. The episode was released on Oxygen on November 30, 2025.

Killer Relationship with Faith Jenkins: Sara Summer's early life and relationships

On July 1, 1977, Sara Katherine Summer was born in Trenton, a tiny, rural community of roughly 5,000 people in Gibson County, Tennessee. As the daughter of homemaker Kathy Melton Flemings and Charles Curtis Summer, she was raised in a loving household.  Following her parents' divorce, Kathy remarried James Flemings, who gave Sara a stable stepfather. With three brothers and one sister, Sonya, Sara cultivated a close-knit family that valued diligence and love for kids.

Sara became a mother at a young age. Her peaceful relationship with Bruce ended amicably, giving birth to her first son, Christopher. After that, she wed Tim Hinson and had two more sons, Adam and Shane. But the marriage became problematic, with allegations of physical abuse. When Sara was eight months pregnant with Shane, Tim allegedly attacked her and once shoved her down stairs.

The couple divorced before 2004, with Sara receiving full custody of the boys. Even through such hardships, Sara continued to support her family as a manager at a nearby restaurant. After her divorce, Sara plunged carefully into a small social circle surrounding Trenton. In an attempt to find some kind of stability following trauma, she dated casually, including a brief relationship with a man.

She was lively and tough, always putting her kids first, according to friends. Her calendar noted meetings such as those with a friend like Jason Sanders, a 28-year-old local with steady work and family connections, thus suggesting interests. Despite optimism regarding these relationships, they did have an undercurrent of volatility, not uncommon in small-town dynamics where relationships are so interwoven, as per Oxygen.

The disappearance and initial search efforts

The couple divorced before 2004, and Sara was granted sole custody of the boys. Despite the challenges, Sara continued to put her family first and supported them by working at McDonald's. After the divorce, Sara cautiously entered Trenton's small social circle.   

Sara's blue van had vanished from the driveway of her apartment, and her belongings, keys, and purse were all undamaged. Charles and Kathy filed a missing persons report with the Gibson County Sheriff's Office the following day, September 7, following 24 hours of unsuccessful searches by friends and family. Volunteers distributed flyers, conducted neighborhood canvassing, and interviewed restaurant employees. 

Alerts from the local media described Sara as 5'6", with brown eyes and hair, and last seen wearing casual attire. "Jason Sanders" was a handwritten note on her calendar that caught her attention early and prompted her to look up recent contacts. Driven by Sara's reputation as a loving mother, the community came together and organized searches along rural roads and fields. Later, Kathy told investigators about the pain of uncertainty, saying, "Sara would never leave her boys."

Friends ruled out voluntary disappearance, noting her excitement about a possible new chapter after the divorce. Ex-partners like Tim Hinson, whose violent past raised suspicions despite his alibi, were interviewed by law enforcement as part of increased efforts. The search brought to light the difficulties faced by small towns: a lack of resources prolonged the family's suffering by delaying more widespread alerts, according to Oxygen.

Discovery of the body and key investigation developments

Six days after disappearing, on September 12, 2004, a tip led deputies to a remote cornfield off White Brothers Road, midway between Humboldt and Gibson. There, they discovered Sara's burned blue van and, nearby, her decomposed body doused in accelerant. The smell of decay and fire overpowered; one officer described it: "A smell you'll never forget." An autopsy showed multiple blunt force injuries to the back of her head, resulting from a heavy object, confirming homicide before the fire attempted to erase evidence.

Dental records identified Sara amidst the charring. The shift in the investigation to murder heightened the focus on her romantic circle. Forensics linked tire tracks and fibers to suspects; the arson traces indicated deliberate destruction. Tim Hinson remained under scrutiny due to his background of violence, but his alibi cleared him. Attention finally settled on Jason Sanders, because a mention in his calendar showed a meetup.

His claimed Kansas trip unraveled via a gas station video showing him buying a can on discovery day. Interrogated, Jason admitted picking Sara up for an encounter in her van. He claimed an argument over money escalated when she hit him, leading to strikes in rage. Yet, autopsy inconsistencies, head wounds not matching his nose-hit story, undermined him. Community tips and evidence, like accelerant on his clothes, sealed suspicions.

Kathy collapsed upon the news, hospitalized by grief. The investigation unraveled a web of lies in Trenton's fabric, where trust had hidden motives. Thus, as shown by this revelation phase, it was forensics and persistence that turned a missing case into justice pursuit.

The trial, sentencing, and lasting impact

In March 2005, Jason Sanders was charged with first-degree murder. There was a mountain of evidence, including contradictions in his confession, footage, and ties to the scene.  In July 2006, he entered a guilty plea to second-degree murder in order to avoid the death penalty. He was sentenced to 15 years in the Tennessee Department of Corrections on July 11, 2006; his family was furious at the leniency for such cruelty to a mother.

Jason served about 12 years, paroled on December 22, 2017. Sara's sons, as adults, shared in the episode how the absence of their mother shaped their lives: Christopher through family focus, Shane and Adam navigating loss. Kathy and Sonya have since advocated for domestic violence awareness, noting red flags of obsession Sara overlooked amid hope, as per Oxygen.

Stay tuned for more news and updates on Killer Relationship with Faith Jenkins.