CLEVELAND — It has been nearly 16 years since Ashley Summers disappeared in Cleveland.
Now, authorities in Northeast Ohio have released an age-progression photo to show what her likeness would be today at her present age of 29.
The hope of releasing this new photo is that somebody may recognize Summers or come forward with information connected to the case.
“We've seen countless times how our age progression images can help be a driving force in a search for a missing child,” said Angeline Hartmann, Director of Communications at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. “We’re asking everyone to take a good look at Ashley's brand-new image. Ashley disappeared when she was 14 years old, and she would be 29 today. We just need the right person to recognize Ashley and help bring her home.”
Tips can be submitted by calling the FBI at 216-522-1400, the Cleveland Division of Police Detective Bureau at 216-623-5118 or Crime Stoppers at 216-252-7463. Tipsters can remain anonymous.
Crime Stoppers is also offering reward money for information that leads to finding Summers and/or information leading to the successful identification of those responsible for her disappearance.
Summers was last seen on or about July 8, 2007, with authorities noting the following areas of interest in Cleveland:
- 2100 block of West 96th
- 3800 block of West 23rd
- 1100 block of Holmden Avenue
- 3400 block of West 44th
Police say Summers was 5’5” tall and 130 pounds at the time with long brown hair and blue eyes. She also had a red heart outline tattoo on her upper right arm with the name “Gene” in a black ink ribbon across the middle.
“The Cleveland Division of Police, along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, continues to investigate the disappearance of Ashley Summers and we hope that the visual component of this new photo will assist in bringing forward additional information,” said Cleveland Police Chief Wayne Drummond. “Ashley’s case, like all missing persons cases, remains open and active. We encourage anyone with information to contact law enforcement.”
Additionally, investigators have made contact with people who knew Summers or may have had contact with her prior to July 2007, and are again “seeking the public’s help to bring Ashley home.”
“Ashley is a young and vibrant young woman with a strong and willful spirit,” her mother, Jennifer Summers said. “Her disappearance has left our family broken and irreparable until we can one day reunite with her. We encourage anyone who may know something to contact the local police department. We appreciate the continued efforts and resources the FBI, The Cleveland Police Department and The National Center for Missing Children have supplied while pursuing any leads involving Ashley.”
Below are some previously released images of Summers after she was first reported missing:
Editor's note: Video in the player below was originally published in a previous story on May 8, 2021.