Dare County Sheriff: Lynn Jackenheimer stabbed, strangled to death

CLEVELAND - At a news conference Tuesday, Dare County Sheriff Doug Doughtie released the Greenville medical examiner's findings after performing an autopsy on Lynn Jackenheimer. The 33-year-old mother of two from Ashland was stabbed and strangled to death.

"We're not sure what exactly was going on at the time of (Lynn's) death. The last place she was seen alive, that we can say, was at their rental cottage," said Doughtie during the briefing.

An intense manhunt is on to find accused murderer 27-year-old Nate Summerfield, the estranged boyfriend of Jackenheimer who took her, their 3-year-old son and Jackenheimer's 13-year-old daughter on vacation to the Outer Banks in North Carolina.

Police said Summerfield came back home and dropped off the children at a family friend's house on July 8, withdrew cash from an Ashland ATM and took off in a gray Honda Civic with Ohio license plate FMV 7540.

Summerfield hasn't been seen or heard from since.

Still not known is how long Jackenheimer was dead before her body was found in a trash bag by a construction worker July 14 in Frisco, N.C., 30 minutes away from where their beach cottage. The sheriff said dental records were used to positively identify the body.

WEB EXTRA: Click play button to hear 911 call from N.C. construction worker

"When this plays out and we know exactly what is going on, if we are able to find (Summerfield) and talk to him, there will be some things only he can answer," Doughtie said, in reference as to why he could only respond "no comment" to many questions asked by reporters.

Doughtie did assure that some people are able to help with a timeline of events. "There are other people who can fill in some areas of these gaps."

The sheriff also noted the 911 call from Summerfield's brother, Jake, was consistent with the department's findings.

"My brother was in North Carolina with his ex-girlfriend. He came back and said he strangled her, he dropped his kid off and left," said Jake in the call to dispatchers more than a week ago.

WEB EXTRA: Click play button below to hear Jake's 911 call:

"We have had some people from Ohio contact us and provide tips which we have looked into," Doughtie said.

The U.S. Marshal's Office is now involved in trying to track down Summerfield, who is wanted for murder.

Anyone with information about the case can anonymously call the Dare County Sheriff's Office at (252) 475-5980.