Twenty-two years ago, Donna Sumners disappeared from the Candleglow apartments in Brooksville. Now that both of her parents have passed away without finding closure, Donna’s family is offering a $15,000 reward for information leading to her whereabouts.
Donna grew up in Heflin, Alabama where her sister Deborah Bright still resides. Donna met her husband Monroe Sumners while attending high school in Heflin. The two married and had a son. Monroe Sumners joined the Army and served in the Persian Gulf War. After his deployment, he worked as an Army Recruiter in Brooksville.
The couple’s relationship was not ideal preceding her disappearance. According to Bright, for two to three months before Donna’s disappearance, Monroe was in a relationship with another woman, 18 year old Christy Bennett who was one of his Army recruits. Bright stated that Donna had hired a private investigator to find out about the affair that Monroe was having. The Brooksville PD had also responded to 911 calls placed by Donna due to physical abuse by her husband, but she never filed charges. She moved back to Alabama with her son, leaving Monroe in Brooksville.
However, in an attempt to reconcile with her husband she went back to Brooksville. Her family never saw her again. Following her disappearance, Monroe moved to Virginia Beach with his sister. There he worked as a bartender. He committed suicide in July of 1994. He left a note apologizing to his son, but revealed nothing more.
Most of the investigations centered around Monroe Sumners, so when he took his life, developments in the case came to a standstill. Following Donna’s disappearance, his jeep was wrecked and the inside of the vehicle was wet. Monroe’s stories on why were inconsistent. There was also a small amount of blood on a rug inside the apartment.
February 1st 2016 marked twenty two years since Donna’s disappearance.”We just keep going day by day… ” stated Bright. “You know somebody knows something. And the police, they have been very good.”
She explained that Lt. Messer of the Brooksville Police Department has recently spoken to Christy Bennett who Bright believes to reside in North Carolina. “He’s trying, he’s trying hard,” she stated. Christy was possibly one of the last people to see her alive. According to police, she was at the apartment the night of Donna’s disappearance. Donna pleaded with Christy not to leave the apartment in fear of being beaten. Christy agreed to take and passed a lie detector test after Donna’s disappearance, while Monroe Sumners never agreed to take one.
According to Police Chief, George Turner, at the Brooksville Police Department, the FDLE also investigated the case as part of their cold case unit about 5 years ago and conducted interviews with persons related to Monroe Sumners.
Bright also stated that the department in Heflin has been very helpful. They took a DNA sample from Bright in case a match shows up in the database.
“My mother, she just told me not to stop looking. She told me the day before she died, ‘Through whatever, you keep on. I’ll send you a sign.’ ”
When asked about the Sumner’s neighbors in the Candleglow apartments, Bright recalled that one neighbor was named Tom. “I don’t know the last name, but I wish somebody would talk to him. He was a truck driver. Him and his wife. So they lived right underneath Donna. You know, living right there and someone bringing something down from upstairs, you’re gonna hear it.” Bright feels that they could know something.
“Maybe a kid saw something going on 22 years ago and with us bringing the story out, they can remember.”
According to Bright, the family searched for two to three months, walking the swamps and wooded areas. They never had volunteers to help. The Brooksville police department combed nearby wooded areas. The private investigator hired by Donna also assisted the family in the search after Donna’s disappearance.
When Donna decided to go back to Brooksville in attempt to patch her relationship with Monroe, Bright and her husband drove Donna back to Brooksville. “When we got there my sister and my husband got out and Monroe barricaded my sister in [the house] and my husband was on the outside. My husband called 911 and they sent three officers out and they guaranteed us that Monroe would not go back to the property and that we would be ok there.” Bright and her husband had to leave the next morning. Her mother called the Brooksville Police Department to ensure her daughter’s safety. According to Bright, they told her that they would be patrolling the area. When she got home, Donna called and told her mother that Monroe was cutting the phone lines. She needed help. That was the last conversation Donna had with her mother.
The police did arrive at the apartment, but the argument had ended and unfortunately Donna felt that she did not need assistance.
“We just need to bring Donna home and bury her beside my mother… February 13th it will be a year since my mother passed away,” stated Bright.
The family of Donna Sumners is offering a $15,000 reward for information leading to her recovery. Please contact the Brooksville Police Department at (352) 754-6800
if you have information relevant to the case.