Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Summer Tatiana Roney was found dead in her ex-boyfriend's car.
- Her sister, Michelle Tischner, expressed heartbreak and urged caution in abusive relationships.
- Jacob Johnson was arrested in connection with Roney's death.
SALT LAKE CITY – The sister of Summer Tatiana Roney, 30, the woman found dead in the backseat of her ex-boyfriend's car on New Year's Eve, is speaking out for the first time, sharing her heartbreak and remembering the life Roney lived.
Roney's sister, Michelle Tischner, spoke with deep emotion as she described the last time she saw her sister alive.
"Christmas was the last time I saw her," Tischner said, sitting next to the Christmas tree her sister had admired just days before her death. "We were extremely, extremely close. It's going to be hard for me to take down my Christmas tree."
On Dec. 30, Roney failed to show up for her 2 p.m. work shift. Tischner believes Roney met with her ex-boyfriend, Jacob Johnson, 40, to end their relationship of 3 1/2 years.
"It was always very up and down," Tischner explained, adding that there had been violence in their past, including an incident in 2021 that led her to contact police on Roney's behalf.
Herriman police suspect Johnson is responsible for Roney's death and killed her at his Herriman home on Stone Hayes Court.
Roney's family believes Johnson drove with Roney's body to a Bluffdale gas station several hours after the murder.
Surveillance footage captured Johnson's vehicle arriving at the gas station shortly after midnight on New Year's Eve. It was there, when a police officer approached the vehicle, that Roney's body was discovered in the backseat during a DUI investigation.
"I know that she had been probably gone (deceased) for at least probably 10 hours," Tischner said. "I'm so glad (police found her) because we could still be searching for her right now. My biggest fear was he was taking her to dispose of her."
According to Tischner, Roney's death was ruled as a homicide from blunt force trauma.
Tischner, heartbroken by the violent nature of her sister's death, said she is struggling to come to terms. "Nobody should be taken this violently," she said, trying to hold back tears.
Though the tragedy is overwhelming, Tischner has a clear message for those in abusive relationships or experiencing domestic violence. "If I had a message for anybody who's going through this, please don't go alone when you're going to go and break up with somebody," she urged.
As the family mourns Roney's death, they are determined to keep her legacy alive. "Summer was a beautiful, kind-hearted soul," Tischner said. "I want everybody to know who she is, and I will be there at every court hearing. I will get justice for Summer."
Roney's funeral is scheduled for Thursday, when family, friends, and co-workers will gather to honor her memory.
The Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office is expected to review the case for formal charges this week.
Roney's family is hopeful that justice will be served, but their thoughts remain on the life she led — a life full of kindness, love, and light, leaving an impact on everyone who knew her.
Born in Russia and adopted by her family in the United States, Roney was resilient and full of life and selfless love, never allowing challenges to defeat her, her sister said.
"Seeing all the news articles that somebody was found in the back of the car, she's more than that. She's my sister and just an amazing human being," Tischner said.
Help for people in abusive relationships can be found by contacting:
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition: Utah's confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic violence hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465)
- YWCA Women in Jeopardy program: 801-537-8600
- Utah's statewide child abuse and neglect hotline: 1-855-323-DCFS (3237)
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
