Sister of slain Utah woman shares emotional struggle 1 year later

DRAPER — It's been just over a year since shock and heartbreak hit the family of Summer Tatiana Roney, who police say they found dead in the back seat of her ex-boyfriend's car on New Year's Eve 2024.

While an entire calendar year has passed, Roney's sister, Michelle Tischner, said there isn't a day that goes by that she doesn't think about her, and trying to cope with the loss has been difficult.

"It hasn't been easy. It's been a struggle," she said.

On Dec. 31, 2024, police discovered Roney's body in the back seat of a car at a gas station in Bluffdale. Her ex-boyfriend, Jacob Holt Johnson, 41, of Herriman, was arrested and later charged with aggravated murder in connection with her death.

Tischner said the loss has hit her especially hard during the recent holiday season, as her sister would have celebrated her 31st birthday two days before Thanksgiving. It was Christmas Day 2024 when she last saw her sister alive.

On Wednesday, as many people were preparing to ring in 2026, Tischner said she became overwhelmed with emotion as she remembered her sister.

"I went and crawled in bed — cried and woke up for the (New Year's) ball to drop, and you know it's hard because you still have to live on for everybody around you; and I know that that's what Summer would want," she said.

An eight-page probable cause statement released a little more than a week after Johnson was arrested said Roney's body was found in a Jeep, showing signs of severe trauma and abuse.

Prosecutors last January described Roney's death and the condition that her body was found as "especially heinous and cruel."

Detectives suspect Roney was killed at Johnson's home in Herriman, then her body was driven to a Bluffdale gas station several hours later, according to the charging documents.

Roney was born in Russia, then adopted by her family in the United States. Her family describes her as "mighty in spirit, with a contagious laugh, an unforgettable smile, and a fiery determination." Though her legal last name is McKell, she goes by Roney, according to her sister.

Tischner said her sister had met Johnson five years ago, but their relationship was mostly "on-and-off" again.

Tischner describes Roney as a vulnerable adult who had a difficult childhood and learning disabilities, with a mental function of around the age of 15.

Tischner said she believes Johnson was manipulative as well as abusive toward her sister, and that he knew of her condition.

"He really preyed on her — he knew she was a vulnerable adult," she alleged.

Tischner said finding ways grapple with the killing of her sister has only become more and more challenging for their family.

"The loss is just unimaginable — I never expected to feel something this grave," she told KSL.

Tischner said that while the loss of her sister has left her struggling and emotionally wrecked, she hopes that by sharing Roney's story, it creates awareness for people to spot the signs of being involved with someone abusive.

"There was one person who had reached out to me and said that they left an abusive relationship that didn't even know Summer," Tischner said.

She encourages people who may be in a mentally and/or physically abusive relationship — or know someone who is — to speak up and seek helpful resources.

"I think one of the main things is to not stop talking about it," Tischner said

As for Johnson, his next court date is scheduled for Feb. 19.

Roney's family remains hopeful that justice will be served; in the meantime, they continue to work through grief and heartbreak as another year begins without their beloved Summer.

Tischner said they're also grateful for the friends, co-workers and others who knew Roney and have communicated the lasting impact that she had on them.

"It's been a neat form of community, I think that has been brought about during such a tragic situation," Tischner said.

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