Unseen - When the Kidnapper Interrogates His Own Victims | The Case Of Alisa Matthewson | UNSEEN

Episode Date: May 22, 2024

“Are the little kids asleep?”-- March 11th 2017 – 14 year old Arden Summers drives her younger siblings back to her mother’s home, following her dad’s secret orders. Hours later, an employee of a nearby Walgreens calls 911 after seeing a tied up woman run out of a car: the woman is Alisa Mathewson – Arden’s mom. Before the police can arrive, the car drives away with Alisa. Nobody knows where they are heading to, and with who, but Arden, who is home alone with her other siblings, might be able to solve the case in time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arden, did you ever see us physically fighting in the home when you came in? Not physically. This man is not a lawyer. In reality, he's the only suspect in his ex-wife's disappearance, and he's confronting his own daughter on the stand. On March 11, 2017, five years earlier, a Walgreens security camera recorded Trevor Summers entering the store. He spent less than a minute inside before starting to walk back out,

holding cold medicine in his hand. But just before he got out of view of the camera, He started running through the parking lot. Moments later, a Walgreens employee called the police. Some chick just ran out of the dude's car script and helped me. He just grabbed her and put her back from my car. He's falling out right now. The car is registered to Elisa Summers.

Two days later, police find the vehicle with Elisa and her ex-husband, Trevor, inside. Trevor Summers is arrested, but he claims Elisa willingly went with him, and they were running away together. Police also find a goodbye letter from Elisa and Trever Trevor, addressed to their children, saying they deserved better parents. But there's so much more to the story, and in a video Trevor left behind for their kids, they could find the key to finally revealing the truth behind it all. Okay, Arden, Landon, Brandon, thank you, you guys.

Some information. Months earlier, in 2016, 14-year-old Arden Summers and her four younger siblings, Landon, Bryn, Grady, and Cooper were in the middle of their parents' divorce. Their mom left the marriage and got a protective order against their dad, and the kids supported her. Arden even refused to see her father. But then, a judge dismissed the protective order because there wasn't enough evidence, and the kids visited him again. Seeing the judge and police side with her dad, Arden grew closer to him, as she heard more of his story. He acted so heartbroken.

He would constantly talk about how she was supposedly cheating on him. He often told Arden that everything was her mom's fault, even claiming that she could be a dame. to her and her siblings. He acted like a loving father who would do anything to protect his kids. And as time went by, they started to side with him. Even when their mom filed for another protective order, he filed one against her too, saying she made up stories about him, trying to get him sent to jail when he didn't do anything. It's a bitter divorce. But one day, Arden's dad told her he wanted to make up with their mom. He had mentioned before that he was really hoping to put the family back together and be almost like the savior of the family.

He had a plan to reconcile with their mom, and Arden was eager to help her dad, believing that he was doing all he could do to help their family. On the night of March 10th, 2017, Arden went to stay over at her mom's house with two of her younger siblings, Bryn and Grady. At the same time, she had a group chat with her dad and her brother Landon. Worried about Elisa seeing Arden's texts, her dad told her to put his name in her phone as Taylor. He asked for updates throughout the night, and he told her to leave a window open so he could come inside later. Arden waited for her mom and her siblings to fall asleep. Then, around 1 a.m. on March 11th, she opened the window and climbed out of the house. She passed her dad, and he snuck inside while she went to the car where Landon was waiting.

The plan was for Arden and Landon to wait for their dad in the car while he talked to their mom, and then he would drive them all back together afterwards. We wanted to be able to be able to be able to to have this happy family. I was really hoping that my family would be back together and healthy and fixed. But while Arden sat in the car with her brother, their dad texted multiple times, saying it might take longer than he thought. He claimed he was having difficulty waking their mom up. As more time passed, Arden grew increasingly worried about her youngest brother,

three-year-old Cooper, who Trevor had left alone at his house. But her dad reassured her, saying that he could see on a monitor that Cooper was fast asleep. Even after 4 a.m., he still promised that he should be done soon, but around 5 in the morning, he changed the plan. He went out to the car and told Arden, who was only 14 years old, to drive Landon, Brin and Grady back to his house about a 25-minute drive away. He still needed more time to talk to their mom, and 3-year-old Cooper might wake up soon. Arden listened to her dad.

She made sure everyone had their seatbelts on tightly before they left. Without a driver's license, she drove the car as carefully as she could, desperate to keep her siblings safe. It was very terrifying. I was doing exactly the speed limit and I just followed all the traffic laws to not get pulled over. Around 6.15 a.m., the kids made it to the house. After Cooper woke up, Arden made breakfast for all her siblings. Exhausted after staying up all night, she fell asleep, hoping her parents would work out their differences. When she woke up, and they still weren't back, she texted her dad asking what was going on. He said they should be back in about an hour. Arden continued to text him.

him asking for updates when he wasn't back that afternoon. He kept reassuring her that everything was going well, and just after 8.30 that night, he texted her to let her know that he was headed back, with Elisa. Love you. Mom's coming home, he said. After taking care of her sister and brothers all day and running on very little sleep, Arden breathed a sigh of relief. After all their efforts, it seemed like their family was finally going to be all together again. But that was the last she heard from her dad, and when there was a knock on the door, it wasn't her parents. It was the police, asking if the kids knew anything about where their parents might be. They were talking about how they're doing this investigation and try to find my parents, and all I'm thinking is,

oh my God, what happened. The kids told the police what they knew, but they thought their parents were on their way back to them. They had no idea that they would both go missing. A day later, their dad is arrested for allegedly kidnapping their mom and trying to kill her, but in another shocking turn of events, he files for full custody while he's in jail. The custody battle delays the trial. Trevor also keeps firing attorneys, and he even targets the judge, claiming he's biased against him and won't allow a fair trial. The judge agrees to step aside, and after five long years of delays, the trial finally starts in August of 2022. Facing 11 charges, including kidnapping, attempted murder, sexual battery, and child neglect. Trevor Summers pleads not guilty. After five,

As firing another attorney, he makes the surprising decision to represent himself. Now, he questions his own kids about what they saw the night their mom disappeared. Hello, Ms. Bray. He speaks calmly to the now 13-year-old Bryn, trying to come across as a loving father who was just trying to help his kids and bring their family back together. Do you remember Ms. Brin if I was yelling anything back at Mom? No. On the night of their mom's disappearance, Brin was at her mom's.

at her mom's house with Arden and Grady when their dad snuck in. He had them leave after he got there, so they didn't see much, but he uses that to cast doubt on Elisa's story, acting like they just had a simple conversation, and he didn't hurt her. He even suggests that the kids drive home without any adults in the car might have been a fun trip for them. You remember, were you all scared, or were you laughing? How was your ride home?

It was very scary for Arden, and she was crying the whole time. That's all the questions I have for you. It's good to see. Trevor maintains his composure in the courtroom, smiling at his kids even though he's trying to manipulate their stories. Arden, now 20 years old, has to face her dad trying to control her once again. As soon as I walked into the courtroom, he looked me right in the eye, and it was terrifying. And just to know that he used me to do what he wanted to do hurts more than anything.

Arden, did you ever see us physically fighting in the home when you're kidding? Not physically. The kids didn't see any violence that night, and Trevor uses that to help push the idea that Elisa might have gone along with everything willingly. Now, she will have to face him again directly to share her side of the story, trying to reveal the truth about who he really is. Elisa and Trevor first met in 1995. Trevor was kind and charming, and he treated Elisa well after they started dating. In 2001, they got married. The marriage started off smoothly, and they welcomed their first daughter.

When I had Arden, it was everything I envisioned for my life. The more kids, it seemed that the more love, the more happiness, I wanted to have this picture-perfect life. Their family continued to grow as they had four more kids, Landon, Bryn, Grady, and Cooper. But as the years went on, Trevor's behavior changed. He grew more and more possessive of his wife, controlling her every move. I had to wear what he would select. I couldn't have men on my Facebook page.

I was to have no communication with any men other than Trevor. He took my cell phone. He took my car. I was being held in my own home as like a prisoner. Elisa knew she and her kids had to get out, but Trevor was always there. For several weeks, he didn't even leave the house, keeping a close eye on his wife at every moment. Finally, he left the house to go to work, and as soon as he did, Elisa called a domestic violence organization. She took the kids to a shelter for abused women and filed for divorce, but as they

shared custody, she still had to see him and let the kids visit. In February of 2017, Trevor asked Elisa to come to his house, where he would have a notary so they could sign paperwork for the divorce. Elisa felt they might finally be moving on. Trevor seemed to be accepting that their marriage was over. After they got the form signed, the notary left. But before Lisa could leave too, she claims that Trevor stopped her. And then I said, I really have to get home to the children. And he said, I almost forgot I have something else for you. And he turned back and pushed me down onto the bed and pulled a knife out from between the mattress and the box spring.

And he held a machete at my chest. After hours of threatening her, he finally let her go when she promised not to tell the police. But as soon as she left, Elisa called 911. The police didn't believe me. I wasn't left with any marks. There was no evidence of what I was saying. It's not like we could have simply arrested him that day based on the statements of just the two that were involved.

We needed more. The police couldn't help Elisa, and even her kids were starting to listen more to their dad, who told them their mom made everything up. But weeks later, he snuck into Elisa's house and attacked her. She will not only have to relive the trauma of that night in court, but she will also have to field questions from the man who attacked her. I have a lifetime protective order against him, and he's going to be right in front of me questioning me about the crimes that he committed against me.

Elisa takes the stand to tell her side of the story about what happened five years earlier. It's March 10, 2017. Elisa has a night in watching movies with three of her children, 14-year-old Arden, 7-year-old Bryn, and 5-year-old Grady. While dealing with the divorce and her ex-husband trying to turn her own kids against her, She was happy to spend a relaxing evening with them. Her daughter Bryn and her son Grady fall asleep next to her in her room, while Arden stays in the living room.

But in the middle of the night, Elisa wakes up to cold water being poured on her head. Fear sinks in as she sees the figure of a man towering over her. She frantically tries to think of any way she could get her kids and herself out safely, but he's blocking any chance of escape. I just start in full panic throwing things from my end table at him. And he grabbed my ankles and pulled me off the end of the bed. And he says, calm down. It's just me. Elisa realizes the man is her ex-husband.

After 14-year-old Arden drives herself and the other kids back to his house, Elisa is now alone with him, and things escalate further. As she tells her story in court, she does all she can to calm her nerves. trying to hold her emotions in. He attacked me in that family room and I thought to try to get out the front door. I tried kicking him, scratching, poking him in the eyes. Just every time I would get some distance from him, he would grab a hold of me and throw me over the couch.

She tries to reach for the phone, but Trevor grabs it from her before she can call 911. He threatens her with the razor blade, and he threatens her with the razor blade, and he tries to reach for the phone. razor blade and he uses scarves, Christmas lights, and a nylon rope to tie her to the bed. Over the next several hours, he forces her to take cold medicine to keep her sedated, in a twisted effort to get her to stop resisting him. Elisa struggles against her restraints as much as she can, but it's no use. Trevor claims this is his way of telling her goodbye before he flees the country on a boat in the morning.

Elisa doesn't know if he's telling the truth, but all she can do is count the minutes until the morning comes. However, around 10 a.m., he tells her he missed the boats, and they won't run again until nighttime, so he will be there all day. Elisa's heart sinks, as it becomes clear he doesn't have any plans to let her go. Throughout the following day, he rapes her multiple times.

He goes to turn on the TV to muffle the noise, and around 5.40 p.m., he walks back into her room. He put a pillow over my face, and he pushed down with all of his upper body. And I thought about my kids, and I lost consciousness. Elisa's hope of survival is fading. But suddenly, in a moment of hesitation, Trevor stops pressing the pillow down. As soon as Elisa comes to, she knows it could be her only chance to stop him from killing her.

And he looked at me, and I said, please, I'll do anything. Please don't kill me. He says, you agree to go with me? Yes, I'll go with you. This moment is one of the times that Trevor could try to use against Elisa in court. He says everything they did was consensual and that she willingly left with him instead of being kidnapped. But the prosecution gets ahead of him, asking Elisa about it themselves. So you had agreed to go with him.

Why did you agree to go with him? To stay alive? On August 24, 2022, the second day of the trial, Trevor himself cross-examines his ex-wife in front of a jury made up completely of men. Elisa knows that Trevor is using this trial in an effort to show his power over her. After delaying the trial and making her suffer for five years since the attack, he hopes to see her break down. If she does, it gives him the satisfaction of seeing the effect he had on her, and the jury might take the side of the calm, seemingly loving father. He questions her about that night and the intentions he had when he snuck into her

house. In your statement, you said that the look on my face was of death or of her. Evil and hatred. I'm sorry, no, I believe your statement was, you knew I was going to kill you when you saw my face, correct? Yes. How did you know what was in my heart? All I saw was an expression of evil and hatred. and at that time, my thought is he's here to kill me. I'm going to die. After Elisa had told Trevor she would go with him, he took her to the car. Then they drove to a Walgreens where he stopped to get more cold medicine. After they were out of her house, she knew someone might see her. When Trevor went into the store, Elisa jumped into action. With her hands tied behind her back, she turned and leaned against the door, able to press the

unlock button and get it open. She got out of the car and ran through the parking lot. screaming for help. Before she could get to anyone, Trevor came running out of the store. He grabbed her and dragged her back to the car. Once again, Elisa was trapped, but what she didn't know is that an employee did see her and caught the license plate number of the car, reporting it to police so they knew to search for her. But she says Trevor was enraged that she disobeyed his orders, and he cut her wrist with the razor blade as punishment. He's screaming at me. You agreed to go with me. Why are you doing this? He said that's for getting out of the car. the Walgreens. He didn't seem to understand why she would try to escape, and he was on edge,

more worried that people might be looking for them. He drove for hours, parking in the middle of a rural area without any people around. He sexually assaulted Elisa again, and they hid out, staying there until the morning of March 13th, two days after he attacked her. But even as time passed with no one finding her, the mother of five kept thinking of her loved ones. As the hours ticked by, I just held on to that hope. I felt like everybody was looking for me and praying for me, and that just every hour got me through. Then, Trevor seemed to have a change of heart.

He told Elisa he thought it would be for the best if she stayed behind for the children. She didn't know if he was telling the truth, but there was a chance he was actually leaving the country and letting her go, and she could go back to the kids. Trevor wrote a confession letter and a letter to the children. He wrote the letter as if it was coming from both him and their mom, continuing to blame her. It talked about them sacrificing themselves, giving the kids a better life without them, and even ended with a quote, We will be watching you from heaven.

Then, Trevor drove to a resort and pulled up to a dumpster. He had Elisa laying down in the third row of the car so no one would see her as he was driving, but he made her move to the seat in front of her, and he climbed to the back of the car, tying her to the seat. All of a sudden, Elisa felt a rope wrap around her nose. neck from behind, Trevor was starting to strangle her. Panicking, Elisa tried to get her hands free so she could pull it away, desperate for air. But out of nowhere, he stopped, quickly jumping back into the driver's seat. He thought someone saw them, so he drove off again. Running out of time,

he pulled into a stranger's carport around 30 miles from Elisa's house. He began slitting his throat and saying, this is what love is. I'm laying my life down for you. You don't deserve this. But someone called the cops after seeing the car they were searching for. And around 10.30 a.m., police surrounded the vehicle, guns drawn. They helped Elisa out and stopped Trevor, bringing an end to the search 55 hours after he attacked her in her home. I wasn't expected to be found alive, but I was. Elisa survived, but Trevor still tries to wield his control over her during the trial.

He questions his ex-wife for over four hours. attempting to wear her down and twist her story. In your testimony you said that you were brought down this hallway. Yes. And you said that was by your ankles? Yes. And at the same time you were kicking while you're being held by your ankles. Yeah.

Oh. Do you notice any claw marks on the walls or any lines on the carpet, anything that would indicate that kind of a struggle? No. There was not broken glass or dents in walls, there was not scratches on countertops or blood splice. While Trevor tries to cast doubt on every part of Elise's testimony, she refuses to back down. As the questioning continues, she gains confidence, not allowing him to control her story anymore.

Did I threaten you or force you to have sex with you? Yes, you forced me to have sex with you. Did I hold you down? You did hold me down. You did tie me up. You did attack me and you did break into my home when I was sleeping. You raped me. So you're calling it rape? It is. That is the definition of rape.

To come into someone's home and attack them and tie them up and then have sex with them, that is the definition of rape. With Elisa's powerful responses to Trevor's questions, he continues focusing on the lack of evidence of any struggle. He says there was no kidnapping at all. Everything was consensual, and they spent a lot of time just talking together. But then, the prosecution brings a crucial piece of evidence. A video Trevor himself recorded on Elisa's phone while he was in her house.

I am here with Elisa at her house, or I'm not supposed to me, and I woke Elisa up, and I have been hoarding her against her will. I did tie her up to keep her from contacting the authorities and give me enough time to get out of town. However, while the video might seem like a clear confession, Trevor could still try to use it to his advantage. In the footage, he talks about his plans to flee the country and leave Elisa behind. Facing charges of attempted first-degree murder, Trevor tries to use the video as proof that he never intended to kill his ex-wife, as he always planned to let her go. He also claims that Elisa forced him to record himself, so the jury shouldn't take what he says in it as the truth. But in another video, he addresses their children directly, revealing more about his plans.

I've spent a lot of time with Mom last few hours. The things that she's told you about me being good at manipulation and control and lying is true. Trevor confesses to the kids, not only about holding their mom against her will, but also about how he tricked them into helping him. By continuously painting their mom as the reason for their family issues and lying to police, he was able to manipulate everybody. While the jury is shown the videos in court, Trevor takes notes on what he said to himself, trying to think of ways he could still to do. twisted in his favor, but the evidence is piling up. After police found Trevor and Elisa, they took Trevor to the hospital to get stitches for his self-inflicted wounds. While he was at the hospital, detectives recorded an interview with him. The interview is also played in court,

where Trevor practically confesses to everything, even events from before that night. However, in the interview, he also downplays what happened. However, in the interview, he also downplays what happened, he admits to nearly suffocating his ex-wife, but he still refuses to take accountability, instead portraying it as a joke. I can end this right now, and grab the pillow and took it over a face. Well, I was just, you know, pretending like I had been suffocator. Feeling the pressure after Elise's cross-examination and the recorded evidence being played, Trevor argues that he was possibly coerced into confessing during the interview.

He says he was vulnerable because he was getting stitches for the self-inflicted injury. and he wasn't in the right state of mind to be questioned. And throughout the trial, Trevor maintains that he didn't kidnap Elisa. In his mind, everything was consensual. He again points out that there weren't any signs of a struggle in the house, trying to cast doubt on the reliability of Elisa's testimony wherever he could. But after five hours of deliberation, the jury makes their decision. And it was just guilty all the way across.

All 11 charges, guilty. Finally, Trevor can't control the story anymore, and his ex-wife and kids can breathe a sigh of relief. At the sentencing, Elisa gives a statement showing how much this has impacted her life over the past five years. I wanted to roll in a ball and give up, but I couldn't give up. I had five traumatized children that needed me to be the strong one. I was able to sit in front of the all-male jury knowing that real men would never tolerate you. Elisa's daughter Arden also speaks about the guilt she felt for going along with her father's plan, not knowing his true motives, or how much he was manipulating her. In five and a half years, I have struggled with what happened in my family, especially for the part I've had in it.

I have 20 now, and while I have thrown and overcome most of my demons, I feel the closure I've been waiting for. The closure that 14-year-old meets. Uh, sorry. I was a child when we grew all my trust, my hopes, and my dreams. Now I stand here today, stronger than I was before, ready for the sickening chapter to end. Then, the judge takes a moment to speak to Arden. She had to go through what no child should ever have to face. Her own father, the man she trusted the most, tricked her into thinking that he was going to help get their family back together.

To Arden, you should not feel guilty for any of the first. that you did in this case. I assure you of that. Arden starts to break down, tearing up as the judge speaks to her. Even though he tells her not to blame herself, she still deals with the impact of what happened, but hearing those words helps her move on after years of suffering. Trevor Summers is given three life sentences, plus 224 years in prison. The testimony and evidence that I heard clearly make you a monster in every person. every stretch of the imagination. Mr. Trevor Summers will spend the rest of his life in Florida State Prison. For years leading up to the attack, Trevor took advantage of his own kids' trust,

and he was even able to convince police and judges that he wasn't a danger. But now, with him behind bars for the rest of his life, his family can start putting the pieces back together. Elisa has never blamed her children for what happened, and she is closer with them than ever. My daughter is so, so, so sweet. Anyone that has met her knows she was used by a dangerous, dangerous man. It is not her fault. Elisa hopes to help protect other kids from similar experiences, and Arden looks up to her mom as her role model for all her courage and strength.

Elisa also remarried, and now she and her children finally have the happy family they've been hoping for. I think Elisa knows as long as I'm around her, she's safe, and I will. protect her and the kids with my life. Today, Elisa works to help others who are going through domestic abuse. She's writing a book, and she speaks to others to share her story and give them the courage to speak up. She also talks about the importance of domestic violence shelters and Marcy's Law, which protects and expands the rights of crime victims.

Elisa was isolated, and even when she went to police, they couldn't help her until the unthinkable happened. But she survived and took down her captor when he represented. represented himself in court, and now she won't let him hurt her or her family ever again. My focus, when that sentence came over, were the kids, and my focus was moving forward with them. We've already come so far. We have the life more than I've ever envisioned us to have now. This is a happy ending. This is a happy story.