Tennessee Woman Murdered by Truck Driver

A Tennessee woman is discovered to have been murdered by a truck driver who was in the area from North Carolina, proving even more the theories of trucking crimes in this southern state. The TBI has a suspect in custody and a body identified.

For days, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has been trying to tie an identity to the nude, murdered woman thrown behind a BP gas station in Crab Orchard. Now they know that she was 35-year old Summer Nicole Nelms of Knoxville. It seems that the truck driver, 32-year old Alan Stacy Rogers, picked her up in Knoxville before beating and stabbing her to death, among other things. Her body was disposed of several miles away from her town.

The TBI shared images of the dead woman's tattooed leg in hopes to get an identification and it appeared to work, and it's good that they were so fast in solving this case and charging this man with 1st degree murder. But why? Was this woman a prostitute or an abduction victim? Was she someone he knew or just some random woman? Also, who else could be his victims?

The state of TN is missing a lot of women, and most recently the disappearances of Holly Bobo, Shelly Mook and Gail Palmgren are still heavy on the minds of those who are searching for them. Holly Bobo was allegedly abducted from her own yard on April 13, 2011 and nobody knows what happened to her. Could a truck driver be responsible for any of these disappearances? What about the disappearance of Lauren Spierer, the 20-year old fashion student from Indiana? She's only located about six hours from Holly Bobo, and since this guy has no problem traveling from other states to murder women, it wouldn't be so farfetched to see connections in these cases.

Comments: 11

Shannon R. Oct 8, 2011, 8:11am UTC

how terrible.

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Lee C. Oct 8, 2011, 9:17am UTC

Tragic, yet we must not jump to conclusions. Calling this a trucking crime only diminishes those who cosider themselves a trucker. Trucking is not a crime. Abduction and murder is. We must choose are words carefully.

Chelsea Hoffman Oct 8, 2011, 9:20am UTC

She was murdered by a truck driver -- if you feel offended that I've targeted truck drivers as some cultural group simply because I acknowledge that a truck driver killed a woman, then perhaps internet articles about truck drivers that commit murder aren't best suited for your sensitive constitution.

and it's "our"... choose "our" words carefully. Ironic typo considering the soapbox you were standing on ;)

Angela M. Oct 8, 2011, 10:30am UTC

I think that Lee C. has a good point. I can see how this article could shed a bad light on truck drivers.
Our nation would be in peril with out people willing to drive Semi loads across the nation. As writers we do need to be careful and choose our words carefully. You never know you may have more than one person who reads your material that drives a truck and you could lose their readership.

Chelsea Hoffman Oct 8, 2011, 10:40am UTC

So I'm shedding a bad light on truck drivers because I reported that a truck driver committing murder? So it wasn't the murderer who shed the bad light on those in his profession? Interesting.

I do look forward to your scolding me for shedding a bad light on "teachers" the next time i cover a story about a teacher sleeping with the student.

Facts aren't designed to make people feel good. It's not my fault the truck driver happened to be a truck driver, but if it makes you feel good you could close your eyes when his profession pops up and pretend he's a store clerk or bikini model -- whichever is less offensive to you since reporting on the facts of the matter are too factual for you.

If I lose one truck driver reader or two, it won't bother me. Most people aren't so uptight that they don't take it as a personal affront to their profession when someone reports on the news that someone else in that profession has done something wrong.

Chelsea Hoffman Oct 8, 2011, 10:42am UTC

*committed*

Chelsea Hoffman Oct 8, 2011, 10:45am UTC

I mean, I am sure that Starbucks employees everywhere are picketing over the report of a starbucks employee in california hiding cameras in bathrooms..

oh wait... they're not....

Lee C. Oct 8, 2011, 10:46am UTC

You make a good point about my typo Chelsea. I am not "offended" as such. I just want to point out that when we make statements like "...proving even more the theories of trucking crimes.." people begin to generalize that all truckers are criminals. I know that is not what your are trying to say, but that is what some people may conclude. Thanks for your article making people aware of these cases. And may those responsible be brought to justice.

Chelsea Hoffman Oct 8, 2011, 10:48am UTC

It's not my job to cloud the facts of the matter so those don't speculate. People speculate.

The fact of the matter is "trucking crimes" are statistically high and this man, a trucker, used his big rig on the job to commit a cross state homicidal crime, dropped his victim in a lot behind a gas station and then went about his route.

The fact that he is a trucker, and this is a trucker crime is the reason why the fact that he is a trucker is mentioned. Period.

and the *are* thing was done jovially, might I add.

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J W. Oct 8, 2011, 9:20am UTC

very sad

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Cody Krake Oct 8, 2011, 10:34am UTC

Based on what you and other writers have said, it is more likely that Holly Bobo's case is a local case i.e. the abductor is from the local or nearby communities.....but no one can be 100% sure until at least a suspect is identified.

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Tennessee Woman Murdered by Truck Driver

Comments: 11

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