Manhunt for Harjo comes to an end

On June 17, 2025, U.S. Marshals arrested Heather Lynn Harjo, 39—formerly known as Heather Thompson—in Dallas, Texas, ending a weeks-long manhunt after the shooting death of 21-year-old Summer Cheyenne Martin in Ada.

Heather Harjo was shown at the time of her arrest in Dallas. Photo Credit: Ada Police Dept

This one hits close to home—on more than one level.

I went to school with Heather nearly my entire life, all the way up through senior year. We weren’t friends, but we knew each other as well as anyone can with such a small graduating class. She seemed lonely at times and had a small group of friends. She had her troubles throughout school, but I never imagined I’d be writing about her in this kind of context, let alone in a homicide case that unfolded just a few houses down from where I used to live on Wolfe Lane.

According to the Ada Police Department, officers were called to a residence on Wolfe Lane at around 5:14 p.m. on April 28. Officer Logan Crawford arrived on the scene and found Summer Martin lying in a doorway with a gunshot wound to the chest. He checked her pulse, but there wasn’t one. EMS arrived shortly after and pronounced her dead at the scene.

An affidavit filed by Detective Rich Eaker (and reported on by The Ada News) paints a chaotic picture of the moments leading up to the shooting. A male witness told police he had picked up Summer earlier that day at Mama T’s Bread and Blessings, then taken her back to his place to get his ID. They’d been there for a couple of hours when a black pickup truck pulled up outside.

Heather and another woman got out and walked up to the front door. The witness said Heather came inside and sat on the couch. Then Summer walked around the corner—and that’s when things spiraled. The two women began arguing. It turned physical. The witness and the other woman tried to separate them, but the fight escalated again. Then, a shot rang out. The witness said Heather fled the house in the pickup. Most assumed she took the weapon with her.

Police later found the vehicle abandoned at the DG Market parking lot at Arlington and Monte Vista, with a cell phone still inside. But Heather was already gone.

The very next day, April 29, Heather was charged with first-degree homicide in Chickasaw Nation District Court.

She was considered armed and dangerous and added to Oklahoma Attorney General Drummond’s 10 Most Wanted List only last week. A $5,000 reward was issued for information leading to her arrest, and the U.S. Marshals Eastern District Fugitive Task Force was brought in to assist.

Most Wanted. Credit: KXII News 12

On June 17, Harjo was finally located and arrested in Dallas, thanks to cooperation between local law enforcement and federal authorities. Heather remains in custody and awaits extradition back to Oklahoma. She faces a felony homicide charge in tribal court. There has been no word yet on whether anyone came forward with information to collect the reward, or if that led to the arrest.

When crime stories are covered, it’s easy to feel a level of distance. But this one? This is personal. I went to school with the suspect. I lived just down the street from the scene. And a 21-year-old woman—just beginning her adult life—is now gone forever.

There’s no sense of resolution here. Only layers of tragedy—for the victim, her family, and even for those of us left reeling from the collision of past and present.

I’ll continue to follow this case and report updates as they develop.