‘Not the man we know;’ Wife of man charged in Wilmington alleged kidnapping speaks out
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY-TV) – The wife of a Wrightsville Beach man accused of second-degree kidnapping a child in downtown Wilmington spoke out on Wednesday.
On December 12, 2025, Daniel Summers was in downtown Wilmington passing out blankets, food and jackets to the unhoused.
“We have a hundred blankets, half of those are gone already,” Summers said in a video provided by his wife. “We’re gonna keep eating and then we’re gonna go pass around to the people who don’t want to come down here.”
This was just weeks before he would be arrested for what police said was second-degree kidnapping and assault of a seven-year-old on Front Street.
Summers appeared in court on Tuesday and had to be held down by Sheriff’s deputies.
Summers’s wife, who did not want to give her first name said she has been married to Daniels for 18 years and separated in September.
She said she didn’t recognize the man in court.
“This has been incredibly heartbreaking for our family and our hearts go out to the victim’s family, what we saw in court was not the husband, the father or the person people know Daniel to be,” his wife said. “He was clearly not himself, anyone who knows Daniel knows him as someone who cares deeply about people and his community.”
Daniel’s attorney requested he received a mental health evaluation which the judge approved.
“You simply ask that the person be evaluated by a psychiatrist and a determination of competency to proceed,” said Thom Goolsby, a practicing attorney in North Carolina for 34 years.
Goolsby said the evaluation will determine Daniel’s capability when going before a judge. Goolsby said some assume if a suspect struggles from a mental illness that it could find them not guilty of the crime.
“A lot of times people do have mental issues, and those things do come up but rarely can that be used to get you completely out of trouble,” Goolsby said.
On Tuesday, WWAY spoke with a friend of Daniel’s, Maria Squitieri, who says she was assaulted by him the night before Friday’s alleged assault. She notified police and asked they go look for Daniel’s for his own safety.
“Mental health crises are real and they need to be taken seriously, there were a couple of calls made by the community from people that knew Daniel out of concern that he was not himself. My hope is that situations like this are met with appropriate evaluation and care and taken seriously.”
Summers is being held without bond and will be taken to Central Regional Hospital for the mental health evaluation.
