Massachusetts. Sumner died violently, being bludgeoned to death at the age of 80 in Duxbury, Massachusetts by her grandson, John R. Cutler, who was charged with her murder. References External links 1890 births 1970 deaths 20th-century American novelists American women novelists American murder victims People murdered in Massachusetts Deaths by beating in the United States Cornell University alumni 20th-century American women writers 1970 murders in the United States People from Brookhaven, Mississippi Novelists from Mississippi Millsaps College faculty Millsaps College alumni 20th-century American non-fiction writers American women non-fiction writers