AMBER ALERT TN - Summer Moon-Utah Wells, 5, Rogersville, 15 Jun 2021 #33
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The video ended with a statement from Wells in prison:
www.wsmv.com
One year missing: The search for Summer Wells
It’s been one year since Hawkins County child Summer Moon-Utah Wells went missing, and investigators are still trying to find out what happened.
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I haven't followed this case at all but I've been getting caught up on it a bit. Are Summer's parents working to get the boys back? Have there been any leads about what happened to her? I would assume that if her brothers knew something they'd be talking by now. MOO
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GoBuckeyes
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I'm not familiar with their property, but hollers generally encompass significantly more than 1 family's land/property, unless it's a whole clan living in 1 holler. But since she said the boys could go down there and look, it seems like the mother is referring to an area on only their property. (Unless she'd allow the boys to search a larger area, but I doubt it.) She's not using holler in any way I'm familiar with, unless for some reason the holler cuts through only a portion of their land. But I highly doubt that. Maybe it's her first time living in or near a holler??
GoBuckeyes
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I think the boys would be talking, too, by now, especially since they're not with their family of origin or any of their influence.
There haven’t been any leads and no tangible evidence on her whereabouts since she was reported missing on June 15, 2021. However, there are several people involved in the situation.
www.wjhl.com
There are many others not mentioned in this article. As the months went on, I was lost with all the YTbers, neighbors, etc.
Who’s who in the Summer Wells case?
ROGERSVILLE, Tenn (WJHL)- It’s been one year since Summer Wells was last seen at her home in the Beech Creek community of Hawkins County. No one has been charged in the disappearance of the n…
www.wjhl.com
There are many others not mentioned in this article. As the months went on, I was lost with all the YTbers, neighbors, etc.
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Given what facts we know, I've never thought the boys knew anything. Never saw anything, never heard anything.
They were at home, in the house, playing online, when Summer allegedly went missing from the property that day.
TBI plans to hold a press conference at 10 a.m. Central on the one year anniversary of SW's disappearance.
You can watch live in the video player on Channel 5, Nashville when it begins.
I would think it would be on other channels also.
www.newschannel5.com
eta: I had a hard time hearing this. WJHL had a link to the live on facebook but the sound was not much better.
All I can understand is after one year and no answers and the case is still active.
You can watch live in the video player on Channel 5, Nashville when it begins.
I would think it would be on other channels also.
Wednesday marks one year since Summer Wells went missing from her Hawkins County home
Wednesday marks one year since Summer Wells went missing from her Hawkins County home.
www.newschannel5.com
eta: I had a hard time hearing this. WJHL had a link to the live on facebook but the sound was not much better.
All I can understand is after one year and no answers and the case is still active.
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News Channel 11’s will have all-day coverage of the case. They are going to have additional coverage throughout the day.
"Stay tuned to News Channel 11 and ABC Tri-Cities for all the latest developments."
www.wjhl.com
This makes me wonder if there are new developments.
"Stay tuned to News Channel 11 and ABC Tri-Cities for all the latest developments."
TBI: Summer Wells case remains mystery 1 year later
HAWKINS COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) — The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) on Wednesday hosted a briefing regarding the ongoing search for a Hawkins County 6-year-old who vanished from her Beech Cr…
www.wjhl.com
This makes me wonder if there are new developments.
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TBI released a statement saying that "This case is not cold and TBI is still committed to finding answers". They outlining the scope of the investigation with more than 100 TBI agents involved in the search, conducting 170 interviews. TBI states that false information on social media has had a negative impacted the investigation and asks that the public not submit tips as a result of a video that they've seen on YouTube prompted by a social media post. Only call if you have direct and specific information on the investigation of Summer Wells.
Summer's father, Don Wells, is currently serving a jail sentence for aDUI and released a statement via youtube. He included a photo montage with music and the following letter:
“Since you’ve been gone I’ve been completely devastated. I looked everywhere for you my beautiful girl! I thought U-Tube would be the most powerful took to help find you, and perhaps it still could be, but at a price we may not be able to afford, our family may not survive! I’m sorry my beautiful girl that I completely lost my mind! With so many thoughts of people harming you and I know you want to come home, and there’s nothing I can do; I’m powerless! So, I ask God please look over my precious daughter we love her so much! We will God you will return her to us as well as the boys. I would be so happy to be a family again! “
Don Wells' letter closed with the Lord's Prayer. The families website dedicated to finding Summer Wells can be found here.my
Father pens heart-breaking letter to Summer Wells on anniversary of disappearance
One year after the disappearance of 5-year-old Summer Wells the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) and Don Wells, the father of missing girl, release statements Wednesday. On June 15, 2021 Summer Wells was last seen outside her home in the 100 block of Ben Hill Rd. in the Beech Creek area...
fox17.com
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AgeofAquaruis
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How about that prank call,and DUI? DW knew he was going on YT. It's his own doing. MOOThis was just posted on the Wells website -
Request to the Tennessee Legislature:
1. Protect Amber Alert Families.
2. Make it illegal to play private phone calls on social media without all parties permission or consent.
"Approved by Donald Wesley Wells, Father of Daughter Summer Wells "
Request To The Tennessee Legislature : 6.15.22
June 15, 2022 is the one year anniversary that Summer Moon-Utah Wells disappeared. The lessons learned from this past year will not be in vain if other Amber Alert Families are protected during this most stressful time that can be experienced. Approved by Donald Wesley Wells, Father of...www.findsummerwells.com
From what I remember, DW was aware his phone conversations were being recorded and some were live. He even called into some YT live videos.
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6/15 Case update from Tenn FBI and where they have searched
tbinewsroom.com
AMBER Alert – Summer Wells
UPDATED 8/13/25 – Today, we’re releasing a new age progression image of Summer Wells, who has been missing since 2021 and remains the subject of an AMBER Alert in the state of Tennessee…
tbinewsroom.com
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I was thinking about Summer today. How I logged into WS that afternoon one year ago to check on another thread and saw hers pop up. As a mom, I was instantly drawn to her story and followed up every day, sure they would find her near the house. Then I was sure the search teams would find her that week. It would all be over in a day or so - I thought that every day. All would end well. Then new facts, new interviews, video...and time passed. What seemed like a missing persons case grew more complicated. Adults played out personal drama online. Theories came and went. Sinister activities and groups were mentioned. We read of cases like this on WS all the time but I honestly thought Summer's would be different. Today I took a moment to remember her swinging on her swing. Still home and still a little girl happy in her world.
Frequently Asked Questions related to the investigation -
www.wjhl.com
Do investigators think Summer Wells was abducted? FAQ sheet answers
HAWKINS COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) – The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) provided an update on the ongoing search for missing Hawkins County child Summer Wells on Wednesday. In addition to …
www.wjhl.com
Interview with CM -
www.wjhl.com
YouTube host on Summer Wells: ‘This is a powerful tool if utilized correctly’
JOHNSON CITY, TENN. (WJHL)- Social media rumors and YouTube sleuths have clouded the Summer Wells case. But, there is one who has taken the case by storm. “This is a powerful tool if utilized…
www.wjhl.com
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Along with hosting The Interview Room, he’s the Law Enforcement Relationship Director for the Cold Case Foundation.
“Law enforcement is focusing on that area for a reason. They’re not chasing leads out of state that I’m aware of. Everybody seems to keep coming back to that property area,” he said. “I don’t feel that this is going be a stranger abduction in any way, in my opinion. I could be wrong, but quite frankly, all the evidence isn’t pointing that way. It’s somebody that is familiar with the property and staying within that area. Now what that means, I don’t know. I’m not going to start chasing sightings in four or five different states knowing that I should stay here within the first 24 hours, and I think that is what law enforcement has done correctly.”
YouTube host on Summer Wells: ‘This is a powerful tool if utilized correctly’
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I'd still like to know more about that scream a neighbor reported happening about the time Summer disappeared. Did Summer wander off and was abducted by another neighbor, an animal, or someone stalking her? There have been solved cases where someone was stalked for a week or more without anyone knowing it.
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Press conference
15th June.
Leslie: Before we get started I want to stress that the investigation into the disappearance of Summer Wells is very much active and ongoing. Please understand in order to preserve the integrity of the investigation, we simply can't speak to specifics. We appreciate you being here today and your continuing coverage of this case.
At approximately 6.30 pm on this day, one year ago, Summer Wells, who was five years old at the time, was reported missing from her home on Ben Hill Road in the Beech Creek community of Hawkins County. When we held the first media briefing on June 16th, honestly we expected to have good news to report by the time the next media briefing came around. Unfortunately, instead, day after day, ending in frustration and disappointment. At that time, no-one expected that we would still be searching for Summer one year later.
We've said from the beginning, this case is outside the norm. There are few clues as to what happened to Summer despite investigators doing everything within their power to find answers. All possibilities are still being explored. Many of you have asked for details about what's been done over the last year. I can tell you agents and detectives have spent thousands of hours on this case. Numerous search warrants have been executed. Cell phone data has been analysed and any other available digital evidence has been collected, searched, and documented. This includes the social media accounts of those associated with Summer. Three large ground searches have taken place in the last year with the assistance of more than 100 local state and federal agencies. Those searches do not account for the numerous targeted searches done by agents and detectives as they were following up on potential leads. From TBI alone, more than 100 agents, intelligence analysts and support staff from across the state have been involved in this case. TBI agents working alongside the Hawkins County Sheriff's Office and the FBI have conducted nearly a hundred and seventy interviews during the investigation. That does not count the hundreds of phone calls made to follow up on tips reported to law enforcement.
While investigators have been diligently working to find answers, they've had to deal with thousands of tips generated by false information that in some cases has been intentionally spread across social media platforms. We know that this case has attracted the attention of individuals across the country who genuinely care about Summer and want nothing more but to help us find answers. We appreciate those people. However, we are also aware that there are some people using this case for their own personal gain, by spreading false information on social media posts as facts. Some go as far as to solicit donations. This has had a major impact on the investigation and not in a good way.
Moving forward, we ask the public not to submit tips as a result of a video they viewed on YouTube or a theory they've seen posted on Facebook. Please help us and only call if you have direct specific information about the disappearance of Summer. This investigation weighs heavily on us all and I can promise you that no-one wants answers more than we do and we are not going to stop until we find them.
Lawson: As Leslie mentioned we didn't expect this case to be going on a year later. It's heart breaking to me and my officers and the entire community. We've never stopped looking for Summer. We will continue to do so. There's never been a case in the history of Hawkins County Sherriff's Office that had officers working for 365 days and had so many hours spent as we have in this investigation. Also, this office has never utilized so many different local state and federal agencies from across the state - the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation assists us in every step of this investigation. As you heard Leslie say, thousands of hours have been invested in finding Summer, thousands of them. A hundred and seventy interviews have been done, many of these individuals have been spoken to more than one time, while we haven't said a lot of details about the investigative actions that's taking place, please know that we've never stopped.
I deeply appreciate the many rescue squads - the MAs, and the volunteer fire departments for their help, and the support from the citizens and the communities of this county, it's just unbelievable and overwhelming with the encouragement we get with the food during the searches we've done. And all the law enforcement officers, agencies throughout the state of Tennessee. It's just been phenomenal how everybody pitched in and helped us with these searches in this investigation.
And many of you have asked why that we didn't recruit private citizens to assist in these searches. With the extreme dangerous terrain that we were experiencing in searches we were able to monitor each group and movement and their location. That way we knew that everybody came back to the command post safely. After initial searches, then we had to go back and obtain the landowner's permission to search again. We could not allow or even grant permission for private individuals among these people's property.
And while I can promise you that we will continue to conduct target searches in the Beech Creek area as new information is available. We'll also continue to follow up on any legitimate leads. It's been the goal of this team since day one to find Summer. We've never stopped. We've never slowed down. We deal with it every day and that's the whole purpose. This lets you all know, despite what you hear, what you see, we haven't stopped. The men and women of these agencies have worked tirelessly. Hours and hours and hours, and I commend every one of them for the job they've done. And we're going to continue ti we find Summer.
Leslie: Now, as I mentioned, we can't speak to specifics but we will take a few questions.
Reporter: A few months ago you guys said that the parents were not cooperating anymore (inaudible) changed now that Don Wells is incarcerated (inaudible).
Leslie: We're not going to characterise cooperation at this time. Honestly, doing so does nothing but create more speculation and it doesn't benefit the investigation, but thank you for asking.
Reporter: Is there still a reward being offered for information (inaudible)?.
Leslie: Well, I can tell you that law enforcement did not coordinate that reward. So you would need to reach out to the Churchill Rescue Squad for information in that aspect.
Reporter: Are the boys still in DCF custody?
Leslie: That's not something we can speak to.
Reporter: (Asking about the Red truck). Is that something you're looking for? (inaudible).
Newport: I would tell you yes, just to eliminate. We still don't have a good timeline of when that was observed. People that frequent areas on a regular basis get their dates and get days mixed up. We still want to figure out who, if possible and if that's even a legitimate lead. As she said earlier, we followed a lot of dead leads that didn't produce anything. So, that obviously is still something we want to put to bed, but we still can't pinpoint a date and an exact location of that truck.
Reporter: When it first came out you guys said that Summer was last seen walking away from the home, but that was from the initial report from that night, but then it kind of changed in the following days. Is there any evidence that she walked away from home, or any evidence of an abduction or do you have any evidence of anything (inaudible)?.
Newport: We don't have anything specific and I think what's important to note there is, that the Sheriff mentioned how many hours we've put into this investigation and how much time has been spent exploring every possibility - walk off, abduction, other foul means. And I think that's the thing to keep in mind...it's still really wide open...we try to stay away from developing theories and to just follow facts.
Reporter: You mention that you're continuing to look at this case every day, are there more searches planned as we're approaching the summer months?
Newport: No specific plan, however, if we get specific information about a specific location, building, what have you, we will coordinate with each other to go take a look at that location. What made it hard back in the summer, is obviously the foliage, that's why you saw the two searches when the leaves were on the ground, so that we could use air assets, and you could actually see more of what's on the ground at the time. People say 'well leaves cover things up', well if you move the things around enough you'll see what you're looking at.
Reporter: In the past you said that there was no evidence that there was an abduction, does that still stand?
Leslie: It still stands.
Reporter: Do the facts point towards one theory more than the other?
Newport: No they do not, not at this point.
Leslie: I just want to point out one more thing. This case is not cold. We get asked that a lot, it's not. We're talking to the Sheriff constantly, we all work together as one team and we're determined to find answers.
15th June.
Leslie: Before we get started I want to stress that the investigation into the disappearance of Summer Wells is very much active and ongoing. Please understand in order to preserve the integrity of the investigation, we simply can't speak to specifics. We appreciate you being here today and your continuing coverage of this case.
At approximately 6.30 pm on this day, one year ago, Summer Wells, who was five years old at the time, was reported missing from her home on Ben Hill Road in the Beech Creek community of Hawkins County. When we held the first media briefing on June 16th, honestly we expected to have good news to report by the time the next media briefing came around. Unfortunately, instead, day after day, ending in frustration and disappointment. At that time, no-one expected that we would still be searching for Summer one year later.
We've said from the beginning, this case is outside the norm. There are few clues as to what happened to Summer despite investigators doing everything within their power to find answers. All possibilities are still being explored. Many of you have asked for details about what's been done over the last year. I can tell you agents and detectives have spent thousands of hours on this case. Numerous search warrants have been executed. Cell phone data has been analysed and any other available digital evidence has been collected, searched, and documented. This includes the social media accounts of those associated with Summer. Three large ground searches have taken place in the last year with the assistance of more than 100 local state and federal agencies. Those searches do not account for the numerous targeted searches done by agents and detectives as they were following up on potential leads. From TBI alone, more than 100 agents, intelligence analysts and support staff from across the state have been involved in this case. TBI agents working alongside the Hawkins County Sheriff's Office and the FBI have conducted nearly a hundred and seventy interviews during the investigation. That does not count the hundreds of phone calls made to follow up on tips reported to law enforcement.
While investigators have been diligently working to find answers, they've had to deal with thousands of tips generated by false information that in some cases has been intentionally spread across social media platforms. We know that this case has attracted the attention of individuals across the country who genuinely care about Summer and want nothing more but to help us find answers. We appreciate those people. However, we are also aware that there are some people using this case for their own personal gain, by spreading false information on social media posts as facts. Some go as far as to solicit donations. This has had a major impact on the investigation and not in a good way.
Moving forward, we ask the public not to submit tips as a result of a video they viewed on YouTube or a theory they've seen posted on Facebook. Please help us and only call if you have direct specific information about the disappearance of Summer. This investigation weighs heavily on us all and I can promise you that no-one wants answers more than we do and we are not going to stop until we find them.
Lawson: As Leslie mentioned we didn't expect this case to be going on a year later. It's heart breaking to me and my officers and the entire community. We've never stopped looking for Summer. We will continue to do so. There's never been a case in the history of Hawkins County Sherriff's Office that had officers working for 365 days and had so many hours spent as we have in this investigation. Also, this office has never utilized so many different local state and federal agencies from across the state - the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation assists us in every step of this investigation. As you heard Leslie say, thousands of hours have been invested in finding Summer, thousands of them. A hundred and seventy interviews have been done, many of these individuals have been spoken to more than one time, while we haven't said a lot of details about the investigative actions that's taking place, please know that we've never stopped.
I deeply appreciate the many rescue squads - the MAs, and the volunteer fire departments for their help, and the support from the citizens and the communities of this county, it's just unbelievable and overwhelming with the encouragement we get with the food during the searches we've done. And all the law enforcement officers, agencies throughout the state of Tennessee. It's just been phenomenal how everybody pitched in and helped us with these searches in this investigation.
And many of you have asked why that we didn't recruit private citizens to assist in these searches. With the extreme dangerous terrain that we were experiencing in searches we were able to monitor each group and movement and their location. That way we knew that everybody came back to the command post safely. After initial searches, then we had to go back and obtain the landowner's permission to search again. We could not allow or even grant permission for private individuals among these people's property.
And while I can promise you that we will continue to conduct target searches in the Beech Creek area as new information is available. We'll also continue to follow up on any legitimate leads. It's been the goal of this team since day one to find Summer. We've never stopped. We've never slowed down. We deal with it every day and that's the whole purpose. This lets you all know, despite what you hear, what you see, we haven't stopped. The men and women of these agencies have worked tirelessly. Hours and hours and hours, and I commend every one of them for the job they've done. And we're going to continue ti we find Summer.
Leslie: Now, as I mentioned, we can't speak to specifics but we will take a few questions.
Reporter: A few months ago you guys said that the parents were not cooperating anymore (inaudible) changed now that Don Wells is incarcerated (inaudible).
Leslie: We're not going to characterise cooperation at this time. Honestly, doing so does nothing but create more speculation and it doesn't benefit the investigation, but thank you for asking.
Reporter: Is there still a reward being offered for information (inaudible)?.
Leslie: Well, I can tell you that law enforcement did not coordinate that reward. So you would need to reach out to the Churchill Rescue Squad for information in that aspect.
Reporter: Are the boys still in DCF custody?
Leslie: That's not something we can speak to.
Reporter: (Asking about the Red truck). Is that something you're looking for? (inaudible).
Newport: I would tell you yes, just to eliminate. We still don't have a good timeline of when that was observed. People that frequent areas on a regular basis get their dates and get days mixed up. We still want to figure out who, if possible and if that's even a legitimate lead. As she said earlier, we followed a lot of dead leads that didn't produce anything. So, that obviously is still something we want to put to bed, but we still can't pinpoint a date and an exact location of that truck.
Reporter: When it first came out you guys said that Summer was last seen walking away from the home, but that was from the initial report from that night, but then it kind of changed in the following days. Is there any evidence that she walked away from home, or any evidence of an abduction or do you have any evidence of anything (inaudible)?.
Newport: We don't have anything specific and I think what's important to note there is, that the Sheriff mentioned how many hours we've put into this investigation and how much time has been spent exploring every possibility - walk off, abduction, other foul means. And I think that's the thing to keep in mind...it's still really wide open...we try to stay away from developing theories and to just follow facts.
Reporter: You mention that you're continuing to look at this case every day, are there more searches planned as we're approaching the summer months?
Newport: No specific plan, however, if we get specific information about a specific location, building, what have you, we will coordinate with each other to go take a look at that location. What made it hard back in the summer, is obviously the foliage, that's why you saw the two searches when the leaves were on the ground, so that we could use air assets, and you could actually see more of what's on the ground at the time. People say 'well leaves cover things up', well if you move the things around enough you'll see what you're looking at.
Reporter: In the past you said that there was no evidence that there was an abduction, does that still stand?
Leslie: It still stands.
Reporter: Do the facts point towards one theory more than the other?
Newport: No they do not, not at this point.
Leslie: I just want to point out one more thing. This case is not cold. We get asked that a lot, it's not. We're talking to the Sheriff constantly, we all work together as one team and we're determined to find answers.
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