Summer Wells: Three years since Tennessee girl vanished

ROGERSVILLE, Tenn. (NewsNation) — Saturday marks three years since then-5-year-old Summer Wells vanished from a small town in Tennessee without a trace.

What happened to Summer Wells?

On June 15, 2021, Summer Wells’ parents said she was helping her mother and grandmother plant flowers before going inside their Rogersville home to play with her toys.

Then, out of nowhere, Summer Wells vanished. That was the last time her mother said she had seen her daughter.

“I yelled downstairs for her a couple of times, and I didn’t get an answer. Which was unusual because usually she always answers me, so I went down there to check and she was nowhere inside, she was just gone,” Summer Wells’ mother, Candus Wells, said.

Her family believes Summer Wells may have been abducted, taken down a steep hill behind the home — possibly to a waiting car along the road.

“I know in my heart and in my mind she was abducted,” Don Wells, Summer Wells’ father, told NewsNation. “Someone snuck up there and we were not exactly paying attention. And we don’t know if they came in the basement and grabbed her or if she stepped outside the basement and was walking to her swing or something.”

To this day, law enforcement still has not located Summer Wells with no new leads indicating they are closer to finding her.

The search for Summer Wells

Almost immediately, Candus and Don Wells became the center of an investigation but were never named as suspects. Police remained tight-lipped about the 5-year-old’s case, and there haven’t been any real leads or developments.

Both Candus and Don passed a polygraph test, but Hawkins County Sheriff Ronnie Lawson’s statement that everyone is still a person of interest is leading some to wonder if the Wells may know more than they’ve said.

The Hawkins County sheriff said the Wells have cooperated, but there is no evidence that Summer was kidnapped or abducted.

Last June, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation released an age-progressed photo showing what Summer would look like now. They said there is no new information to make public but they are continuing to chase down leads in the case.

Don Well previously told NewsNation he was limited in what he could discuss about the family and the case. Social services took Summer’s three brothers from the home shortly after Summer’s disappearance, and the Wells have not been able to communicate with them.

TBI released a statement on social media on Feb. 4 in honor of her 8th birthday, stating that she’s never forgotten.

The TBI said in the post that agents continue to investigate Summer’s disappearance, although little answers have been found.

NEVER FORGOTTEN: Today is Summer Wells’ 8th birthday. She’s been missing since June 15, 2021. Although we still don’t have the answers we’ve been seeking, agents continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding her disappearance. Call 1-800-TBI-FIND w/ credible information.

TENNESSEE BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

Summer Wells’ parents

Summer’s father pleaded guilty to driving under the influence in 2022. Candus Wells also filed an order of protection against him but then asked for it to be dismissed.

Don Wells faced criminal charges in three states, including a domestic assault arrest in 2020.

“You know, everybody makes mistakes,” Don said.

Last year, Don Wells sat down with NewsNation to discuss the case. However, Candus hasn’t sat down for an interview since an appearance on “Dr. Phil” in 2021, where she walked out of the interview in tears.

During the 2021 interview, she said she felt she was being interrogated again and didn’t want to do the interview further.

The Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office is still working alongside the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to investigate her disappearance.

There was also a key tip from a neighbor in 2021: a woman and her teen children told police they heard a scream about and hour before Summer Wells went missing.

“Wish every day that when I heard that scream I didn’t try to dismiss it,” the witness said.

But the sheriff said after multiple interviews, the tip led nowhere.

One clue police are still looking for is a pickup truck that was seen in the area around the time she vanished.

Detectives said they are looking for a red or maroon pickup truck with ladders on the back, but Lawson admitted he’s not even sure it is connected to the case.

Public scrutiny

The Wells said they have had to move from their tight-knit community of fewer than 5,000 people because of all the threats and harassment they received.

Don Wells said they have been frustrated by the investigation. He and his wife believe their daughter was taken, they told NewsNation affiliate WJHL.

“We know that she was taken off our property. We know that she was taken away in a vehicle or they would’ve found her in the area if she was somewhere in the area,” he said. “But who’s responsible for her? I don’t, we don’t know.”

He also lashed out at the Department of Children’s Services, who removed the other children in the home after Summer Wells disappeared.

“We were stripped away from all our kids. All our kids have been kidnapped from us by DCS, and we’re not sure about Summer but we know about where our boys are at,” he said.

Since Summer Wells’ disappearance, Don Wells said their life has been consumed by harassment from people online who believe they are responsible for whatever happened to their daughter.

“Before you know it, you’re getting a mob going,” he said. “My wife could go to the store and somebody would scream at her. You know, like, ‘baby killer’ or whatever.”

He sent NewsNation videos from one of his job sites where some people were demanding to speak with him about his missing daughter. He said it got so bad that he had to leave the state.

They then moved to Arkansas where Don Wells was able to find a new job.

Still, Don Wells holds onto hope that his daughter will be found safe.

Anyone who has any credible information about the whereabouts of Summer Wells should contact 1-800-TBI-FIND.