More on the. Investigators have been searching for a 1998 to 2000 model year maroon or red Toyota Tacoma with a full-sized ladder rack and white buckets in the bed that may have been near the Wells home at Beech Creek Road and Benn Hill Road on June 14, 15 or 16. Have you questioned registered sex offenders in the area? TBI spokesperson Leslie Earnhart said in response to the question of how long a case like this should last, This one is outside the norm as far as the amount of time it is taking to locate 5-year-old Summer Wells. Investigators said they have questioned many individuals including drivers who were seen in the area at the time of the childs disappearance, but there is no proof that Summer was abducted. A lot of these volunteers were scheduled to work the following day of Summer Wells going missing on Tuesday night. Call 1-800-TBI-FIND with info! According to TBI officials, over 1,200 tips concerning the missing girl have been submitted to authorities, though officials said most of them are the product of rumors and speculation. Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) AMBER Alert Click here for the latest in the search for missing five-year-old Summer Wells. If nothing else, Ill see her in the resurrection.. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. Some of these tips have already turned up positive. TBI representative Leslie Earhart took the stand at the media briefing, summarizing what investigators had done so far. Its been the goal of this team since day one to find Summer, he said. As weve stated before, the circumstances surrounding Summers disappearance remain unclear, said Earhart. Her blonde hair is believed to be shorter than it appears in most of the pictures of her that authorities have circulated to help the search. In order to preserve the integrity of the investigation, we will not provide additional information regarding the timeline. He is still in touch with the different groups who assisted from across Tennessee and other states and says they are ready for when the call comes. Later, Don Wells spoke to the Kingsport Times, saying he didnt think the case would have a good outcome. Some being from one hilltop to the other hilltop, or at the start of the road and you might go a mile before you ever get to another residence, making that very difficult for residents just to be able to be at home while outside working or something and notice her leaving that area., Coup explained why they are not asking for volunteers to help in the search, Due to the extreme terrain, the nature of this, trying to locate her, trained professionals [are] what we need at this time to make sure that these residents dont become endangeredand expand this issue with having to search for somebody else.. Church Hill Rescue Squad continues to assist local, state, and federal agencies as requested. Additionally, the photo was not released by law enforcement. She . In order to preserve the integrity of the investigation, we're not able to provide specifics.We continue to urge anyone with credible information to call 1-800-TBI-FIND. It's the. Will Puckett is live now with more details. Numerous local, state, and federal agencies are working together with one goal in mind finding Summer. If you would like to make a contribution to the reward fund for Summer Wells, you can go to any Civis Bank Branch and tell them you would like to donate to the Church Hill Rescue Squads Reward Fund for Summer Wells. Additionally, drones were used to map the area and to pinpoint bodies of water as well as any other points of interest. We can tell you that agents and detectives have worked thousands of hours on this case. Rescue officials said supply donations for crews assisting in the search have been paused due to overwhelming support. Crews will assess supplies at the end of the day Monday to see if they are in need of more donations. However, we want to reassure the public that TBI agents and Hawkins County detectives are looking into all possibilities in an effort to determine what happened to the 5-year-old. Should we develop new information that could help in locating Summer, we will notify the news media and the public immediately. FBI agents continue to assist with the investigation. UPDATED 12/15/21 It has been six months since 5-year-old Summer Wells was reported missing from her home on Ben Hill Road in Hawkins County. He is facing five charges; driving under the influence, open container, expired registration, improper lane usage, and violation of financial responsibility, according to a Hawkins Co. record-keeping app Mobile Patrol. According to a spokesperson for the TBI, the identified points of interest were in the area surrounding Summers home. Find out why as crews continue to search for the missing 5-year-old. Natasha Gray works at an antique shop nearby where Summer Wells disappeared. 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Schools see an increase in school threats, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Hawkins County officials revealed Summer Wells father Donald Wells was arrested on domestic assault charges in 2020. A few days after Summers disappearance, the TBI announced it was investigating Don Wells claims that Summer had been abducted. WVLT News spoke with YouTuber Marissa Zdazinsky; Candus Bly filed a trespassing complaint against her in December. The law enforcement side of it, they utilized that center for part of their work so our board of directors felt led that that is where that money should go to benefit other children in our area.. The rugged mountainous terrain continues to cause problems. Today, teams will be focusing on overgrown areas that were previously difficult to access due to high grass and heavy foliage. Today, February 4th, is Summer Wells 7th birthday. We want the public to know that the case is not cold and we arent giving up, the post read. "We are also aware of individuals asking for donations from the public under the pretense that they are assisting law enforcement in the search for Summer," the TBI statement continued. The AMBER Alert lists the following details for Summer: Join News Channel 11 on Thursday for in-depth coverage of where the Summer Wells case stands, along with coverage of Don and Candus Wells appearance on the Dr. Phil Show Nov. 11-12. Then Don Wells, Summer's dad, released a statement to the local WJHL-TV condemning "negativity" on social media that he said isn't helping anyone find the missing girl. Jail. Summer Wells (Courtesy: Tennessee Bureau of Investigation) Spring Hill police working to identify man who gave child $100 Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to contact. While we do not discuss specifics about evidence gathered in an ongoing investigation, we can tell you that numerous search warrants have been executed, and any potential digital evidence has been collected. Why did you release information about a Toyota Truck? The crews reported searching more than 1,000 acres for Summer by the end of the day Friday. Wells pleaded guilty to the DUI charge on Feb. 7, and the state dropped the rest of his charges from October. As of Wednesday, Coup is still working with authorities as tips come in and is in touch with those who assisted from in and out of state. Summer Wells, now 6, has been missing for a full year. Officials with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said they had received over 1,800 tips, but none have panned out. We also encourage residents in that area to check out buildings, sheds, or any other possible space where she could have sought shelter. Officials said that the case is not considered a cold case yet, however, since agents and detectives are still searching for the missing girl. At a news conference Wednesday afternoon, investigators asked people living in the area to check outbuildings and storage sheds for any sign of the missing child. The investigation is still ongoing at this time. Yes. Its been 600 days since Hawkins County child Summer Moon-Utah Wells went missing, and investigators are still trying to find out what happened. The heinous crime aroused the emotions of citizens throughout the region. Summer was first reported missing from her home on Ben Hill Road in the Beech Creek Community of Hawkins Co. on June 15. The TBI reported it was up to 137 tips in the case by Sunday afternoon. WVLT News spoke to Don Wells Friday. The girl was first reported missing on June 15, 2021, at the center of a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation-issued Endangered Child Alert. They also said that investigators have executed search warrants and collected digital evidence in the case. Police asking for the publics assistance in locating a potential witness in the disappearance of Summer https://bit.ly/3hh4f7U. Have you searched the home and property around the residence? Summer Moon-Utah Wells is 3-feet tall with blonde hair who is believed to be barefoot. Dive teams were brought in to explore waterways in the area, and K9 teams specializing in a variety of search methods have been utilized. Incoming severe weather is a concern for search crews, according to officials. He also shared that Summer is not the first family member to go missing, as Summers mother- Candus Wells sister Rose went missing in 2009 and was never found. Will additional searches be conducted? The 56-year-old was processed just after 12 a.m. on Sunday and released later that morning. We want to be clear that were doing everything within our power to find her, the bureau wrote in a Twitter thread on Wednesday. Tennessee's Missing Persons TBI's Most Wanted Tennessee Sex Offender Registry Background Checks Sexual Assault Kit Tracking Information LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES: No one is more frustrated than us by the lack of answers at this stage, the agency said. The information released by the TBI throughout the investigation, including a list of frequently asked questions, can be reviewed below. Tennessee. This morning, we'll update that effort in an 11 a.m. media availability.WATCH HERE: https://t.co/bZPSvQppNG pic.twitter.com/q42cpWEXKk. As of Wednesday, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has received 970 tips, but none have led to the little girl at the center of the Amber Alert. That vehicle was not captured on surveillance cameras. Tips can be emailed to TipsToTBI@tn.gov. Wells told the Kingsport Times News on Monday, LIVE: The Search for Summer Wells - Community Reactions. UPDATED 11/10/21 - The investigation into the disappearance of 5-year-old Summer Wells remains active and ongoing. By clicking Accept all you agree that Yahoo and our partners will process your personal information, and use technologies such as cookies, to display personalised ads and content, for ad and content measurement, audience insights, and product development. Both have been questioned more than once. WVLT News reached out to Donald Wells twice to confirm the report, but he refused to answer questions regarding where the boys were or if they were taken by the DCS. According to state investigators, she was last seen outside her family's house in Hawkins County, Tennessee. Speaking with command staff, speaking to subject matter experts that were involved from other agencies out of state, getting together every day, putting all these things together to make the decision- I can say made the decision easier but it didnt.. According to officials, the search is still on. You can view the information weve released since June 15th below and in the following Twitter thread. Wednesday, the Hawkins County Sheriffs Office held its first media briefing at 4 p.m. at Solomons Temple Missionary Baptist Church located at 7659 Lone Star Road in Kingsport to provide an update on the search for Summer. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. It was Wells first DUI, but since the arrest violated previous probation, he was sentenced to 11 months and 29 days at the Hawkins Co. Following the incident, Summer Wells mother, Candus Bly filed for an order of protection against Donald Wells. #TNAMBERAlert: Missing five-year-old Summer Wells may now have shorter hair than that pictured in our earlier alerts. Please help us and only call if you have direct, specific information about the disappearance of Summer. The individual stated that the truck might have been parked in the area of Beech Creek Road and Ben Hill Road in the late afternoon to early evening on either Monday, June 14th, or Tuesday, June 15th. Summer went missing from her fami l y's Tennessee home on 15 June. The organization announced that crews would be in the Hawkins County area the weekend of July 24, and asked those that see them to refrain from posting about the search. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued an Endangered Child Alert for missing Summer Moon-Utah Wells. Officials also confirmed that the search is still ongoing, and that Agents with the TBI and Hawkins County Detectives are still working to find the missing 5-year-old. David Rader is with Equusearch, an organization that goes around the country to help find missing people. pic.twitter.com/Bm50UIB08W. Have you collected and reviewed surveillance video? TBI officials said the agency continues to work alongside the Hawkins County Sheriff's Office and the FBI to search for answers in the case. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has been collaborating with the Hawkins County Sheriff's Office on the case, and is working to determine the truth behind summer's disappearance. Copyright 2021 WVLT. Oct 2017 - Present5 years 6 months. Her mother reports last seeing her on the afternoon of June 15th at their home in the 100 block of Ben Hill Road. Below is a timeline of the case. Shortly after that, an Endangered Child Alert was issued. The way that she just disappeared, she would never do that, Wells said in a written statement for CBS Affiliate WJHL. When asked if Summers parents were suspects in the missing person case, TBI officials said they had not ruled out any possibility. The misinformation and speculation simply dont help the case, an official from the TBI said. I have 33 active members on my roster. Story tips can be sent to michael.ruiz@fox.com and on Twitter: @mikerreports, Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. The search for 5-year-old Summer Wells continues this evening. Detectives continue to investigate each lead Tuesday morning. Are there places that I missed? #SummerWells pic.twitter.com/y7kE6qvbB3, LIVE: Search teams have returned to the Beach Creek area with a heavy law enforcement presence in the search for missing 5-year-old Summer Wells. None have led to a solid lead. HAWKINS COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) announced Wednesday afternoon that the agency has seen a rise in the online spread of misinformation regarding the search for missing 5-year-old Summer Wells. Community members are still encouraged to check their individual properties and trail cameras for signs of Summer. 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