Additionally, the photo was not released by law enforcement. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Three large-scale searches have occurred. The couples other children, three boys, have since been placed in Tennessee Department of Child Protective Services custody for reasons unrelated to Summers disappearance, local media reported last week. An individual who travels through the area regularly as part of his job stated that he recallspossiblyseeing a 1998-2000 maroon or red Toyota Tacoma, with a full bed ladder rack and white buckets in the truck bed. We appreciate the publics ongoing interest in this case and urge anyone with credible information to call 1-800-TBI-FIND. Anyone with information is asked to contact the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND or the Hawkins County Sheriffs Office at 423-272-7121. This slows search operations down in these areas but rest assured while encountering these conditions, we are still searching with an aggressive approach with extreme attention to detail, the Church Hill Rescue Squad stated in post on Facebook. Moving forward, we ask the public not to submit tips as a result of a video you have viewed on YouTube or a theory youve seen posted on Facebook. Her grandmother also resides on the property where the 5-year-old went missing. Residents who live in the Beech Creek Community near Ben Hill Road are urged to contact us with information if they havent done so already. Being in contact with TBI, Hawkins County Sheriffs Department, something they feel as though needs to be a credible search, need to go back in and look over things again, were right there with them hand-in-hand doing those things.. We werent covering 4.6 square miles or 3,000 acres of land of treacherous land, steep inclines, steep terrain, treacherous terrain. #LIVE Saturday, the TBI released a vehicle description for a potential witness in the disappearance of Summer Wells. Dive teams were brought in to search bodies of water in the area on several different occasions. Hawkins County investigators immediately began working the case. Were going to continue on until we find Summer and put this case to rest, Lawson explained. Thursday, Don Wells, the father of the missing child told WVLT CBS affiliate WJHL in a written statement that he believed Summer was kidnapped while playing outside. She was last seen wearing a pink shirt and grey shorts and may have been barefoot at the time. Ashley Bohle is live now in Hawkins County to catch us up to speed. Officials with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said they had received over 1,800 tips, but none have panned out. Sharing speculation or rumors only makes the process more difficult for law enforcement by increasing the number of non-credible tips. They stressed that people submit tips with credible information. Saturday, the TBI asked for the publics assistance in locating a potential witness in the disappearance of Summer Wells. The Hawkins County Sheriffs Office announced it will send officers to assist any residents who arent able to search those spaces themselves. If you are the driver of the truck or know who it may be, you are asked to contact the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND. The TBI held a media briefing Friday at 2:30 p.m. at Solomans Temple Missionary Baptist Church to provide an update on search efforts for Summer Wells. That vehicle was not captured on surveillance cameras. #TNAMBERAlert: The investigation into the disappearance of Summer Wells remains active and ongoing. Additionally, in the first week, the FBI Child Abduction Rapid Deployment (CARD) team responded to the area. At a media briefing, Hawkins County Sheriffs Office officials said investigators had not identified any suspects or vehicles of interest. Today marks one year since Summer Wells disappeared, sparking an ongoing #TNAMBERAlert.Our team continues to work with other agencies to chase every lead we can. As we mark #BlackHistoryMonth, we're sharing the stories of some of our team members, who boldly bring their passion -- and perspective -- to better the Bureau and -- in turn -- help us better protect and serve the state of #Tennessee. Weve collected surveillance photos and videos from a variety of locations. Officials continue to ask members of the public to please refrain from trying to join search efforts and leave it to the professionals. Searching for Summer Wells | Don Wells releases letter to kidnappers. Summers mother, Candus Bly, later spoke to WJHL News about the case, saying she thought her daughter had been abducted. Every detail is important. Should we develop new information that could help in locating Summer, we will notify the news media and the public immediately. However, since we arent able to respond to all individual inquiries, weve worked with the Hawkins County Sheriffs Office to compile a list of questions we frequently receive from those who have recently started following the case. According to a spokesperson for the TBI, the identified points of interest were in the area surrounding Summers home. Officials said that Summers AMBER Alert is still active and her case is not considered a cold case. Yes. #LIVE Saturday, the TBI released a vehicle description for a potential witness in the disappearance of Summer Wells. https://twitter.com/TBInvestigation/status/1405180461375164419?s=20, Hickman County Man Charged with Homicide, Attempted Homicide, Drug Investigation Results in Two Arrests, Drug Seizure, NOW HIRING: Want to put your administrative skills to good use to help protect and serve the state? 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. Wells told the Kingsport Times News on Monday, LIVE: The Search for Summer Wells - Community Reactions. Statistically speaking, theres a good chance shes already dead, Don Wells told the Kingsport Times News. Yes. Incoming severe weather is a concern for search crews, according to officials. @canduswells/TikTok; Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Summer Wells, 5, was reported missing on June 15 in Hawkins County, Tennessee. Authorities said Summers parents were upset about the situation and have been cooperative with law enforcement during the investigation. Yes, more than once, including the basement, crawl space, all vehicles, outbuildings, barrels, and other items located on the property. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced that it had received 137 tips as of Sunday afternoon. Me and my mother and her were planting flowers, and we went in after we got done washing our hands, and [Summer] got a piece of candy from grandma, Bly told WJHL. TBI asked anyone with credible information to call 1-800-TBI-FIND. Have you collected and reviewed surveillance video? Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to contact the Hawkins County Sheriffs Office at 423-272-7121 or the TBI at 800-TBI-FIND. She reportedly left her home that night to meet a cousin at a bar, but she never reached her destination. There are now more than 80 agencies from Tennessee, Ohio, Virginia, Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina searching nearly six square miles around the home where Summer disappeared in Hawkins County, Tennessee. #SummerWells 1/6 pic.twitter.com/TjXSpDdVty. There are few clues as to what happened to Summer despite investigators doing everything within their power to find answers. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation was born as a result of a highly-publicized murder in Greene County in December of 1949. That center, in essence, serves most of the lower end of Hawkins County in our area, and actually that center was utilized during the search, he said. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has responded to "an uptick in misinformation being spread online" about Summer Wells, who went missing earlier this year. In light of the circumstances surrounding Summer Moon-Utah Wells's disappearance, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has released a warning for vulnerable children. The THP helicopter logged 30 hours of flight. 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. June 26, 2021, marked a significant development in the case; TBI officials asked the public for information on a truck that had been seen in the area around the time of Summers disappearance. Summer Wells has now been missing for 84 days and has been at the center of a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation AMBER Alert for 83 days. There was not a flower bed. Friday will mark four months since Summer Wells first went missing. That vehicle was not captured on surveillance cameras. Have you analyzed cell phone data? Update on the search for Summer Wells as bad weather moves into the area https://bit.ly/3gHxyBt. 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. Yes. Last week, the agency reported it had received 1,500 tips regarding Wells disappearance, the majority of them the result of online rumors and baseless theories. Crews said they had searched more than 680 acres by the end of the day Thursday. However, we are also aware that some individuals are using this case for their own personal gain by spreading false information on social media posed as facts. #TNAMBERAlert pic.twitter.com/wjhTlv81fJ. Will additional searches be conducted? The investigation remains ongoing at this time. This was Wells first DUI, but since the arrest violated previous probation, he must serve the remainder of his 11 months and 29 days at the Hawkins Co. At the time she went missing, she was wearing gray pants, a pink shirt and may have been barefoot. WVLT's Will Puckett gives the latest as the child's father speaks out for the first time. The organization Equusearch Midwest announced Monday that they would be sending a team back to Tennessee to assist in the ongoing search for Summer Wells. That was a decision I knew going in that there was a possibility I was going to have to make not knowing how many days, how many hours we were going to be up there searching for Summer, said Coup. The search for Summer Wells continues Wednesday. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. On April 21, 2021, the charges of domestic assault and unlawful possession of a weapon were dismissed. "This is not accurate. Officials with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and Hawkins County Sheriffs Office returned to the Beech Creek area to search for the young girl Monday, Feb. 28, according to officials. Those with any information on the case are asked to contact 1-800-TBI-FIND. We are asking anyone who saw Summer at any time on Tuesday, June 15th, to come forward if they havent done so already. pic.twitter.com/02tmvgf7oS, LIVE: It has now been three weeks since 5-year-old Summer Wells has disappeared https://bit.ly/3ytXK8M. (Tennessee Bureau of Investigation). Dilbert creator loses comics distributor over racist remarks, Rutherford Co. wrestling coach suspended after alleged sexual contact with student, Lewis County deputy still on patrol duty after DUI arrest, Investigators seek to ID person who set fire at Nashville apartment complex, Police arrest alleged serial Nashville robbery suspect. #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. Since Tuesday, nearly seventy agencies from across TN and several other states have joined together and continue to work tirelessly to find her. A TBI spokesperson said that they had received over 1,900 tips. 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. Have you questioned the parents? The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued an endangered child alert. If you have any knowledge of or information on the whereabouts of Summer Wells, please call the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at 800-TBI-FIND (800-824-3463) or send tips to TipsToTBI@tn.gov. Anyone with credible information is asked to call 1-800-TBI-FIND. Bly later asked for a dismissal of the order of protection. Additionally, the entire area was canvased in an effort to locate any residential cameras that werent voluntarily reported. ROGERSVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL/WKRN) The search continues for 5-year-old Summer Wells who disappeared from her home in Hawkins County on Tuesday. The driver has not come forward, nor have the hundreds of vehicles reported to us as matching the description panned out. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has received more than 750 tips but none have resulted in a solid lead in the case. As search operations, we know no more than we did the night she went missing, so that alone psychologically, some of these searchers are [thinking] I put in all this time and I wasnt able to provide anything.'. We also appreciate the cooperation of the property owners in Beech Creek, most of which gave us whatever access we needed. Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-TBI-FIND. Summers brothers have been interviewed along with others who stayed in the home in the months before her disappearance. MORE: Here are additional photos of Summer Wells, who is missing from Hawkins County. Below are two ways to make . On Feb. 7, Don Wells pleaded guilty to a DUI charge he was arrested for on Oct. 30. These photos give you an idea of the difficult terrain teams are dealing with during the search for 5-year-old Summer Wells. Many of you are asking if we have a suspect or vehicle description. MISSING TENNESSEE GIRL SUMMER WELLS' PARENTS BOTH HAVE CRIMINAL RECORDS. While the search continues, Rader warns of shady characters trying to capitalize on sympathy in the midst of tragedy. Hawkins County detectives and TBI agents are still actively investigating the disappearance of 5-year-old Summer Wells. Wednesday marked three months since Summer Wells first went missing. Any credible lead that they have to Hey, we need to go out here and search this area. We will, said Coup. The misinformation and speculation simply dont help the case, an official from the TBI said. She was reportedly last seen wearing grey pants, a pink shirt and was possibly barefoot. She was reported missing to the Hawkins County Sheriffs Office at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 15th. LIVE: Day 6 of Search For Summer Wells Concludes. UPDATED 6/15/22 At approximately 6:30 p.m. on June 15, 2021, Summer Wells was reported missing from her home on Ben Hill Road in the Beech Creek Community of Hawkins County. At the event, TBI officials addressed several frequently asked questions about the case. Three months missing, here's what we know about the search As this is an ongoing investigation, if you see any of our teams out and about, please do not convey via social media or other outlets where you may have seen our searches taking place. News Channel 11 reached out to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) for a statement Friday on the latest on the search for Summer and received the following reply: "The. Yes. Today, February 4th, is Summer Wells 7th birthday. Forensic Chemist in Drug Chemistry. MORE: https://t.co/aezCJ2Qhhm pic.twitter.com/PF14VTzoI2. Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, Solar Titan USA to remain under federal courts control, KFC bringing back buzzworthy menu item for first, TikTok sets new default time limits for minors, Bill to execute death row inmates by firing squad, Colorectal cancer affecting younger people; how to, Mens salon comes with a unique experience like no, Pauls Sawdust Shop offers custom wood pieces, Hitches & Honey offers over 200 types of jams and, Vols PG Zakai Zeigler suffers torn ACL in final home, Arrest warrants issued for projected NFL draft pick, Zakai Zeigler injured, Tennessee takes down Arkansas, NCAA imposes show-cause penalties on 4 ex-Tennessee, Vitello returns from suspension, Maui Ahuna reinstated, Windshield covers and other handy gear you need for, 18 trendy cowboy boots to wear this winter, 18 books youll want to read on Dr. Seuss Day, Solar Titan USA to remain under federal courts control, TN firing squad bill clears another hurdle, Father charged with murder in sons overdose death, Flooding, strong storms possible overnight, Strawberry Plains Pike closed by tractor-trailer, KFC bringing back buzzworthy item after 9 years, LAPD may not send armed officers to these police, Arrest warrants issued for projected NFL draft pick, Family says officers had no respect for human life, Police Chief disturbed by videos of Edwards in, Weather AWARE tonight due to widespread and heavy, District Attorney speaks out about Lisa Edwards, Vol basketball star point guard suffers torn ACL, Bodycam video of woman who died in KPD custody released, KISS farewell tour coming to Knoxville this fall, Dolly to announce when Dollywoods new coaster opens, Protests on Lisa Edwards treatment while in custody, Parking permits, fee increases begin today in the, Blount Memorial sends cease and desist sent to UTMC, Medical cannabis bill dies in Senate committee, How is East Tennessees Housing Market in 2023, Jefferson Co. Schools see an increase in school threats, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Dozens of other targeted searches have been conducted over the last year as a result of investigators following up on leads. UPDATED 11/4/21 TBI agents continue to work with the Hawkins County Sheriffs Office and the FBI in an effort to determine what happened to Summer Wells. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation confirmed the agency has received 715 tips in the search for Summer Wells. We want to assure everyone who has been part of this investigation or has been following this case that it is not cold. The website also contains several pictures of the girl and quotes from her family. Tuesday, 35 agents and officers with Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Hawkins . Please help us and only call if you have direct, specific information about the disappearance of Summer. Updates on the continuing search for missing 5-year-old https://bit.ly/3xMElzL. The Kingsport Times later reported that Summers three brothers had been removed from the Wells household by the Department of Child Services. We havent forgotten her, and we wont. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. As the reward fund remained the same, it was extended to June 15, one year since the child went missing for her Ben Hill Road residence in Northeast Tennessee. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced that it had received 137 tips as of Sunday afternoon. The Church Hill Rescue Squad provided an update Monday on the reward fund for Summer Wells, the missing Hawkins County girl at the center of an AMBER Alert. An Amber Alert remains in effect for Summer. Church Hill Rescue Squad shared the Summer Wells Reward Fund total is $73,705.90. Friday, the TBI began investigating Summers father, Don Wells claims that the 5-year-old was abducted. If you see her, please call the Hawkins County Sheriffs Office at 423-272-7121 or the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND. However, none have panned out and the search continues. TBI officials said they are more concerned than ever about finding the child. I will have a team whether I have to call in a team from out of state, we will have somebody there to search those areas.. Have you collected and reviewed surveillance video? Numerous local, state, and federal agencies are working together with one goal in mind finding Summer. Don Wells, the father of missing Summer Wells, released a letter to the girls kidnappers at midnight on Tuesday. The family is cooperating in the investigation, Lawson said, but declined to answer questions about any issues within the home.