AMBER ALERT TN - Summer Moon-Utah Wells, 5, Rogersville, 15 Jun 2021 Media Maps Timeline *NO DISCUSSION*

Pastor, sabbath teacher speak on Summer Wells' family experience
Jul 16, 2021


Pastor, sabbath teacher speak on Summer Wells’ family experience | WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather

[…]

Pastor David Ryder at the Kingsport Seventh Day Adventist Church told News Channel 11 Thursday that the Wells family, along with several church members, have been at the center of what he called hateful messages on social media.

[…]

“This congregation is like a church family, you know, we don’t have a very large church, less than 200 people. So we know each other and we know each other fairly well. And for someone like Summer Wells to be – in the father’s opinion – to be abducted like that, it’s just heartbreaking,” he said.

[…]

Summer’s Sabbath school teacher [RL] told News Channel 11 she has been in constant contact with [CB], Summer’s mom, since the disappearance. She said she’s hopeful Summer will be found.

[…]
 
Last edited:
Mother of Summer Wells carries banner seeking tips in search for missing 5-year-old
Jul 16, 2021
[…]
Mother of Summer Wells carries banner seeking tips in search for missing 5-year-old – WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather

Better link:
Summer’s mother, Candus Bly, and Summer’s Sabbath school teacher Robin Lane, carried a banner that said “Pray for Summer” and featured photos of the missing child along with information and the phone number for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s tip line.
Mother of Summer Wells carries banner in parade seeking tips in search for missing 5-year-old | WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather

 
Equusearch group returning to Hawkins Co. to assist in Search for Summer Wells this weekend
Jul 19, 2021
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Equuasearch is coming back this weekend to search for Summer. They are asking locals NOT TO POST ON SM where they are searching to preserve the integrity of the Investigation.

[...]
CINCINNATI, Ohio (WJHL) – Eqqusearch Midwest announced via Facebook on Monday that they would be coming back to Northeast Tennessee the weekend of July 24 to assist in the Search for Summer Wells.

“Dave Rader, Director of Equusearch Midwest, and our Team will be conducting searches the weekend of July 24th,” the post read in part. “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. It is very important for the integrity of the case.”

[...]

“We have a remote-controlled sonar unit that we can actually put into a retention pod or a small body of water and within 15-20 minutes, I can tell you exactly what’s in that body of water without having to put a diver in,” Rader said. “We’ve even got what is called ‘near infrared,’ which means that we can fly on a drone, we can actually tell if a piece of ground has been disturbed or not. If that comes to be where we need something like that or if I feel like we need to bring that in, that is available also.”

Rader told News Channel 11 that horses will not be used by the search team this weekend. Instead, they will use manpower on the ground and focus on specific areas. According to Rader, the area around the Wells home is not ideal for searching on horseback anyway.

“It’s very steep, a lot of downed trees,” Rader said. “I don’t think the horses would have been (beneficial) to us at all in this point in time.”

[...]

 
Equusearch Midwest team to return to Tri-Cities to assist in Search for Summer Wells
Jul 19, 2021
Dave Rader the Director of Equusearch Midwest explains why it's important for the public to not take photos and videos of his crews searching for Summer Wells this upcoming weekend.

https://twitter.com/anslee_wjhl/status/1417245396976476163?s=21


From the video, Dave Rader speaks, and Captain Tim Coup provides the following statement:

"They along with several other teams have been so outpouring with support and wanting to help out. I decided to have them come back and assist with some areas and search these as a combination decision by both agencies."

Search will begin 8am Saturday, and will include areas already looked at, as well as areas further out.

(more in video)
 
TBI: AMBER Alert for Summer Wells will 'remain active until the child is located'
Jul 19, 2021


HAWKINS CO., Tenn. (WJHL) – Over the weekend, many viewers reached out to News Channel 11 asking if the AMBER Alert for Summer Wells, the missing five-year-old from Hawkins County, had been canceled or called off.

A spokesperson for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation told News Channel 11:

“We have no updates to provide other than to say the investigation remains active and ongoing. AMBER Alerts remain active until the child is located.”

[...]

Investigators say they are still searching for the driver of a red or maroon Toyota Tacoma with a full bed ladder rack with white buckets in the back. It was seen in the area around the time Summer went missing. They are continuing to stress that this person could be a witness and is not considered a suspect.

[...]

TBI: AMBER Alert for Summer Wells will ‘remain active until the child is located’ | WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather
Posted: Jul 19, 2021 / 06:48 PM EDT / Updated: Jul 19, 2021 / 06:52 PM EDT
 
Exclusive: Search for Summer Wells has scaled back but the investigation continues
Jul 19, 2021 | By: Nick Beres
https://www.newschannel5.com/news/e...s-scaled-back-but-the-investigation-continues
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Children vanish and tragically, sometimes they're never found. The hope is that's not the case with Summer Wells - the missing 5-year-old out of northeast Tennessee.

It's true, the search effort has been scaled back after crews have found no trace of the child. But, no one is giving up and authorities are continuing to investigate the case behind the scenes, especially when foul play may be involved.

<snip>

So, what are the TBI and FBI currently doing?

"In any case like that where they've had like nine-hundred leads you've got to look at every possible angle," said Jeremy Lofquest.

He is a TBI Special Agent in Charge working on abductions and human trafficking.

Sources have told Newschannel5 it now appears unlikely Wells just wandered off or bloodhounds certainly would have found some sign of her in the nearby woods.

So, the focus shifts more to foul play. Agent Lofquest is not directly involved with the Wells case but says it is being handled like other similar missing child cases.

"You look at all the relationships and all the circumstances from what you think is the beginning and follow the timeline."

That includes questioning parents, siblings, relatives, everyone close to the child and those who live nearby.

"Neighbors are going to be interviewed, sex offenders in the area will be interviewed. Anybody with likelihood to commit this type of crime," said Quinn.

To date, that's all been done. And still, after more than a month of searching, questioning and hundreds of tips sent to the TBI hotline, nothing. No suspects. No trace of Summer Wells.

 
I have found the official WJHL news channel's frequent live streams helpful.

If it helps anyone else, here is their scheduled times every day of the week and a link to that schedule along with their livestreaming page.

Mondays – Fridays

  • News Channel 11 This Morning (CBS & ABC): 4:30 a.m. – 6:58 a.m.
  • Daytime Tri-Cities (CBS): 10:00 a.m. – 10:58 a.m.
  • News Channel 11 at Noon (CBS & ABC): Noon – 12:28 p.m.
  • News Channel 11 at Five (CBS): 5:00 p.m. – 5:28 p.m.
  • News Channel 11 at 5:30 (CBS): 5:30 p.m. – 5:58 p.m.
  • News Channel at Six (CBS): 5:59 p.m. – 6:28 p.m.
  • News Channel 11 at Seven (CBS): 7:00 p.m. – 7:28 p.m.
  • News Channel 11 at Eleven (CBS & ABC): 11:00 p.m. – 11:35 p.m.
Saturdays and Sundays:

  • News Channel 11 Morning (CBS & ABC) – 6:00 a.m – 6:58 a.m.; 7:00 a.m. – 7:58 a.m
  • News Channel 11 at Six (CBS & ABC): 6:00 p.m. – 6:28 p.m.
  • News Channel 11 at Eleven (CBS & ABC): 11:00 p.m. – 11:28 p.m.
Live Newscasts | WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather
 
Search for Summer Wells highlights recurring Hawkins Co. communications issues
Jul 20, 2021
https://twitter.com/anslee_wjhl/status/1417585280035524612?s=21

Even before Summer Wells' disappearance- the radio systems and lack of cell service were hot button issues in Hawkins County- Coming up tonight at 6, hear about the county's history with its 911 radio systems and how it impacted the search efforts for the missing five-year-old.

ROGERSVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL)- Tuesday, July 20 marks five weeks since the disappearance of five-year-old Summer Wells. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says they’ve received 1,020 tips in relation to the AMBER Alert.

[...]

Even before Summer Wells’ disappearance, the radio systems and lack of cell service were hot-button issues in Hawkins County. Some people there even reported not being able to reach 911 and first responders not being able to communicate with each other at times.

[...]

The operations on the ground have been a topic for county officials in several different meetings. How those issues impacted that ground search is expected to dominate the conversation Wednesday at a public safety committee meeting.

“The only thing that hindered search operations at the start the first several days was radio communications. But I can say, with the assistance of Washington County, Sullivan County, and assistance of the state bringing in a TACN Mobile repeater,” Capt. Tim Coup said in an interview with News Channel 11 last week. “Beforehand, there’s no way we could have done the search operations and covered the amount of ground we covered with the peace of mind knowing that if something happened, the command structure could get them help until that radio system was there.”

[...]

Search for Summer Wells highlights recurring Hawkins Co. communications issues | WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather
Posted: Jul 20, 2021 / 06:11 PM EDT / Updated: Jul 20, 2021 / 06:14 PM EDT
 
Summer Wells' mom pleads: 'Just bring her back'
The Rogersville Review | Jul 21, 2o21
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Summer Wells' mom pleads: 'Just bring her back'

We went to Gatlinburg and the boys accidentally kept tripping over her sore knee,” Candus said. “She had an artificial knee replaced. And if you twist it the wrong way, it pops out and it hurts really bad. And she couldn’t figure out why it wouldn’t stop hurting after a while, so I took her to the ER that morning.”

After taking Candy to Holston Valley, Candus and Summer went to visit some family friends in Kingsport. “They invited me over to sit at their house while I waited for my mom to get done so we weren’t sitting in the hot truck. So, I went over there,” Candus said.

“I was sitting and mom called me to come get her,” said Candus, adding that the 15-year-old son of her friend asked to go along. “I went and picked her up, and then we drove all the way across town and dropped her prescription off. They said it’d be about 30 minutes at the most.

“So, we were like, well instead of sitting here in the car where it’s hot — it was baking hot – we’ll just go to Warrior’s and let Summer swim for a little while. Like I said, we weren’t even planning on going swimming or fishing or anything,” Candus said.

So, they went to Warrior’s Path State Park and let Summer and the boy swim in the cove just south of the park’s horse stables. “I figured 15 or 20 minutes in the water, you know, run a little bit of energy out instead of sitting in the truck,” Candus said.
[...]
That boy lied on everything that happened,” Candus said. “Because the place I was at, there was no rocks. She didn’t slide on no rocks and fall in the water. She wasn’t under the water for 20 seconds or more like he said. That was just a bunch of lies he made up. I don’t know why he did that.”

There was no incident at all. That don’t even make no sense why he would even say that. And the video that I took is the same, exact time that they were in the water playing,” Candus said. If Summer had fallen, “she’d jump right back up. That’s what don’t make no sense to me, at all. There’s so many rumors and lies going around, none of it even makes sense. Couch Police, that’s what I call them.”

Summer Wells' mom pleads: 'Just bring her back'
[...]

We went back and picked up my mom’s prescription and went to Price Less. I dropped off (the boy) after Price Less and we come home. And then me and my mom – the boys were in watching Youtube like they always do – my mom says, ‘let’s re-arrange and plant the flowers.’ She goes, ‘Well, we know the boys aren’t going to help us. I know Summer will.’ So, I yelled for Summer. She was in the house with the boys. She comes out and she was planting flowers with us,” Candus said.

The flowers were put in planters next to Grandma Candy’s camper, with Summer handling some of the tasks, Candus said.

She put all the rocks on top, put chaste in there. She did all the rocks herself. We went in to grandmother’s after we were done. She asked Grandma for a piece of candy. Grandma gave her a piece of candy. She told me she wanted to go back over with her brothers, so I literally walked her” halfway between the camper and the house, Candus said.

“I watched her go in the door and I could see her brothers at the kitchen table. When she went in, I walked over and yelled at the boys, I said, ‘Watch Summer. I’ll be right back. I’ve got to fix Mom’s knee brace.’ I was standing right there (at the camper). I was over there fixing it. Literally, you can see my house from the (camper) door. She did not walk back out that front door.”
Summer Wells' mom pleads: 'Just bring her back'

Snipped by me from the article today:

Before the cops even came out, I went down and told my neighbors, ‘Summer is missing, will you help me look?’ just in case she did wander off. But I knew in the back of my mind, she’s never wandered off. She never went nowhere without me. She’ll ask me to do something before she even goes and does it. And she’s scared to go in the woods herself because we’ve told her time and time (again) because of the bears and snakes,” Candus said.

“I sent the older boys down through the creek. If they’ve got a walkie-talkie and their buck knife, they can go down through there. I sent all them searching and I went out in my mom’s truck and went all the way down by the church, then went all the way down the (other) way and I didn’t see nobody even out and about,” Candus said.

“Then I went all the way back in the holler as far as the truck can go and I didn’t see nothing back in there, either. When I was coming back up out of the holler, the cops were coming up in my driveway. So, I just followed them up in here. I don’t recall if (Don) was here before the police got here or if he was here at the same time they showed up,” said Candus.
"Candus said she thought the police canines would have had better success if she had been notified to corral the family’s eight dogs."

Summer Wells' mom pleads: 'Just bring her back'

[...]
Also from article:
Candus was asked if they were good watch dogs.

“Hell, no,” she replied. “They’re lazy. Anybody that came up here that could have took her could have fed the dogs down there (lower part of the yard). These dogs are so friendly and love everybody, they don’t know strangers.”

Indeed, contrary to expectations, the dogs greeted this reporter like a known friend and hardly barked during the hour-plus on the property.
(more at link)
 
DCS Involved in Summers Wells Investigation
Jul 21, 2021

The link goes to a replay of the local news WJHL-TV. The top story reported is that DCS is involved with the investigation into Summer Wells' disappearance.

From the video:
“The Tennessee Department of Children Services has confirmed to News Channel 11 that they are now involved in the investigation to find 5 year old Summer Wells, but they would not say how they are involved at this point.”
 
Hawkins County Public Safety Committee meeting
Jul 21, 2021
HAPPENING NOW: The Hawkins Co. Public Safety Committee is meeting.

The meeting started with a prayer for Summer Wells.

EMA Director Jamie Miller is giving his quarterly report.

Miller is now going into the search for Summer Wells.

He is recapping the timeline and how many agencies were on the ground.

He says EMA never lost communications on the ground and everyone in his department had AT&T first net phones.

He said all of their vehicles and equipment were used. He explained how they took dogs deep into the woods to search so they wouldn’t tire out as quickly.

He said his department used nearly 400 gallons of fuel during the ground search and more is being used as day deployments happen.

https://twitter.com/anslee_wjhl/status/1417927169028808714?s=21
Capt. Tim Coup with the Church Hill Rescue Squad is up now. He serves as the Incident Commander of Search Operations for the Search for Summer Wells.

Total hours from his agency as of NOW: 2,648 man hours

He says that number will go up as they continue to go out on calls.

https://twitter.com/anslee_wjhl/status/1417933635743846410?s=21

Coup said “You should be proud of the agencies you have in this county…. These agencies worked flawlessly for 13 days.”

He also added the state and out-of-state agencies to this as well.

He is also praising the Hawkins Co. Rescue Squad for their work on the logistics side.

https://twitter.com/anslee_wjhl/status/1417934059423031296?s=21

Emergency leaders explain how radio systems had an impact on the search for Summer Wells

Jul 21, 2021


ROGERSVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) — The Hawkins County Public Safety Committee met Wednesday with the search for Summer Wells and its impact on county resources being an overarching theme.

The county’s troubled 911 and radio system between first responders was the point of contention during the meeting.

[...]

“TEMA and Sullivan Co. EMA provided us with the cache of approximately 50 radios to hand out to the responders that were on scene,” explained 911 Director Lynn Campbell. “If it hadn’t been for them providing those radios, we would have been in a mess in Beech Creek. We would have had no communications with all these people.”

Capt. Tim Coup from the Church Hill Rescue Squad was there. He also serves as the incident commander of search operations for Summer Wells.

“If you’ve not been off Beech Creek and pulled off Beech Creek Road and pulled on to Ben Hill Road, Fields Road, Bells Road and started looking at that terrain — one ill step…seriously injured or killed and we had 1,194 people searching that area,” he explained. “I don’t want to go to one of my members, I’m sure Hawkins County Rescue Squad, EMS, you guys, don’t want to make that door knock or on the phone going, ‘your child, father, brother, sister, mother — they’re not coming home because of lack of communication and safety for these guys that are doing these as a volunteer, for free.”

[...]

Emergency leaders explain how radio systems had an impact on the search for Summer Wells | WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather
Posted: Jul 21, 2021 / 10:40 PM EDT / Updated: Jul 21, 2021 / 11:22 PM EDT
 
A video clip from yesterday's Hawkins County Public Safety Committee meeting. Captain Tim Coup, when asked for an update, said that from speaking with local LE, his agency knows no more than they did on Day 13 when they scaled back operations.

Church Hill Rescue Squad Cpat. Tim Coup was among several Hawkins County rescuers who gave reports to the county commission's Public Safety Committee July 21 on the Summer Wells search.

Leader of Summer Wells search and rescue has no answers about what happened to her (same video as above)

Missing Summer Wells Mother Denies Claim 5-Year-Old Girl ‘Went Underwater’ | CrimeOnline

Emergency leaders explain how radio systems had an impact on the search for Summer Wells
Jul 22, 2021
 
Tennessee 5-year-old's family pleads for missing Summer Wells' safe return: 'Her daddy and her mama love her'

[...]

[PW], the ex-wife of Summer’s father and the mother of her two half-siblings, [DW III] and [MW], told Fox News Thursday that her side of the family is praying for the girl’s safe return.

"She's my ex-husband's daughter, and she is very loved by me and all of her family," she said.

She said the missing 5-year-old calls her "grandma," even though that’s not quite their relationship, and that her half-brother and sister miss her too.

"Summer is loved by both of them, and they want their little sister to come home," she said of her children, who are both in their 30s. "To whoever has her, I hope they have the sense enough to bring her back because her daddy and her mama love her."

With the investigation stalled and no leads or persons of interest, [DW] told WJHL-TV in mid-July that speculation and finger-pointing on social media regarding the parents’ roles in the case was tormenting his family and "not helping find Summer."

"He's really upset about it because everybody's saying things that ain't true," [PW] said. "That was his little girl…That was his baby, and he thought the world [of her]."

[...]

The parents have not responded to multiple calls from Fox News.

[...]
 
Watch now: Rescuers give Hawkins commissioners report on the Summer Wells search

ROGERSVILLE — Hawkins County officials stated Wednesday their main priority remains bringing Summer Wells home safely, but the impact of the search on county resources is still a matter that must be addressed.

[…]

Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office Lt. James Woods reported to the PSC that there is no new information to release about the law enforcement investigation into Summer’s disappearance. Woods said he believes someone out there knows what happened to Summer, and he asked that they report what they know to 1-800-TBI-FIND.

Summer’s Amber Alert remains active more than five weeks after she went missing.

[…]

[Church Hill Rescue Squad Capt. Tim] Coup noted that there are constant requests for updates on the search from local media, as well as media statewide, and all the way to New York. He said he has updated everyone on all that he knows, but he wishes he knew more.

Rescuers didn’t know any more as of Wednesday than they did on Day 13 of the search when operations at Beech Creek were scaled back.

“We are assisting local, state and federal resources and agencies for whatever they may need,” Coup said. “We don’t know. If I had information, and I was at liberty to tell you, I would tell you today. If I knew where she was at, she’d done been back June 15th.”

[…]
 
Are we allowed to post the interview with the retired detective & the minor child that was with Summer & her mom & grandson that day? His mother gave permission for the interview
 
EquuSearch aiding search for Summer this weekend | The Rogersville Review
Jul 23, 2021

[…]

Summer’s parents, [D] and [CW], have maintained they believe the child was abducted. In an interview with the Review Sunday, [C] said the last thing she saw Summer do was enter the family’s house on Ben Hill Road. [C] said she was adjusting the knee brace of her mother, who lives in a camper just 20-30 feet from the house.

[…]

Central Dispatch reportedly received the 9-1-1 call at 6:30 p.m. [C] said she and her sons immediately began searching the area.

[…]

While [C] insisted only between two and five minutes expiring between the time of last seeing Summer and the beginning of the quest to find her, she is uncertain on other aspects of the timing of other events of the day.

It began with a trip with Summer to Kingsport to take her grandmother, [C], to the hospital to have her knee examined, and included a visit to a family friend’s home near the hospital, a trip to Warrior’s Path State Park with the family friend’s 15-year-old son for a brief swim, a stop at Walgreen’s for the mother’s prescription, another stop at Price Less grocery for milk, dropping off the boy back at his Kingsport home, then the return trip to the Ben Hill Road home.

“I didn’t even look at the time,” [C] said. “I’m not a person who keeps up with time. When morning comes, it comes. When night comes, it comes.”

[…]

[C] reported having a falling out with the friend in Kingsport, with whom she has apparently been feuding with on social media.

“I don’t get it,” she said. “I don’t understand. It’s like they were all acting like they were my friend and then after they found out Summer was gone, they like totally twisted everything around and made up a bunch of lies.

“To me, it seemed like it was a set-up. The only possible conclusion I can come to in my brain is after Summer went missing, (the friend) and that whole gang like totally turned all the way around and started making up lies about me and everything else.

“They’re going on Youtube podcasts to get paid just to make up lies. Like, why would you do that?” said [C], then pointing to one of the family’s eight dogs adding, “I gave that dog to the 15-year-old girl when she was a puppy. She wanted it.

“Then I come to find out she dropped it back off when it got bigger. Why would you do that? They didn’t even bother to search (the friend’s) house or (the boy’s grandmother’s) house. (That) house has got a basement. Why won’t they search their houses?” [C] said.

It’s not clear what areas will be searched this weekend by EquuSearch, only that they wish for them not to be disclosed if seen by the general public. The organization is hoping that privacy will aid in the integrity of its search, the likes of which have proved fruitful through the years.

[…]
 
CONFIRMED: The TN Department of Children’s Services is participating in the investigation in Summer Wells disappearance. Under state confidentiality laws there is very little the communications director can disclose. @wvlt

E7ACbWnWUAIFjhL.jpg

https://twitter.com/AshleyWVLT/status/1418636556122918912

Twila Sisco, search coordinator for @eqsearchmidwest details the dangers of a search and recovery mission and asks that the public NOT try to assist professional searchers this weekend in the search for Summer Wells @WJHL11 @ABCTriCities

https://twitter.com/BiancaWJHL/status/1418639026735697921 (video at link)
 
Summer Wells: Equusearch Midwest returning to help in search for missing TN girl

[...]

“The public in Hawkins County, they’ve been very, very generous with donations for food and waters and Gatorade and stuff like that, the donations that our organization receives; we use those towards our lodging expenses, you know, gas,” said Twila Sisco, search coordinator for Equusearch Midwest.

She said the group comes from several states including Ohio, Kentucky, Alabama, and Tennessee.

“Our members come from all over and some of them travel, you know, six, seven, and eight hours to get to our searches depending on where we’re at. So those donations go towards that, and anything that we may need for a search,” she added.

[...]

Sisco said crews will begin searching at dawn and leaders in the organization will make the call when efforts are to be suspended. She said they typically stop searching at night, especially in dangerous terrain.

“The terrain in that area up there is very very dangerous, and we encourage like the public to not even try to go out there and search because we can assure you that law enforcement is doing everything they possibly can, and the teams that are trained properly, You know, they go out and they do these searches and it’s very dangerous out there.”

[...]

Equusearch Midwest to join search for Summer Wells in Hawkins County on Saturday (video at link)

[...]

This well be the second trip for some who assisted in the search for Summer shortly after her disappearance on June 15.

"Anything that we come across my people know exactly how to go about clearing an area and if anything is found we know how to preserve evidence; we back out of the area and then we contact law enforcement, of course," Equusearch Midwest Director David Rader.

[...]
 

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