Family releases Summer Wells birthday video in honor of other missing children

HAWKINS COUNTY, Tenn. (WVLT) - When Summer Wells went missing on June 15, 2021, in Hawkins County, she was a five-year-old. Friday, Feb. 4, will mark her sixth birthday as the investigation now reaches nearly eight months.

Through a family spokesperson, Don and Candus Wells said, “This is a tender day to us. We miss our Summer with all our hearts. We desire that Summer’s birthday speaks for all the missing Children everywhere. Thank You, Everyone, for helping us restore our Family and find our Daughter, Summer Moon-Utah Wells.”

Hayley Justice Thompson is a part of a community-led group that gathers every week to pray for Summer.

“We want to keep her name in the light and keep her name out there,” said Thompson.

Officials with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said they had received over 1,800 tips, but none have panned out. First responders in Hawkins County remember the first few days of the search and the challenges they faced.

Chris Vaughan with the Church Hill Rescue Squad said, “The radio systems in this county are so terrible that being able to communicate from the command post to people in the wood area where people were actually searching was so hard that we actually had to have good radio’s brought in from Sullivan County.”

As far as what’s ahead, Thompson said, “We’re going to be honoring Summer tomorrow on her birthday with six minutes of silence. We would love for people to join in and pray for her during those six minutes.”

A reward fund created to drive information in hopes to find the East Tennessee girl will continue to accept donations until June 15, 2022, which marks one year since Summer disappeared from her residence on Ben Hill Road. It is now at $73,705.90.

The Wells family released a video on their website at midnight commemorating Summer’s birthday. A timeline of her disappearance can be found here.

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