“We were deprived of all our children”

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(NewsNation) – Three years after Summer Wells disappeared from her rural Tennessee home, her parents are speaking out about a case that drew national attention, expressing frustration with how they were treated.

Still, they hope some information will provide answers about what happened to their daughter.

Summer Wells' family subjected to harassment

After the five-year-old disappeared, Don Wells and Candus Bly Wells became the focus of the police investigation. They told NewsNation affiliate WJHL they were frustrated with the investigation and authorities' response. Summer's parents believe their daughter was kidnapped and didn't just move away.

“We know she was taken off our property. We know she was taken away in a vehicle, otherwise they would have found her around if she was anywhere around,” Wells said. “But who is responsible for her? We do not know.

He also went after the Department of Children's Services for removing Summer's siblings from the home after she disappeared.

“We were deprived of all our children,” he said. “All of our children were kidnapped from us by DCS and we're not sure about Summer, but we know where our boys are.”

Wells served several months in prison for drunk driving in 2021, but to date no one has been arrested or even named as a person of interest in Summer's disappearance.

Since her disappearance, Wells said the family's lives have been consumed by harassment from people online who believe they are responsible for everything that happened to Summer.

“Before you know it, you’re whipping up a crowd.” My wife could go to the store and someone would yell at her, baby killer,” he said.

Wells shared videos from one of his job sites where people were asking to talk to him about Summer.

He said the situation was so bad he had to leave the state to find work. But he returns for events like a butterfly release that marked another year of summer.

Where is Summer Wells?

Summer lived with her parents in Rogersville, Tennessee, a close-knit community of fewer than 5,000 residents.

On June 15, 2021, her parents said she was helping her mother and grandmother plant flowers outside. Her father said she walked into the house, with his wife watching her enter. While her brothers were using the Internet, Summer went downstairs to play with her toys.

Then she disappeared.

“I screamed for her downstairs several times and received no response,” Bly Wells said. “Which was unusual because she usually always texts me back, so I went over there to check and she was nowhere in sight.”

Her family believes she may have been taken down a steep hill behind the house, perhaps to a waiting car. But they don't know if she went back outside or if someone could have entered the basement and taken her.

Authorities issued an alert for children in danger and launched large-scale ground searches in the woods and other areas around the family's home. They also received thousands of tips but none resulted in answers.

In search of summer wells

Investigators say the case is active and ongoing, but despite numerous searches and age-progression photos, Summer's disappearance remains a mystery.

“This is a case that we just haven't been able to solve,” said Josh Melton, deputy director of the Tennesee Bureau of Investigation. “And it’s disturbing.”

Authorities previously said they had not ruled out Summer's parents being involved in her disappearance. Melton confirmed that all possibilities were still on the table.

“We don't have evidence in this case to know for sure whether Summer was kidnapped or if she wandered away from home and got lost,” he said.

Wells said the family has private investigators working with police and the Hawkins County Sheriff's Office is also working alongside the TBI.

“We continue to focus on ground search efforts. We continue to focus on interviewing those who may have information about vehicles that attended the scene or technology that may have been used that could give us an investigative lead,” Melton said.

Police continue to pursue leads

One clue they're still looking for involves a van seen in the area around the time Summer went missing. It was described as a red or brown Toyota truck with ladders on the back.

Even if the truck is located, police do not know if it is connected to the case.

Still, Wells said he kept praying that their daughter would be found.

“We always have hope. But there’s not much hope in this world,” Wells said. “We must believe in God that there is hope for eternal life in heaven. »

At the time of her disappearance, Summer was described as three feet tall and weighing approximately 40 pounds. She has blonde hair and blue eyes and was last seen wearing gray pants and a pink shirt. Anyone with information about her disappearance is asked to contact the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND.