Father of Missing Summer Wells Arrested on Domestic Assault Charge

Donald Wells, the father of missing child Summer Wells, was arrested Tuesday on a domestic assault charge in Hawkins County, Tennessee, according to court records. He was booked into the Hawkins County Jail at 4:15 a.m. and was scheduled for arraignment the following morning.

Additional details regarding the arrest were not immediately available. Representatives for the Wells family and the sheriff's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

This is not the first time Wells, 61, has faced legal trouble. His previous arrests include charges for domestic assault, driving under the influence, and firearms offenses, none of which are directly related to his daughter's disappearance. In 2020, he was also served with a civil order of protection filed on behalf of his wife.

Summer Wells vanished from her family's home in rural Rogersville, Tennessee, on June 15, 2021. At the time of her disappearance, she was 5 years old and is now presumed to be 10. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has released an age-progressed image depicting what she might look like as a 9-year-old.

According to her mother, Candus Bly, Summer was last seen planting flowers with her grandmother. The parents have maintained that they believe an unknown individual lured their daughter from their property. Investigators had previously sought information about the driver of a red pickup truck with ladder racks and white buckets, which was seen in the vicinity around the time Summer went missing.

At the time she was last seen, Summer was described as being approximately 3 feet tall and weighing around 40 pounds. She was reportedly wearing gray pants and a pink shirt and may have been barefoot. She has blonde hair.

The couple's other children were removed from the home following Summer's disappearance. While the parents were reportedly cleared in a Department of Child Services investigation, they have not regained custody of their sons. Both Donald Wells and Candus Bly have prior criminal records. Additionally, Candus Bly's sister, Rose Marie Bly, was reported missing from Wisconsin in 2009, a case that remains unsolved.

Anyone with information regarding Summer Wells' whereabouts is urged to contact the Hawkins County Sheriff's Office at 423-272-7121 or the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-TBI-FIND. Tips can also be submitted via email to [email protected].