The mother of a missing 5-year-old Tennessee girl reported her husband for physical assault last week, according to police.
A report from the Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office indicated that police arrived at the Well residence on January 19 after Candus Bly, the mother missing Summer Wells, called 911. While officers were en route to the residence, dispatchers said they heard arguments in the background before the line went dead.
Bly made contact with the officers when they arrived at her home and said her husband, Don Wells, pushed her against a wall and grabbed her by the throat. Bly added that she thought she broke her left thumb during the alleged assault.
News Channel 11 reports that Wells told police they had both been drinking on the night in question but denied harming his wife. He reportedly added that Bly has been drinking alcohol before he arrived home at around 7:45 p.m. that night.
Responding officers noted that they didn’t see any marks on Bly’s neck and noticed she used her left thumb to flick her cigarette and left hand to put her shoes on.
Police decided against charging either of them and referred the case to the prosecutor’s office.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Summer was reported missing on June 15, 2021, after her parents claimed disappeared from inside their home in rural east Tennessee. Don Wells has maintained since her initial disappearance that Summer was kidnapped; though authorities said they do not have evidence pointing to abduction.
Police have not named any specific persons of interest, but Hawkins County Sheriff Ronnie Lawson told WVLT that “everybody is still a person of interest.”
“Statistically speaking there’s a good chance she’s already dead,” Don Wells said last year. “I hate to think that. I love her with all my heart. If nothing else, I’ll see her in the resurrection. As long as I keep the commandments and do what I’m supposed to do, I’ll see her.”
Summer’s father also appeared to confirm, as previous local reports have suggested, that he was not at home at the time Summer disappeared from her home.
“She’s been abducted in my mind, 100%,” Don Wells said when asked if he still believes his daughter was kidnapped.
“I know [Summer’s mother] Candus wouldn’t lie to me about any of the facts. She has no reason to, and she wouldn’t lie.”
Don Wells also insisted that both he and his wife passed a lie detector test, appearing to reference speculation that they had not.
Read CrimeOnline’s comprehensive coverage of the Summer Wells missing persons investigation here.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast. Listen to the latest episode.
[Featured Photo: Summer Wells/TBI]
*Additional reporting by Ellen Killoran*
