Key facts
- Name: Summer Moon-Utah Wells
- Born: ~2016
- Age at disappearance: 5
- Last seen: June 15, 2021, ~6:30 p.m.
- Location: Ben Hill Road, Beech Creek community, Rogersville, Hawkins County, Tennessee
- Height / build: 5-year-old; blonde hair, blue eyes; last seen in a pink shirt and gray shorts or pants, possibly barefoot
- Status: Still missing — active investigation; AMBER Alert still active
- Investigating agency: Tennessee Bureau of Investigation — 1-800-TBI-FIND (1-800-824-3463); Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office (423) 272-7121; TipsToTBI@tbi.tn.gov
She went inside
On the warm afternoon of June 15, 2021, five-year-old Summer Moon-Utah Wells was outside her family’s home on Ben Hill Road in the Beech Creek community near Rogersville, Tennessee, helping her mother Candus and her grandmother plant flowers. Then she went inside — toward the basement, to play with her toys.
She never came back out.
She was reported missing that evening. What followed was one of the largest searches in Hawkins County history: the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the FBI, the Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office, helicopters, K-9 units, hundreds of volunteers combing the ridges and hollows of rural Appalachia. A neighbor told investigators they’d heard a scream roughly an hour before Summer was reported missing — a detail that has haunted the case ever since.
Five years later: no arrest, no suspect named, no answers. Just an active AMBER Alert and a family still waiting.
Who Summer was
Summer Wells was five — blonde-haired, blue-eyed, energetic, a little girl planting flowers with her mother and grandmother on a June afternoon. That image, the last one her family has of normal, is what the case keeps returning to: a child inside her own home, in the middle of the most ordinary day imaginable, and then gone.
In August 2025, the TBI released an age-progressed photo showing what Summer might look like now. She would be ten years old.
The investigation
The TBI has pursued thousands of tips. One of the most publicized leads: a red or maroon Toyota Tacoma spotted in the area, the subject of a witness appeal that has never been resolved. Investigators have conducted extensive searches, forensic work, and interviews across five years.
In November 2025, there was a flurry of attention when investigators were seen conducting activity on Van Hill Road in Greeneville — activity the TBI did not publicly explain, and which produced no announced breakthrough.
On the fifth anniversary in June 2026, the TBI confirmed the investigation remains active but had no new developments to announce publicly. No one has ever been charged in connection with Summer’s disappearance, and authorities have not publicly established what happened to her.
Theories: what might have happened
Abduction. The scream a neighbor reported, the red Tacoma lead, a child who vanished from inside her own home — the shape of the case points at someone taking her. What undercuts a resolution: no suspect, no vehicle identified, no witness to an actual abduction.
A family member’s involvement. Online speculation has been relentless — and investigators have never named a suspect or made an arrest. The family has remained in the community, pleading for her return. Rumor is not evidence, and this file treats it as rumor.
Wandered off. She was five, in a rural hollow. Children wander. But the searches were massive and immediate, the terrain was covered by dogs and aircraft, and a five-year-old on foot leaves a trail. None was found.
Have information?
Contact the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation: 1-800-TBI-FIND (1-800-824-3463) or TipsToTBI@tbi.tn.gov. Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office: (423) 272-7121. Tips can be anonymous. In an emergency, dial 911.
Timeline
- ~2016 — Summer Moon-Utah Wells is born.
- June 15, 2021, afternoon — Plants flowers with her mother and grandmother at the Ben Hill Road home.
- June 15, 2021, ~6:30 p.m. — Goes inside toward the basement; reported missing that evening. A neighbor reports hearing a scream about an hour earlier.
- June 2021 — Massive multi-agency search; TBI issues AMBER Alert (still active).
- 2021–2025 — Thousands of tips; red/maroon Toyota Tacoma witness appeal; no arrests.
- August 2025 — TBI releases age-progressed photo.
- November 13, 2025 — Investigative activity on Van Hill Road, Greeneville; no public explanation.
- June 2026 — Fifth anniversary; TBI confirms active investigation, no new developments.
- Today — Still missing.
FAQ
Is Summer Wells still missing?
Yes. As of October 2026, Summer Wells has been missing for more than five years. The AMBER Alert remains active and the TBI investigation is ongoing.
Was Summer Wells ever found?
No. Despite years of searches, thousands of tips, and forensic work, no trace of Summer has ever been found and no one has been charged.
What was the red truck in the Summer Wells case?
Investigators issued a witness appeal for a red or maroon Toyota Tacoma seen in the Beech Creek area around the time she vanished. The lead has never been resolved.
How old would Summer Wells be today?
Born around 2016, she would be 10 years old in 2026.
What happened on Van Hill Road in November 2025?
Investigators were seen conducting activity on Van Hill Road in Greeneville on November 13, 2025. The TBI did not publicly explain the activity, and no breakthrough was announced.
How can I help?
Share this case file and Summer’s age-progressed photo. Anyone with information should contact the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND.
Sources
- Official / law enforcement: Tennessee Bureau of Investigation — 1-800-TBI-FIND; TBI Newsroom AMBER Alert (Jun 2021); Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office (423) 272-7121; FBI support.
- News: TBI fifth-anniversary statement (Jun 2026, via true-crime coverage).
- Media: Crimelines podcast, “Summer Wells | Four Years On” (2025).
Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Last verified October 2026.