we’re going to a small community nestled between the towns of Rogersville and Kingsport in northeast Tennessee. Of course, we’re going to the Beach Creek community of Hawkins County—where, over four years ago now, then-5-year-old Summer Moon Utah Wells disappeared. Just completely “got gone,” in the words of her mother, Candace Bly.

What has happened in those four years?
Well, not a lot in terms of the investigation. Summer is still missing. Despite the best efforts of law enforcement, the TBI—Summer is still gone.

The thing that her family is focused on now are Summer’s three older brothers, who were 12, 11, and 9 when Summer disappeared. Summer went missing on June 15th, 2021. And a month later, in July of 2021, Summer’s three brothers were taken by Child Protection Services—and they have never been returned.

Now, if you’ve been following this case somewhat closely over the last few months on social media—because if you follow it in the mainstream media, you’ve heard nothing, seen nothing—since the 4-year mark when there was a little flurry of media interest in the case…

But on social media, especially if you’ve been following my channel (because I’ve been reporting on it), you’ll know that the Wells allegedly were cleared of all the neglect allegations that the CPS brought against Don and Candace. But Summer’s three brothers haven’t been returned to the home.

I believe that the two younger boys have been adopted, but it is true that the eldest boy—who is now going to be 16—is currently up for adoption.

Now, it’s a sticky situation legally.
I’m not going to pretend that I know how the law works, you know, in family law in Tennessee. But we do know that Don and Candace—sometime during the last four years—signed the boys away. That’s why they’ve been able to get the younger two adopted.

So even if they’re cleared of neglect allegations, it’s my understanding that they still don’t have rights to their children. That they’d have to, I don’t know, apply to adopt the boys again? I don’t know how it works. So if there are any experts in family law who watch this channel from Tennessee, could you let me know? Because that seems to be the heart of the matter.

Now, why am I talking about this?
Well, because it’s been brought up again on the Find Summer Wells Facebook page.

As time’s gone by, this Facebook page isn’t about finding Summer Wells. It’s not about flyer distribution or putting search parties together or even discussing the case at all. The posts all focus around the boys being taken—CPS stealing them.

You know, Don Wells has even gone on record—on stream media, on WJHL—saying that, you know, CPS have their boys and he thinks they’ve been stolen. He thinks it’s all, I don’t know, some kind of targeting campaign to take all of their children.

Okay.
What we’re going to talk about in this video is the latest post on Find Summer Wells, and we’re going to look at some of the comments that have been posted under this post as well. So let’s go.

So, 8 hours ago (as I record this), the post reads—and I’m sure this is written by Tim Mullen, the quote-unquote media manager, rather than Don or Candace—anyhow:

“So today is Stop World Trafficking Day. What is the proper word to use when your daughter disappears and DCS (the Department of Child Services, I think it is—the CPS in Tennessee) suddenly shows up and takes your three boys forever?
They then clear you after interfering with the case for four years, but they go silent and keep your boys.
And a week after they drop the DCS ‘folly case,’ they put your eldest boy up on the adoption marketplace in a video—interviewing him as a human product to sell. Made in Memphis. 500 miles from here.
Is that trafficking?”

No, that’s not trafficking. No.

Once Summer disappeared, 110 Ben Hill Road turned into utter chaos. It’s my understanding that the boys were taken, yeah, for their own safety. But wasn’t it about the amount of drinking and the amount of drugs that you were taking, Don? Candace? Was that the reason why they felt it was unsafe for the boys to stay there?

I say this because we know some of what the Wells were asked to do in order to get their boys back. And this went on for years. The boys were in foster care—in limbo—for years, before you eventually signed your rights away.

And you could have got your boys back.
It’s my understanding that if you’d followed the protocols and the procedures necessary—taken addiction courses, parenting classes, fixed your house up (which you kind of did some of that)—that you would have got your boys back if you’d done everything.

And you didn’t. You took the easy route and you signed your boys away.
Please, someone tell me if I’m wrong.

So no, it’s not trafficking.

What other words should we use? Um, “DCS doing their job,” maybe?

I mean look, I don’t like the fact that there’s this video out there of Summer’s brother. It feels like some kind of rescue puppy site. I get it—I do get it. I get what they feel here. But how else are adoption agencies meant to publicize the kids that they need to find homes for? I don’t think there’s an easy answer to it, honestly.

“No case, no guilt, yet keeping our sons.”

Because you signed your rights away, that’s why.
Not to mention, they were three of the five witnesses the day our daughter, Summer Moon Utah Wells, disappeared.

“Did they hinder her case? Yes. By hindering us, by taking the boys. How could we concentrate on Summer?”

Listen, that’s just an excuse.

I get that if the parents are completely innocent, the devastation of Summer going missing must have been absolutely horrific. I don’t wish it on my worst enemy. Having a missing person—especially a young child—in your family, it’s horrible.

But you’ve been given so much time to do the procedures and follow the rules necessary to get your boys back. I don’t see how Summer’s case—given that you’ve had years to do it—is relevant.

I get that in the early days, it was chaotic, and you may have turned to your addictions of choice because your head’s bashed. I’m not unsympathetic to that. But you’ve had years to get this sorted—to get yourselves right.

And if you’re that “head bashed,” well, DCS did the right thing taking the boys to a place of safety.
And no, it’s not hindering the case.

[The script continues with a long discussion of public comments, accusations, contradictions, and emotional reactions.]

Penutup:

Look, we don’t know what mental state the boys are in. Are they better off where they are now than staying at 110 Ben Hill Road? I would say yes. But I don’t know. I don’t know what their experiences have been over the last four years.

I do think it’s sad that they’ve been separated—that the two younger boys and the eldest boy have been separated. I don’t know whether they’ve been separated the whole time, or whether that was just a thing to do with adoption. I don’t know the circumstances. Nor do I need to know the circumstances.