HAWKINS COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) – The parents of missing 5-year-old Summer Wells appeared in juvenile court in Hawkins County for a hearing on Tuesday afternoon.
News Channel 11 spoke with Donald Wells and Candus Bly outside the courthouse shortly after 1 p.m.
Bly said off-camera that her sons had been in the custody of the Department of Child Protective Services since late last week. Over the weekend, Wells had said the same while he was on a podcast.
Bly said she did not want to say why the other children had been removed from the home.
According to Bly, they have hired an attorney.
Wells said that his other children are safer now that they are in DCPS custody, but he did not elaborate or specify how.
Bly told News Channel 11 that the disappearance of her daughter Summer is a completely separate situation than what has led to the involvement of children’s services.
Court documents were unavailable due to the age of the juveniles involved. The Hawkins County Clerk said no new paperwork has been filed related to either Bly or Wells.
Summer Wells was first reported missing on June 15, and a statewide AMBER Alert was issued the next day. As of Tuesday, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said just under 1,070 tips had been received