HAWKINS COUNTY, Tenn. (WOKI / WVLT) — Don Wells, the father of missing Tennessee girl Summer Wells, was arrested Monday night on a domestic assault charge following a reported disturbance at the family’s home in Hawkins County.
According to the Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a domestic disturbance call shortly after 10:30 p.m. on Ben Hill Road in the Beech Creek community.
Authorities said deputies found Wells outside the residence with scratches on his chest and abdomen. Investigators reported that his wife was inside the home with visible injuries and told deputies that Wells had assaulted her.
Following the investigation, Don Wells was taken into custody and booked into the Hawkins County Jail on a domestic assault charge.
The arrest comes more than five years after the disappearance of the couple’s daughter, Summer Wells.
Summer was just 5 years old when she vanished from her family’s Ben Hill Road home on June 15, 2021. Her disappearance prompted a massive search effort involving local, state and federal agencies and remains one of Tennessee’s most high-profile missing child cases.
Despite years of investigation, authorities have not announced any arrests or identified a suspect in connection with Summer’s disappearance. An AMBER Alert for the child remains active.
Law enforcement agencies continue to ask the public for help in solving the case and urge anyone with information about Summer’s whereabouts or disappearance to contact authorities.
The domestic assault case involving Don Wells is separate from the ongoing investigation into Summer’s disappearance.
