Summer Wells: June 15, 2021 (Part 1)

From the very beginning, the disappearance of five year old Summer Wells has caused confusion and frustration for everyone following it, from people watching it unfold on the news and on the internet and the websleuths who have made this case their personal project, to the law enforcement officials trying to put the pieces together. Due to the widespread attention, the investigation and news coverage of this case has been marked with a great deal of speculation and rumors, which is often what happens when so much is left unknown, and when the official narrative doesn’t really add up. Stephanie covered Summer’s disappearance on YouTube when it initially happened, but since then there have been more updates and more information has come to the light, and we know there were a lot of people who wanted us to talk about this case on Crime Weekly, because Derrick would be able to contribute his unique detective perspective and hopefully it will provide us with some insight of what happened here, and if there is any truth to the multiple rumors that have muddied the waters of this case.

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[zoegullett]

As a local, about an hour away from where they are, if someone does not want her found in these mountains she will not ever be found. We are surrounded by abandoned coal mines, abandoned houses, and even some abandoned towns where we are miles away from civilization. I think it’s also important to remember that people disappear around here and no one ever truly searched for answers. We had a police officer who was running for county sheriff who went missing over 20 years ago. No one ever asked questions about what happened to him. His opponent won office. His family is still searching to this day, only finding his car and that’s it.

[loribethartist]

If everyone in the family was shaving their hair it leads me to believe there was a lice outbreak… as a former preschool teacher I saw it a lot (and I’m about 20 minutes away from them). Most people wouldn’t shave their little girl’s head but if money was an issue (the treatment can be very expensive) that might explain her haircut. They could be embarrassed to tell people they had lice.

[nmikloiche]

I’ve always been bothered by Grandma’s knee and the prescription “pain meds” — We have to assume that she was in enough pain to warrant going to the ER. But once she leaves the ER, she is able to walk all over creation — she went inside the smoke shop, the grocery store, and a freaking swimming hole. Then she gets home and instead of laying down and resting the knee she puts away grocery and decides to do some gardening. I say all that b/c maybe she went to the ER to get a prescription for opioids. If you remember, Hunter talks about filling the prescription and refers to them as “pain meds”. Now, what I say next is highly speculative, but is there a chance that Summer’s missing or death has anything to do with substance abuse? Opioids make you drowsy, so it’s plausible that the adults took some and nodded off, and left Summer unsupervised for much longer than first reported. Secondly, there is the option that Summer got into the pain meds herself and accidentally took and OD’d on them. Lastly, did someone know about them getting the pain meds that day, and maybe they came to the property to buy some or steal some — and could that have contributed to Summer’s disappearance. I just have a feeling the pain meds factor into this child’s demise.

[rachelgoremusic]

Just my 2 cents: I live in TN and am from NC. The whole “five minutes” thing is absolutely just something people say in the south. 5 minutes could mean 20-30 minutes. I think most people here would try to be more specific if they know that they’re being interrogated/speaking to the police, but in normal talk, everyone takes “five minutes” to mean a short amount of time. Love y’all!

[mamamegs]

I honestly appreciate Derricks honesty when talking about Candace and her mental capacity. There is a way to be respectful and then there are others who are just plain rude and disrespectful. And I'm a die hard BB fan and die hard Stephanie fan so when ya'll created this podcast I knew it was gonna be spectacular ✨️

[ellegaitor]

Derrick is on to something there with candace constantly needing to prove her presence it makes you think is she doing to because she knows her not being present like she should of been resulted in summer being gone. Like she left her alone a lot longer than she says she did so she’s subconsciously trying to prove herself in interviews

[heatherchase]

As a 12 year old I was often left in charge of my 7 and 5 year old siblings for 3-4 hours at a time. I’m currently 29. The ‘no one in, no one out’ might not refer to the kids being physically locked in the house. It was a rule for us growing up, that if my parents weren’t home we were not allowed to play outside. I’m not saying I think Candus is innocent or a good parent, but I do think it’s important to see things from every angle. *Editing to add that if my parents weren’t home, we weren’t supposed to answer the door either. Unless it was my grandparents on my mom’s side (relationships with my dad’s parents were often strained and we didn’t have any Aunts/Uncles/cousins that lived nearby), or one of my parents called home and let us know to expect someone to stop by.

[ma-tf]

I am listening to this at the moment and this is 4-5 months after it aired. My thoughts are secondary drowning. That when Summer came home she went to her room, fell asleep and when mum went to find her she was dead. This happens a lot in cases where people drown and they survive or are revived but there is water in their lungs and they effectively die from drowning later that same day. If Candace found her, she probably would have panicked and this could attest to her anxiety about being seen as a “good mum”, as her daughter died naturally from her negligence.

[ejen]

What an absolute treat to watch Derrick be a detective, Chris did an amazing job getting these interviews 👏🏼

[annabarnett]

This story is extremely local to me and I'm so glad that it's getting coverage. You don't understand how hard it is to keep from going up there and looking for any clues about where that sweet girl went. I hope she's found safe.

[jemian]

I've followed this case from the start and the way you guys calmly make valid points and dont get lost in the weeds of the gossip is like taking a breath of fresh air! You make it easy to see the ACTUAL discrepancy going on. I love this channel! Thank you for doing all that you guys do!

[cherrymeez]

She said to summer they were home and then quote; 'she jumped right up, like nothing'. This to me implies that something happened to summer when out, like an accident whereby there was concern for her mum to then moniter how she was doing, which would also explain why photos/videos were taken of summer in the car while all she was doing was sleeping, which i found a bit odd til now, but it kind of explains why if summer had indeed had an accident, also explains why there was a reason for her mum to tell the boys to keep an eye on their sis, especially as it seems as though normally her parenting isnt that attentive to what the kids are up to. Just my thoughts...

[thatshiphop]

Derrick is NAILING IT! You both are! Thanks so much for your responsible coverage. The crazies have spun out on this one. You guys are the very best. I'll be counting the hours this week until part 2 is released.

[Al]

It's strange to me that her parents automatically went to "she was abducted" and not she took off into the miles and miles of woods and got lost. The girls gone wild playing on the TV didn't sit right with me either. It's so normal that you have a stranger in your home interviewing you and you don't turn that off first? So much of the time line does not add up.

Also very strange relationship with a 14/15 year old kid

[Anyxera]

I’m bothered with the relationship hunter had with summers mother. She’s buying him alcohol and cigarettes, wanting to hang out with him and talking to him inappropriately. He’s a child. No wonder his family distanced themselves from her. If someone was interacting with my child like that I’d not let them within 1000 feet of him.

[jamimoor]

As far as the "walk" question, I think the mom probably told the dispatcher that she "walked" to her mother's house, and the dispatcher just assumed she walked down the road not realizing that the grandmother's house was on the same property...

[beastghostt]

Hunter's story rings the most true to me of everyone we've heard from who saw Summer that day. He freely admitted to drinking and smoking underage at no benefit to himself, and gave more detail than Candace about the day's itinerary in a way that makes a bit more sense.

[simoneskermer]

what gets me is if they keep saying the house was all locked up when the boys were left home then how did she not know if that basement door was locked or unlocked. she would have had to unlock it after coming home. I also agree with Derek when he says her mental capacity is more like a younger child than an adult and you said it in a nice way not a mean way. can't wait for the next episode

[D.Leigh_Dearheart]

As far as Don repeating his questions back, he has hearing loss and I think that can completely explain that. He’s confirming that he heard accurately so he can answer the question correctly.

[beanybabyrabie]

On June 16th CPS was scheduled for a home visit to the Well’s house.
What’s the likelihood in America someone loses ONE family member without a trace let alone TWO?!
Her sister disappeared years before without ONE trace. She’s never been found.
I have a feeling the same will be true for Summer ☹️
Her and her brothers deserved and deserve SO MUCH MORE.
At some point the state should step in…. Don and his previous wife wereEXTREMELY neglectful of their kids as well.