HAWKINS COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) – Hawkins County Sheriff Ronnie Lawson says the search for missing 5-year-old Summer Wells is certainly not over.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation tweeted a video of Lawson Wednesday, during which he addressed concerns from people who speculated that the investigation into Summer’s disappearance had ended.
“Summer Wells has now been missing for more than 8-weeks,” the tweet states. “TBI agents and @HawkinsCountySO detectives get asked daily if the investigation has ended. The answer is no. In this clip, Sheriff Ronnie Lawson addresses those concerns.”
Lawson said while he understands there is speculation about the investigation, he wants the community to know the case is ongoing.
“I understand people’s curiosity about where we’re at in the case as far as the investigation, I know people speculate, and I understand that,” Lawson said. “But they have to understand our number one goal from day one is to find Summer.”
In the video, Lawson also said that everyone is still a suspect in the case as the search for Summer continues.
“Everybody is still a suspect, person of interest, however you want to put it,” Lawson said. “We’re still very intensely looking into it.”
Summer Wells was first reported missing on June 15 from her family’s home in the Beech Creek community. A statewide Amber Alert was issued the following day, and search efforts brought dozens of agencies from Tennessee and other states.