Officials say they are scaling back search operations for 5-year-old Summer Wells, with continued search efforts being on a more specialized team basis as needed and directed from local, state, and federal agencies.
"Just because we may not be seen as such a large presence in and throughout the area, rest assured that we have not quit and won’t quit until we find Summer Wells," Captain Tim Coup of the Church Hill Rescue Squad said.
The search effort so far has been massive and has included hundreds of searchers from multiple agencies in several states.
According to authorities, hundreds of searchers have covered just over 4.6 square miles or more than 3,000 acres since the night Summer was reported missing on June 15.
120 agencies, from Tennessee, Ohio, Virginia, Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina have assisted in the search efforts for missing 5-year-old Summer Wells as of Sunday, June 27.
Officials say there have been 1,150 searchers on the ground that have logged 13,800 hours since Tuesday, June 15. The TBI fixed wing has flown 21.2 hours, and THP helicopters have flown 30 hours assisting in the search.
Numerous specialized search and rescue groups including TN Task Force 2, BUSAR, Appalachian Mountain Rescue, Black Diamond, SCSAR, Central Carolina SAR, Great Smokey Mountain National Park, RATSAR, and Search and Rescue Tracking Institute, and numerous K-9 Teams have been represented from these agencies.
"The rugged mountainous terrain continues to cause problems. This slows search operations down in these areas but rest assured, while encountering these conditions, we are still searching with an aggressive approach with extreme attention to detail," Captain Coup assured. "The terrain and conditions have exhausted crews both physically and mentally. We are still utilizing local and regional resources, but have called upon and utilizing resources from middle and west Tennessee along with out-of-state resources to bring a fresh set of eyes and rested bodies."
More details will be released as they become available, check back for updates.
Anyone with information on the case of missing 5-year-old Summer Wells should call 1-800-TBI-FIND.