The father of a 5-year-old Tennessee girl who disappeared last month said his three sons have now been taken away by child protective services - but he says that's probably for the best, according to a report.
Donald Wells, whose daughter Summer Wells went missing from from her family home in June said 'it's probably better for them' that his sons were removed after he says he was driven to drink over rumors that continued to swirl over his daughter's disappearance.
'Right now, with everybody attacking us and all this stuff going on, it's probably better for them,' Wells said in an interview with the Jay is 4 Justice podcast over the weekend.
Summer was reported missing from her Rogersville home on June 15 around 5.30pm after her parents Donald and mother Candus Bly said she went into the basement alone and then vanished.
Summer Moon-Utah Wells was reported missing from her home in Rogersville, Tennessee, on June 15. Now, her father says his three sons have been taken away by child protective services
Donald Wells (pictured with his wife Candus) says rumors swirling around his daughter's disappearance had led him to drink, which had in turn led children's services to remove his sons
Wells said his three sons (pictured) had been taken away earlier this month. The Tennessee Department of Children's said child removals were confidential, but said it has been involved in the case of Summer's disappearance
Her disappearance had sparked a 13-day search in the area around the home with few leads, and Wells told podcast host Jennifer Youngblood that his daughter's disappearance has fueled rumors and theories, which had begun to affect him, WJHL reported.
'They come at me and said – either posing – said they had the inside scoop with TBI [Tennessee Bureau of Investigation] and that they knew I sold my daughter for drugs, and I flipped out. I flipped out,' Wells told Youngblood. 'I believed that stuff. Like an idiot, I believed it and I flipped out, started drinking and everything else. And that's why they took our kids.'
Youngblood told the station: 'He did tell me regarding the boys being taken away that it was due to him having an episode of drinking and there's other things swirling around the internet that it could be the home life or what's going on right now in Summer's case.'
The Tennessee Department of Children's services told DailyMail.com that children's removals are confidential, however, the department told Fox News that it has been involved in the investigation into Summer's disappearance.
Donald Wells (pictured with his family) says amateur detectives and psychics have been turning up at his home in recent weeks, sometimes in the middle of the night
Wells said he had little hope his daughter would return home alive earlier this month. 'Statistically speaking, there's a good chance she's already dead,' Donald Wells (left) told the Kingsport Times-News. 'I hate to think that. I love her with all my heart'
In a separate interview with the Kingsport-Times News Monday, Wells also said his sons had been taken away but declined to give a reason.
'Right now it's not safe at my house,' he said. 'There's too much going on and people are crazier than hell, and right now it's just not safe at my house. There's too much going on. Too many crazy people coming around trying to start stuff.'
He said a number of amateur detectives and psychics had shown up at his home, sometimes in the middle of the night.
'All this speculation is getting worse, and worse and worse,' Wells said. 'People are threatening us, and it's not safe at my house. We're hoping if something happens things will start to get safer, but the way things are going it's just getting worse and worse.'
Meanwhile the investigation into Summer's disappearance continues, Hawkins County Sheriff Ronnie Lawson told the outlet.
He said misinformation about the case had been circulating on social media, which has at points hurt the investigation, the Times News reported.
Wells had confirmed his sons had been taken away by children's services in a podcast interview over the weekend with Jay is 4 Justice host Jennifer Youngblood (pictured)
Summer's disapperance sparked a 1e-day search in the area around her home
'Social media is still causing problems with information and rumors that is not correct,' he said. 'There’s a lot of incorrect information, and a lot of advice coming from social media that’s hampering the investigation with stuff we’ve already done many times.'
Earlier this month Wells said he was doubtful his daughter would be found alive
'I'll see her in the resurrection,' he said.
'Statistically speaking, there's a good chance she's already dead,' Donald told the Times-News in an earlier interview. 'I hate to think that. I love her with all my heart.'
'If nothing else,' he continued, 'I'll see her in the resurrection. As long as I keep the commandments
