Tech issues, terrain impacting the search for Summer Wells

Posted: Jun 17, 2021 / 07:53 PM EDT

Updated: Jun 18, 2021 / 11:08 AM EDT

ROGERSVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL/WATE) — Search teams are having their progress in finding Summer Wells slowed by poor signal and dangerous terrain.

5-year-old Summer Wells went missing on Tuesday evening in the Beech Creek community in Hawkins County.

Now on the second full day of searching, the 80-100 trained professionals from 19 different agencies are dealing with communications issues due to the hilly area where Wells disappeared. Knox County Rescue joined the search early Friday morning.

“We can’t hardly communicate at all on our radios and cell phones are out of the question,” Hawkins County Sheriff Ronnie Lawson said in a Tuesday afternoon press conference.

AT&T and Verizon have brought cell signal boosters to help increase reception, but Incident Commander of Ground Search Captain Tim Coup said service was “still spotty.”

Crews must also deal with rough terrain that slows their progress toward covering more ground.

“We are also experiencing very dense canopy coverage including very dense ground cover,” Coup said. “That is causing search efforts to become very difficult, taking extra time to cover these areas adequately, exhausting teams a lot quicker.”

The hills in the area also impact radio signals, making it harder for the number of people involved to effectively communicate.

“For ground crew operations, we are having to utilize anywhere between four and six radio channels to make sure everyone is accounted for,” Coup said.

Hawkins County Mayor Jim Lee said some of the radios used by county law enforcement are between 15 and 20 years old.

A new radio system was purchased last week. Lee expects that system’s repeater to be installed on top of a Hawkins County mountain in the next few weeks.

He hopes to use grant money to install new radios in vehicles and provide new handheld units to public safety personnel. That requires Hawkins County Commission approval.

Hawkins County Rescue Squad said they have received messages and calls related to search supply donations, which can be dropped off with them at 955 East McKinney Ave, in Rogersville on Thursday night; or at the Command Post – Mount Carmel Feewell Baptist Church located at 3711 Beech Creek Rd. on Friday.

Supply donations can include the following: