There is not a lot of information on this case. It angers me that a murderer (or two) got away with this crime and is still walking the streets free as a bird. Furthermore, police labeled Brianna Wells as a “chronic runaway,” which is likely one reason they barely investigated. The other reason could be that her parents were prominent community members of Tempe, Arizona.
Who was Brianna Wells?
Brianna Lois Wells was born on March 25, 1997, the daughter of Dave and Rochelle Wells, who adopted Brianna when she was seven years old through Arizona’s Child Protective Services foster program. Brianna has two older siblings, Jacob and Kim. The family was part of the local Quaker community of Tempe Monthly Meeting. Additionally, Brianna was a camper at Mountain Friends Camp for three years, “where her leadership skills began to emerge,” her obituary states.
Brianna was a junior at Tempe’s Marcos de Niza High School. Her friends described her as goofy, loyal, playful, and protective, who loved animals and dreamed of one day becoming a police K9 officer.
But all was not well on the homefront. Brianna’s parents were going through a divorce in 2013, and Brianna chose to live with her father.
A custody plan submitted to family court in October and signed by both parents states that visitation with Rochelle “would be partially dependent on Brianna’s decision and can only be implemented if Rochelle feels Brianna is not a potential threat to her personal safety due to past violent outbursts.” (Stern, 2015)
Dave Wells was a well-known Arizona State University lecturer. He has since retired. Rochelle was the Tempe Elementary School District Governing Board president until 2021.
There is zero information on the problems Brianna faced, what led to said problems, or what, if any, part her parents played in them. Nor was there information on her alleged violent outbursts.
Police claimed they were fully aware of Brianna Wells and described her as a “chronic runaway.”
With all of her ALLEGED issues, it appears that nobody helped or wanted to help this teen to better herself. Instead, someone robbed her of a future. And I’ll give you three guesses who did.
Who Killed Brianna Wells?
On Monday, December 29, 2014, a resident taking out trash discovered what appeared to be someone sleeping in the alley directly behind 1802 Mobile Lane in Phoenix and called the Phoenix police.
Responding to the scene was then-homicide detective Michael Coddington. But what he found was not a sleeping person but a dead body, later identified as Brianna Wells. The location is roughly 11 miles from Brianna’s Tempe home.
“I remember thinking that here’s this young girl, deceased, lying in the alley, just left for dead. What’s sad is it’s an alley. It’s where trash is at. I’m disgusted that somebody would do something like that,” Coddington said.
Very few Phoenix area news outlets covered Brianna’s murder. The one that did initially reported that she had been beaten, with no mention of her being shot. Another said she had suffered “trauma to the body.” The first article I found that mentioned Brianna was “shot multiple times” appeared on Forensicmag.com in September 2020.
It does not appear that the Phoenix police spent much time investigating, and if I were a betting woman, it had everything to do with Brianna’s parents. According to news outlets, investigators interviewed family, friends, neighbors, and followed up on leads, but they never solved the case.
The Documentary That Never Aired
CrimeSonics announced in 2022 the release of their documentary, “Girl Forgotten: What Happened to Brianna Wells?” The documentary crew claimed “new evidence” but then FORGOT about the “Girl Forgotten.” That’s what happened.
Here’s the trailer.
I could not find this documentary anywhere online, AND CrimeSonics stopped posting on social media that same year. WTF?!? They still have the trailer on their YouTube channel but not the documentary. I really wanted to watch it.
So, I wonder if the Wells had anything to do with that. The crew put in the work, interviewed people, and filmed the documentary. So, what happened to it?
The Deleted Podcast Episode
Marc Hoover is a journalist and hosts the true-crime podcast, “Catch My Killer.” In October 2022, he wrote a brief article in the Clermont Sun regarding Brianna Wells’ death.
The mother of Brianna’s best friend, Bridget Hazell, reached out to Hoover about Brianna’s murder. Gina Decker hired a private investigator to discover what happened to the teenager. Not Brianna’s parents but her best friend’s mother. Weird, right? Decker quickly realized that Dave and Rochelle Wells wanted NOTHING to do with her hunt for justice. Hmm, why? 🤔
Decker contacted Hoover in 2020 to see if he would cover Brianna’s case on his podcast to bring attention to it, and he agreed to do what he could. Hoover interviewed Decker, Hazell, and Brianna’s other best friend, Hannah.
When Hoover researched the case, he ran into the same obstacle I did — barely any information available. He writes, “There was nothing in the media from the Wells family. There were no interviews, balloon releases or candlelight vigils from the family. I didn’t see a single plea for justice from the family.”
I stalked the Facebook pages of David Wells, Jacob Wells, and Kimberly Wells and found NOTHING about justice for Brianna. Her father had a few public pictures of Brianna BEFORE her murder but nothing after. Jacob has ZERO. Kimberly must have been closer to her sister as she has more photos of Brianna. There are no Facebook pages for Brianna at all other than her personal page.
Not one person is trying to find Brianna’s killer today. It’s unclear whether Decker is still pursuing the case.
Here’s another weird thing. At first, I thought Hoover never covered Brianna’s death on his podcast. I searched through his episodes and could not find it.
Then, I found a post on the X page, “Justice for Brianna Wells.”
Sounds great, right? Guess again, cupcake. Hoover deleted the episode. He has Episodes 53 and 55, but 54 is GONE. WHY?
So, What Happened to Brianna?
Well, considering there is barely any info on her death, it’s hard to say. Was she sexually assaulted? Who was the last person to see her alive, and where? Did she have a falling out with her parents?
Someone cold-heartedly beat and shot this beautiful teenager then dumped her body like garbage. I think Brianna’s parents might be responsible because of their lack of effort and interest in solving their daughter’s MURDER.
Supposedly, during the Wells’ divorce, Brianna wanted to live with her father, so I’m getting “Mommy Dearest” vibes from Rochelle toward Brianna and somewhat toward Kimberly.
However, I don’t think Dave Wells is a saint. Less than one month after Brianna’s brutal murder, he ran a half marathon in her honor and posted it on social media. He focused on more important matters than finding his daughter’s killer. 😒
Those two portrayed Brianna as a troubled teenager but might have been responsible for her behavior.
If Dave and Rochelle Wells had nothing to do with their daughter’s death, why are they not trying to find her killer? Why haven’t they created a Facebook page or other social media accounts for her? Running marathons in her honor is admirable but it does nothing to find a killer and bring justice to a child who everyone has forgotten.
If you have any information regarding Brianna Wells’ murder, grow a pair of balls or put your big girl panties on and contact Silent Witness at 480-Witness or leave an anonymous tip on the Silent Witness website. You could earn a cash reward.
Sources
“Hot Desert, Cold Cases: Brianna Wells.” ForensicMag.com, September 16, 2020. https://www.forensicmag.com/568267-Hot-Desert-Cold-Cases-Brianna-Wells/
Jeong, Yihyun. “Phoenix Police ID 17-year-old Gilr Found Dead in Alley.” AZcentral.com, December 30, 2014.
Stern, Ray. “Police Seek Clues in Murder of Brianna Wells, 17, Daughter of Prominent Tempeans.” Phoenix New Times, January 2, 2015. https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/police-seek-clues-in-murder-of-brianna-wells-17-daughter-of-prominent-tempeans-6655705
Whitney, Briana. “Cold Case: Still No Arrest 7 Years After Teen’s Body Found in Phoenix Alley.” The Arizona Republic, August 18, 2021. https://www.azfamily.com/2021/08/18/cold-case-still-no-arrest-7-years-after-teens-body-found-phoenix-alley/