By Observer Staff | OGNSC.com
OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. — The family of Nolan Xavier Wells, the 18-year-old Mississippi student-athlete found dead on Horn Island two days after he vanished during a Fourth of July boat trip with friends, has retained nationally renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump and is demanding a full, transparent and urgent investigation into how he died.
Wells, of Ocean Springs, traveled by boat with a group of friends to Horn Island, a barrier island off the Mississippi Gulf Coast, on Saturday, July 4, to celebrate the holiday. He was last seen on the island at approximately 3 p.m. and did not return to the mainland with the group. His mother reported him missing that night.
A multi-agency search followed, involving the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and the National Park Service. On Monday, July 6, a park ranger discovered Wells’ body at the northwestern tip of the island. Jackson County Coroner Bruce Lynd confirmed the identification through dental records.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has said the cause of death remains undetermined and the investigation is active. Investigators have said they suspect Wells drowned but are continuing to investigate. The state medical examiner performed an autopsy on July 7, though officials cautioned that final results, including a toxicology report, could take weeks.
The family says it has serious, unanswered questions about the circumstances that left Nolan alone on the island — and about how he died. Crump, whose firm has handled some of the nation’s most high-profile civil rights cases, including those of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, announced that his legal team is conducting an independent review and will press for the timely release of all investigative records, witness accounts and autopsy findings.
“They will demand a full, transparent, and urgent investigation into the death of the 18-year-old, along with the timely release of all investigative records, witness accounts, and findings,” Crump’s office said in announcing the family’s legal representation.
On Friday, July 10, Wells’ parents, Christine and Elmore Wonsley, appeared alongside Crump and the Rev. Al Sharpton at a news conference at the National Action Network’s House of Justice in Harlem, hours after making their first public comments on “Good Morning America.” Sharpton, founder and president of the National Action Network, joined the family’s call for answers and is expected to officiate Nolan’s funeral.
At the news conference, Crump announced that an independent autopsy — ordered by the family and now underway in Washington, D.C. — is being paid for by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Filmmaker and philanthropist Tyler Perry has offered to help pay for the teenager’s funeral.
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi has also called for a full, transparent and timely investigation into Wells’ death.
Nolan Wells graduated from Ocean Springs High School, where he played football, and was a wide receiver at Southwest Mississippi Community College. He was preparing to return to the field for the upcoming season.
Authorities are asking anyone who saw or interacted with Wells on July 4 to come forward, and are seeking unedited photos or video taken at the northwestern tip of Horn Island that day, as well as reports of any unusual activity or arguments in the area.
The final autopsy report and toxicology results remain pending. The case has drawn national attention as the family, its legal team and civil rights leaders press for answers about what happened to the young man who never made it home from the island.