Nolan Xavier Wells, an 18-year old football player from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, was with friends on Horn Island, a barrier island near the border of Mississippi and Alabama, when he disappeared on July 4. Two days later, on Monday, July 6, a U.S. Park Ranger found his body on the island where he was last seen. Now, his family has retained attorney Ben Crump and is demanding answers. Here’s what we know so far about Wells and his case.
Who was Nolan Wells, and what was he doing on Horn Island?
On July 4, Wells, a football player at Southwest Mississippi Community College, and several friends traveled to Horn Island, a remote strip of land which is only accessible by private boat. Later that day, the friends came back on another boat. Wells, apparently, had decided to stay on the island. He was last seen around 3 p.m. wearing blue swim trunks and sunglasses. According to a post from Josh Gill, the commander of the United Cajun Navy, a volunteer organization that helped with the search, Wells wanted to stay on the island to talk with a girl.
When Wells didn’t come home by about midnight, his mother, Christine Wonsley, contacted the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department.
The following day, multiple agencies and volunteer organizations began looking for Wells, and his body was found on Monday morning, around 8:45 a.m. Though his family positively identified the body, authorities didn’t confirm it was Wells until Tuesday, when they were able to identify him using dental records. An autopsy was conducted on Tuesday, but the results have not yet been publicly released. When contacted for comment, the Mississippi medical examiner’s office referred Rolling Stone to the investigating agency. The sheriff’s department tells Rolling Stone that the case is still under investigation.
“My heart is broken for our sweet son who was always willing to cheer and uplift others. Nolan was a special soul, God took his time creating our son,” Wonsely posted on her Facebook page. “I ask that you all please give me and my family privacy as we grieve. Thank you all again. God bless.”
What are the questions surrounding his death?
Shortly after news broke of his disappearance, amateur TikTok investigators picked up the case. Many questioned why he didn’t get on the boat with his friends to head back to the mainland. Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter confirmed to the Associated Press, via NPR, that “he chose to stay on the island with the assumption that he was going to ride back to the mainland with someone else.” Ledbetter told the outlet that Wells’ friends were cooperating with the investigation.
Social media commentators soon began comparing Wells’ death to the death of Tamla Harsford, a Black mother who died in 2018 during an adult sleepover with a group of white women. Though no criminal charges were filed in that case, her family has insisted that the facts of the case indicate that her death wasn’t an accident, as authorities concluded in 2021.
What’s the current status of the case?
On Tuesday, Wells’ family — who posted a GoFundMe which has collected over $220,000 so far — retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who quickly announced that he would be conducting an independent investigation into the young man’s death.
“Nolan Wells was a beloved son, teammate and friend who went out to celebrate the Fourth of July and never came home. His family deserves answers. They deserve the truth,” Crump said in a statement. “We will not rest until every fact about what happened to Nolan on Horn Island is brought into the light, and we call on investigators to pursue this case with the urgency and transparency this family deserves.”
After Wells’ family retained Crump, the attorney reposted a video on Instagram, which had previously been making the rounds on social media. The video, which is shot from another boat near the island’s shore, shows dozens of people on the beach, with a small group seemingly having an argument. Many on social media speculated that this group included Wells, though as the caption of the video notes, “As of now, authorities have not confirmed whether the video is authentic or connected to Nolan’s case.”
Both Crump and authorities are asking anyone who saw Nolan that day to contact them.
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