Full story
Horn Island death inquiry
An investigation is underway into the death of 18-year-old Nolan Xavier Wells, who disappeared during a Fourth of July boating trip with friends to Horn Island, Mississippi, and whose body was found two days later off the Mississippi coast.
“Nolan Wells’ body was found off the coast of a Mississippi barrier island, two days after he went missing on July 4”
Christine Wonsley and Elmore Wonsley called for a thorough and transparent investigation at a news conference in New York City, while Wells’ family said they cannot accept claims that Wells told his friends to leave the island without him and suggestions he accidentally drowned.
Wells’ body was found early Monday along the shore of Horn Island, about 7 miles (11.2 kilometers) off the Mississippi coast, and the island is uninhabited and accessible only by boat.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department coordinated an autopsy with the state medical examiner, and while investigators believe Nolan may have drowned, the autopsy results were pending as the family launched its own investigation.
At the same time, civil rights attorney Ben Crump said the family has commissioned an independent autopsy in Washington, D.C., and is seeking clarity on what happened in the hours before Wells died.
Conflicting accounts and calls
The family’s concerns center on conflicting accounts about whether Wells stayed behind when his friends left, with Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter saying investigators believe Wells may have decided to remain on the island expecting to return later with someone else.
Ben Crump challenged that account by pointing to Wells’ missing cellphone and car keys, saying: "What teenager would leave their phone behind if they’re going to stay on this island? What teenager wouldn’t take their phone?"
Rev. Al Sharpton echoed the family’s push for a thorough investigation, telling reporters: "We're not bringing in race, but we're not discounting race either," as he described the case as tied to fears in Mississippi and the country.
Christine Wonsley also said the family tracked Wells’ phone and that when she went to pick it up from Wells’ friends, she believed some texts and SnapChat messages had been deleted.
Investigators said they do not suspect foul play, and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department said friends were cooperating and that it was still working to establish facts through eyewitness accounts, physical evidence, and other reliable information.
What’s at stake next
The family’s next steps include an independent autopsy performed by a forensic pathologist in Washington, D.C., while they await results of an official autopsy that could take weeks.
“Crump said Wells’ family has commissioned an independent autopsy, performed by a forensic pathologist in Washington, D.C.”
Ben Crump said the family plans to employ experts to recover messages that appeared to have been deleted from Wells’ cellphone before eventually turning the device over to authorities.
The investigation also depends on witness material, with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office asking anyone who visited Horn Island on July 4 to come forward with original, unedited photos and videos, including anything depicting alleged altercations or containing images of Wells.
Crump said the family’s distrust is shaped by Mississippi’s history, telling reporters at Sharpton’s National Action Network headquarters in Harlem: "The history of Mississippi is something that they don’t just read about in books."
As the case continues, the family is also seeking to reconcile why Wells’ friends had his cellphone and keys, while authorities said they currently do not suspect foul play and that they are still investigating what happened.
