Nolan Wells died during a Fourth of July trip to Mississippi’s Horn Island. Hours after visiting the barrier island off the Mississippi Gulf Coast with a group of friends, the 18-year-old football player was reported missing. Two days later, his body was discovered on the island’s northwest tip.
Investigators have not released an official cause of death. Authorities believe he may have drowned; however, the final determination awaits autopsy and toxicology results from the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department said there is currently no evidence of foul play. However, Nolan’s parents have questioned the official timeline and launched an independent investigation with civil rights attorney Ben Crump.
Conflicting accounts of Nolan Wells’ final hours
Nolan, who had recently graduated from high school, travelled to Horn Island on July 4 with a group of friends. His father, Elmore Wonsley, told Good Morning America that the trip was intended as his son’s “last hurrah” before reporting to football camp at Southwest Mississippi Community College.
One of Nolan’s friends reported him missing to the US Coast Guard around 11 p.m. on July 4. His mother, Christine Wonsley, filed a missing persons report with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department shortly after midnight.
According to Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter, investigators have interviewed the friends who accompanied Nolan to Horn Island. They told authorities Nolan decided to remain on the island after their boat departed because he planned to return later with another group.
Chancery Court Judge Ashlee Cole, whose son was among the group, also said in a Facebook statement that the boat carrying Nolan’s friends began taking on water. She wrote that Nolan chose to stay behind and return later with different friends.
Ben Crump said witnesses have provided conflicting statements about whether Nolan stayed behind voluntarily or intended to leave with another group after speaking with a young woman.
On July 6, search teams located Nolan’s body in the water near the northwest end of Horn Island. Jackson County Coroner Bruce Lynd confirmed the identity through dental records but declined to speculate on the cause of death before the autopsy was completed.
“We just want to know what happened and why our baby didn’t come home,”
Nolan’s family disputes his friend’s account of the night of his disappearance.
Speaking to Good Morning America, Christine Wonsley said she could not believe her son would willingly separate from his friends because he had always been taught to stay with the group.
“We always taught him that if you go with five, you come back with five,” his father, Elmore Wonsley, said.
Sheriff Ledbetter has also acknowledged that online speculation has complicated the investigation.
Nolan’s family has commissioned an independent autopsy in Washington, DC, with assistance from former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Crump also said forensic experts are examining Nolan’s cellphone after his mother questioned inconsistencies between its location history and Snapchat activity.
Christine stated, “We just want to know what happened and why our baby didn’t come home,” during a press appearance alongside Ben Crump and Rev. Al Sharpton.
