Unanswered questions remain in the death of 18-year-old Nolan Wells, who disappeared during a Fourth of July boating trip to Mississippi’s Horn Island.
Wells, a student and football player at Southwest Mississippi Community College, was last seen alive on Horn Island on July 4, according to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.
“Nolan Wells was on a boat. He left from a private dock area in [the] Ocean Springs area and proceeded with his friends to Horn Island,” Sheriff John Ledbetter told ABC News. “They left and went back without Nolan. From what we understand, he chose to stay there.”
After Wells didn’t return home, his mother Christine Wonsley reported him missing at midnight, according to WLOX, sparking a multi-day search effort.
Around 8:45 a.m. on July 6, searchers found a body off the shoreline near the island’s northwest end that “match[ed] the description” of Wells, Ledbetter confirmed to The New York Post later that day.
Jackson County coroner Bruce Lynd Jr. told CBS News that dental records confirmed the body was Wells. He also said an autopsy was performed on July 7, though the results have not been publicly released. Oxygen has contacted Lynd Jr. seeking additional comment.
“After an extensive search involving countless volunteers from the United Cajun Navy, first responders, local law enforcement, the United States Coast Guard, and organizations from across the region, our worst fears became reality,” a statement on the family’s official GoFundMe, organized by a friend of Wonsley, said. “While no words can ease the pain of this unimaginable loss, we are deeply grateful for every person who searched, prayed, shared his story, and stood beside our family during these difficult days.”
Wonsley also issued her own statement, saying she was “absolutely devastated” by the death of her son.
“My heart is broken for our sweet son who was always willing to cheer and uplift others,” she wrote in part on Facebook. “Nolan was a special soul, God took his time creating our son. I ask that you all please give me and my family privacy as we grieve.”
What Has Happened in the Nolan Wells Case?
On July 7, the sheriff’s office announced they were continuing to “actively investigate the circumstances” surrounding Wells’ death and were “working to establish the facts through eyewitness accounts, physical evidence, and other reliable information.”
The department also sought the public’s help in their efforts, asking for anyone who was on Horn Island on July 4 to reach out if they “observed or heard an argument, disturbance, or other unusual activity” while there or took any unedited photos and videos on the island believed to include Wells.
As their press release noted, “Original media often contains critical details that may be essential to the ongoing investigation.”
“Even information that may seem insignificant could prove valuable to investigators,” they added. “We encourage anyone with firsthand knowledge to come forward.”
The sheriff’s department also noted that their “thoughts, prayers, and condolences remain with Nolan Wells’ family during this difficult time.”
“We respectfully ask the public to extend compassion and privacy to his loved ones,” their statement read, “as investigators continue working diligently to determine exactly what occurred.”
In an interview published the same day, Ledbetter told ABC News that investigators do not currently suspect foul play.
“There is no information that we have right now,” he said, “that would lead us to believe that a crime has occurred.”
Amid the investigation, civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump has announced that he’s been retained by Wells’ family.
“His family deserves answers. They deserve the truth,” Crump wrote on X. “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.”
