Nolan Wells’ family seeks answers after missing Mississippi teen found dead

The family of Nolan Wells, a teenager found dead on an island off Mississippi after he had been missing for days, is seeking answers about the circumstances surrounding his death. They have retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump.

Wells, 18, was last seen on July 4 on Horn Island, where he had taken a boat trip with friends to celebrate the holiday, officials said. His body was discovered Monday off the coast of the island, following a search that involved multiple local, state and federal agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and the National Park Service. 

Dental records confirmed the body was Wells, Jackson County coroner Bruce Lynd told CBS News. An autopsy took place Tuesday, Lynd said, but the results were not immediately made public. 

In a statement released Tuesday, Crump said the family is searching for answers about the events leading up to Wells’ 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. “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.”

Crump was also recently retained by the family of a Mississippi 1-year-old who was killed when police fired into a moving car.

Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said Wells traveled to Horn Island by boat with his friends on Saturday but did not return to the mainland with them that afternoon. He was last seen on the island at 3 p.m., according to Crump’s office. His mother reported Wells missing later that night.

Ledbetter told The Associated Press that Wells’ friends were cooperating with the investigation.

“From the people we’ve talked to, it sounds like he chose to stay on the island with the assumption that he was going to ride back to the mainland with someone else,” he said.

Wells, who would have turned 19 next month, attended Southwest Mississippi Community College, where he played wide receiver on the football team.

In a social media post, his mother, Christine Wonsley, said the family is seeking videos and other documentation from the island.

“My heart is broken for our sweet son who was always willing to cheer and uplift others,” she said. “Nolan was a special soul, God took his time creating our son.”

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office also has asked members of the public to come forward if they saw Wells or had any interactions with him on or near Horn Island around the time of his disappearance. The office said investigators are looking for “original, unedited photos and videos taken on the northwest tip of Horn Island,” where Wells’ body was found, “particularly those depicting alleged altercations or containing images of, or believed to include Nolan Wells.” 

They asked people who may have “observed or heard an argument, disturbance, or other unusual activity while on the island that day” to contact the office, too.

Ledbetter previously told CBS News that investigators were hoping to identify the original poster of a video in which arguing can be heard in the background.

Brian Trascher, the national vice president of the United Cajun Navy, a volunteer organization that assisted with the search for Wells, said he was flying a plane over Horn Island when Wells’ body was found. 

“They were setting up a tactical operation center or command post on the beach,” he said. “Shortly after, I started getting texts from my guys on the ground that they recovered who they believed to be Nolan.”