politics
Body of 18-Year-Old Found on Mississippi Island; Investigation Ongoing
Nolan Xavier Wells was found dead on Horn Island on July 6 after traveling there on July 4 with three friends. His mother held a news conference in New York on July 10 seeking public help with the case.
Jul 11, 12:33 PM·1m read7 sources
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The body of 18-year-old Nolan Xavier Wells was found on the north-western tip of Horn Island, Mississippi, on July 6. He had traveled to the barrier island on July 4 with three friends from his high school in Ocean Springs and went missing that day. Christine Wonsley, Wells's mother, held a news conference in Manhattan on July 10.
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"We just want to know what happened and why our baby didn’t come home," she said. Ben Crump, the civil rights attorney representing the family, said the three friends reported that Wells told them he wanted to stay on the island with a young woman when they left on the afternoon of July 4. The young woman has stated that Wells got on the boat with the group, Crump said.
Crump also said videos circulating online allegedly show Wells in a heated argument with his friends, and that Wells's phone was found in the possession of one of the young men rather than with his body. Wonsley tracked Wells's phone using the Life360 family-location app and reported that several social media messages had been deleted.
Crump is aiding an independent investigation that includes a private autopsy.
The Jackson County sheriff’s office stated on July 10 that its investigation remains ongoing and active. The office has asked the public for eyewitness accounts, video, or photo evidence from Horn Island on July 4. ABC News reported that investigators suspect Wells drowned, though no cause of death has been ruled out.
The Jackson County sheriff’s office issued a similar public appeal for evidence on July 7.
