PASCAGOULA, Miss.—A grand jury will consider the facts surrounding Nolan Wells’ death following an investigation, his family’s legal team said during a press conference on Wednesday morning after a meeting with Jackson County District Attorney Angel McIlrath.
Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley, reported Wells, an 18-year-old resident of Ocean Springs, missing to authorities on July 4 after he traveled on a boat with friends to Horn Island, south of Jackson County.
A park ranger found Wells’ body two days later on Horn Island. Though authorities have not concluded whether any foul play led to Wells’ death, grand juries can consider facts and make recommendations. Wells’ friends have said that they left the island around 4:30 on July 4 after their boat began taking on water, and that Wells decided to stay and ride back on another boat.
The family and their legal team have questioned that story, with his parents saying they taught him to always leave with the group he travels with. Attorney Ben Crump, who was joined by Christine Wonsley, Wells’ father Elmore Wonsley, and attorney Eric Hertz, said at the press conference in Pascagoula, Mississippi, that his team will be “steadfast” in seeking the truth amid an influx of misinformation and AI-generated images that have surfaced during their search for answers.
Hertz said the legal team’s job is to “cut through all the noise” and find the truth. He asked that the public keep an open mind.
Crump: ‘We Must Question Everything’
During the press conference, GC Wire Reporter E. Brian Rose asked Ben Crump about his decision to repost a photo from a pool party as rumors spread over the weekend claiming that it showed Nolan Wells and more than a dozen others in a pool on the mainland sometime around midnight on the evening of July 4—hours after he was last seen on Horn Island. The photo sparked wild theories on social media about the 18-year-old’s final hours.
In his weekend Instagram post, Crump wrote that “social media allegations claim a photo exists of Nolan at a land-based pool party in Jackson County before 1:00 AM on July 5th,” but acknowledged that he did not “know if these are facts or rumors because no official statements have been confirmed.”
A friend of Wells said that the photo, which a resident had posted as part of a compilation of recent summer photos on July 5, was from a June 27 pool party, Rolling Stone reported on Monday.
In Pascagoula on Wednesday, Crump said his team has been posting all information shared with them in a “ferocious search for the truth” and that “just because we repost does not mean we are indicating anything.” He noted that they are making an effort to clearly identify information as a repost if it has not been authenticated.
“The hope is that when this is presented to the grand jury, all relevant witnesses and evidence will be presented to them,” Crump told Rose.
He said his team and Wells’ family hope for a “fair and impartial investigation” into Wells’ death.
“Our lived experiences tell us that we must question everything—everybody’s role, law enforcement’s role—that is the lived experience of us as Black people in America,” Crump said. “We would be not honoring the ancestors’ sacrifices for us if we did not be honest every chance we got when we talk to power.”
Crump said he and Wells’ family asked McIlrath to investigate Wells’ death “zealously.”
“We know that in America, in the South, certain people are investigated differently,” Crump said. “And we shared that with her.”
No Word on Autopsy Results
Attorney Eric Hertz said part of the reason for the meeting with District Attorney McIlrath was that his team had not yet received the incident report on Nolan Wells’ death.
“Under the law in Mississippi, a victim is entitled … within 72 hours to get an incident report and have certain information shared,” Hertz said. “It’s been more than 72 hours.”
Christine Wonsley said the family hopes to have more open lines of communication with the sheriff’s office going forward.
Ben Crump said his team has agreed to have a “mutual inspection” of Wells’ cell phone with their own experts and Jackson County experts.
Crump did not say when the results of the independent autopsy that he had conducted in Washington D.C., last week would be released. He said the team hopes to be able to share the results soon.
He also thanked former NFL quarterback and now-activist Colin Kaepernick for covering the cost of the independent autopsy and actor and director Tyler Perry for covering the funeral costs.
Last year, Crump represented the family of 21-year-old Trey Reed after the Black Delta State University student was found hanging in a tree on campus, sparking fears it could have been a lynching despite the State ruling that his death was a suicide. Though Kaepernick also funded an independent autopsy of Reed’s body, Crump’s office still has not released the results in that case.
Christine Wonsley said funeral services will be held at Center Pointe Church in Ocean Springs on Monday. She said visitation will be from 9-11 a.m. with the funeral following immediately afterward.
Wonsley said the family plans to hold a celebration honoring Wells’ life following the funeral service, which will be held at the Jackson County Fairgrounds. She also asked anyone who might be planning to hold a protest for Nolan to “keep it peaceful.”
“To the community: thank you so much for the outpouring of love and support,” she said.
Wonsley also thanked those who have shared stories about Wells and who have donated to the family’s GoFundMe. She stressed that those who are not financially able to donate should not feel obligated to.
“We thank you for whatever you can give,” Wonsley said. “But if not, just keep us in your prayers.”
At a press conference in Jackson on Wednesday, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said he has “full confidence” in the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.
“I have yet to see a fact or piece of evidence that suggests any foul play,” Reeves said, adding that he feels “confident” that if there has been foul play, the sheriff’s office and DA’s office will do what’s necessary to seek justice.
Follow the Mississippi Free Press’ coverage of the Nolan Wells case and read past stories here.
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