The family of Nolan Xavier Wells has retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump for representation a day after the 18-year-old’s lifeless body was discovered in the water on Horn Island, 10 miles south of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Wells traveled to the island with a group of friends on July 4. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department says he was last seen on the island at 3 p.m. and did not return with the group later that evening, prompting a search of the island. A park ranger found his body at the northwestern tip of the island on Monday, July 6.
“Nolan Wells was a beloved son, teammate and friend who went out to celebrate the Fourth of July and never came home,” Crump said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon. “His family deserves answers. They deserve the truth. 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.”
Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said earlier Tuesday that the cause of Wells’ death remains undetermined. An autopsy is underway.
Wells, who was from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, was set to return to Southwest Mississippi Community College this fall as a wide receiver on the football team. He was a month away from turning 19 years old.
Crump has represented the families of other Mississippians in high-profile cases in recent years, including the families of Kohen Wiley, Trey Reed, Dexter Wade and more.
Follow the Mississippi Free Press’ coverage of Nolan Wells’ death and read past stories here.
Mississippi Free Press stories are always free because we believe everyone should have access to quality journalism. Donations from readers like you make that possible. Please click here to give to help sustain and grow vital, people-over-power journalism for Mississippians.
Readers can sign up for our free newsletters here.
