Parents of Nolan Wells ask for prayers, answers as police investigate Horn Island death

Christine Wonsley, the mother of 18-year-old Nolan Wells, who was found dead near Horn Island off the Mississippi Gulf Coast Monday after traveling there by boat with a group of friends on July 4, is asking for answers and prayers as questions swirl around his death.

“Missing our Nolan so much every second of every day. This has been the worst time in our lives. Watching his siblings go through the motions of grief adds another layer to the sadness. Please keep us in your prayers and continue to respect our privacy,” she said in a statement on Facebook Wednesday.

Nolan Wells graduated from Ocean Springs High School and was a beloved football player at Southwest Mississippi Community College. He was last seen alive on the island at approximately 3 p.m. last Saturday and didn’t return to the mainland with his friends on Saturday. His mother reported him missing that night.

His body was found Monday after a multi-agency search involving the U.S. Coast Guard, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, the National Park Service, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and the United Cajun Navy.

“I want to thank our family, friends, community, United Cajun Navy, local law enforcement, and everyone involved for all the love, support [and] resources over the last few days. His father, Elmore Wonsley, our family, friends, and I are absolutely devastated,” Christine Wonsley said Monday shortly after her son’s body was found. “My heart is broken for our sweet son who was always willing to cheer and uplift others. Nolan was a special soul; God took his time creating our son.”

In a press statement Wednesday, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department said they continue to “actively investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of Nolan Wells” as questions mount on social media about how he died.

“We recognize that a significant amount of information, speculation, and commentary has been shared on social media and throughout the community. As with any active investigation, our investigators are working to establish the facts through eyewitness accounts, physical evidence, and other reliable information,” the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department said.

They urged anyone who was on or near Horn Island on July 4 to contact the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office if they have any information regarding “interactions with, sightings of, or statements regarding Nolan Wells.”

“Original, unedited photos and videos taken on the northwest tip of Horn Island on July 4, 2026, particularly those depicting alleged altercations or containing images of, or believed to include Nolan Wells. Original media often contains critical details that may be essential to the ongoing investigation,” the statement said. “Even information that may seem insignificant could prove valuable to investigators. We encourage anyone with firsthand knowledge to come forward.”

Nolan Wells’ parents have hired renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump and are expected to join him and the Rev. Al Sharpton at a press conference in New York City on Friday to “call for a full, transparent, and urgent investigation” of their son’s death, according to a press statement from the National Action Network.

“A young man left his home to celebrate the Fourth of July with friends, and he never came back. His mother deserves answers, and his family deserves the truth,” Sharpton, who is the founder and president of NAN, said in a press statement provided to The Christian Post.

“We are not here to jump ahead of the facts. We are here to demand that the facts come to light, fully, honestly, and without delay. That means a complete and transparent investigation. That means releasing every record. Nolan Xavier Wells was 18 years old with his whole life in front of him, and this family will not be left in the dark. We stand with them, and we will not stop until every question is answered.”

Crump told ABC News that Nolan Wells’ family will be conducting an independent autopsy to determine his cause of death.

He added that investigators “continue to tell the family that ‘We don’t see any evidence of any foul play,’ even though you have students who recorded an altercation while they were on the boats.” He described the altercation as “Nolan and somebody yelling at one another on the boat.”

Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter told The Associated Press that the friends Wells traveled with to Horn Island are 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,” Ledbetter said.

Crump claimed to ABC News, however, that Wells’ friends took his phone with them when they left Horn Island, and when it was returned to his family, messages had been deleted.

The teenager’s father told the attorney that his son was also “an elite athlete” who knew how to swim.

“He said that his son could swim. And so, they’re just not accepting that Nolan drowned accidentally,” Crump said.

J. Steven Bishop, president of Southwest Mississippi Community College, said in a statement Monday that they had made professional counselors and local ministers available to support the teenagers’ teammates and friends as they process his death.

“The entire Southwest family is heartbroken as we mourn the tragic loss of Nolan Wells. Nolan was an exemplary student, athlete, friend and teammate,” Bishop said. “We remember Nolan as a well-respected young man who was very popular among friends, faculty and staff. We loved Nolan, and he will be greatly missed in many ways. Our continued prayers will be with the Wells family now and in the days to come.”