Family Makes Legal Heavyweight Move After Teen’s Mysterious Fourth Of July Death
Article excerpt
A teenager who went missing after a boat trip with his friends on the Fourth of July was found dead as authorities identified his body Tuesday afternoon. Nolan Wells, 18, was identified by the Jackson County Coroner’s Office through dental records after his body was discovered “in the water, just offshore” from Horn Island, a ...
A teenager who went missing after a boat trip with his friends on the Fourth of July was found dead as authorities identified his body Tuesday afternoon.
Nolan Wells, 18, was identified by the Jackson County Coroner’s Office through dental records after his body was discovered “in the water, just offshore” from Horn Island, a popular island off the coast of Mississippi, on Monday morning. Wells and his friends were celebrating the holiday on the boat on the island before his disappearance.
Wells’ cause of death is still unknown pending autopsy results that could take weeks. Authorities told ABC News that drowning appears to be the most likely cause of death at this point in the investigation.
Wells and his friends left for the island from a private dock in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, early on Saturday. He was last reported seen around 3 p.m. “talking to a girl” on the northern side of the island. His friends returned home without him, and Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter stated that it appears Wells “chose to stay there.”
When Wells did not return home, his mother reported him missing late Saturday night. Videos then began to surface on social media appearing to show a heated confrontation on the island on the Fourth of July, sparking online speculation about whether it was connected to Wells’ disappearance. Authorities say they are aware of the footage and reviewing it, but have not verified its authenticity or linked it to his death.
Authorities have asked for “original, unedited photos and videos taken on the northwest tip of Horn Island, particularly those depicting alleged altercations or containing images of, or believed to include Nolan Wells.”
Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley, has posted on her Facebook regarding the situation.
“His father, Elmore Wonsley and I are not ok. We have so many questions,” she posted. “Our hearts are breaking, we keep waiting for Nolan to walk through that door with his beautiful smile and a joke of course.”
“Missing our Nolan so much every second of everyday. This has been the worst time of our lives,” she said in another post.
The family has retained nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump.
“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.”
Currently, no foul play is suspected in Wells’ death, but the investigation is still ongoing.