Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing the family of 18-year-old football player Nolan Wells, has shared a photograph that he suggests casts doubt on the timeline of events surrounding Wells' death. Wells was found dead on July 7 on Horn Island, Mississippi, two days after a Fourth of July boating trip with friends.
According to authorities, Wells allegedly stayed behind on the island while his friends returned to the mainland. His mother filed a missing person report on July 5. Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter has stated that foul play is not suspected and that officials believe Wells chose to remain on the island. Drowning was initially considered the cause of death, though an official determination has not been released.
The family's legal team has called for a thorough investigation. Crump amplified a social media post alleging that Wells may have attended a land-based pool party in Jackson County before 1 a.m. on July 5. The post included an image of young people at a pool, with a figure in the background circled in red. This photo has not been independently verified.
At a press conference, Wells' mother, Christine Wonsley, recounted her last conversation with her son, who had dinner with her before spending the night at a friend's house prior to the boating trip. Crump voiced the family's distrust of law enforcement's ability to conduct a fair investigation, given that their son died after a trip with three white young men.
Adding to their suspicions, the mother noted that after retrieving her son's phone, no photos or videos from the day of the trip were found on his Snapchat account, which she described as uncharacteristic for Wells. The family's legal team plans to conduct an independent autopsy in Washington, D.C., and hire experts to recover data from Wells' phone before it is submitted to authorities. Crump also highlighted a discrepancy, stating that a girl Wells was allegedly communicating with claimed he was returning to the boat, while his friends reported he decided to stay on the island due to a mechanical issue with their vessel. Police are also reportedly investigating a video that may depict an argument on the beach.