The parents of Nolan Wells, an 18-year-old Black student athlete found dead after a Fourth of July boat trip in Mississippi, are calling for a comprehensive investigation into his death, citing inconsistencies in accounts of the events leading up to his disappearance.
Wells, a football player for Southwest Mississippi Community College, went missing on July 4 while on a boat trip to Horn Island with a group of friends. When the friends returned without him, his parents reported him missing. His body was discovered days later, with the coroner initially reporting no signs of physical injury.
Christine and Elmore Wonsley, Wells' parents, expressed their desire for a "thorough, honest, clean investigation" to understand what happened to their son. "We just want to know what has happened to our son," Christine Wonsley told MS NOW. "I think that again any parent in America or even just any person, if your loved one goes missing, you want to know what has happened."
The family and civil rights activists have raised concerns about the investigation, pointing to what they describe as unusual circumstances and drawing attention to Mississippi's history of racial tensions.
According to Christine Wonsley, one of Wells' friends contacted her late on July 4, inquiring about his whereabouts. After discovering her son's phone was at a friend's house, she reported him missing. A friend's mother later posted on Facebook that Wells had chosen to stay on the island with another group and would return later. Wells' parents dispute this, with his father stating that Nolan was taught to always stay with his group and that the claim he would stay behind alone did not align with his character.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing the Wells family, has highlighted a video that some believe shows Wells arguing with friends over his phone. Crump questioned why an 18-year-old would leave his cellphone behind, suggesting the situation "is not adding up."
However, Tracestin Shepherd, a friend who was on the boat trip, refuted the claim that Wells was in the video, stating it was him instead. Shepherd told "Good Morning America" that he left the island on a boat in the late afternoon, while Wells remained behind with a girl he had met.
Wells' death has garnered national attention. Protesters marched in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, on Saturday. Actor Tyler Perry is reportedly covering the costs of Wells' funeral, and Colin Kaepernick is funding an independent autopsy. While Christine Wonsley stated she does not wish to believe race was a factor, she acknowledged that "unfortunately, there’s patterns, right."