Justice for Nolan Wells: Civil Rights Leaders Speak at Mississippi Funeral
OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. — Family, friends, and national civil rights leaders gathered Monday at Center Pointe Church for the funeral of 18-year-old Nolan Xavier Wells, the Black football player found dead on July 6 after disappearing during a Fourth of July boat trip to Horn Island. The Rev. Al Sharpton officiated the service, and attorney Ben Crump addressed mourners, both demanding transparency and justice as the investigation into Wells’ death continues.
“For an 18-year-old young man to no longer be with us, we want answers, not bias either way: just answers,” Sharpton said during the eulogy, as reported by NPR. “I think that for the family, the closure can come if there is justice.”
The Case
Wells, a wide receiver at Southwest Mississippi Community College and former Ocean Springs High School football player, traveled by boat with friends to Horn Island — a barrier island roughly 10 miles off the Mississippi Gulf Coast — on July 4. He was last seen at approximately 3:00 p.m. on the northwest tip of the island. When his friends departed by boat at 4:31 p.m., Wells was not with them.
His body was discovered two days later, on July 6, by a park ranger “in the water, just offshore off the west end of Horn Island,” according to Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter. Dental records confirmed the identity on July 7. The cause of death remains pending, with state autopsy results awaiting toxicology reports and an independent autopsy — paid for by former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick — not yet released.
Civil Rights Leaders Join the Call
Crump, who has represented families in numerous high-profile cases involving Black victims, told mourners: “Whatever you would do for your children, if they were on that boat on Horn Island on July Fourth, we want you to do it for Nolan Wells!”
Crump also highlighted a central contradiction in the case, telling Mississippi Public Broadcasting that “a young woman he was talking to says Nolan told her he was going back to get on the boat with the boys. The boys say Nolan told them he was going to stay and talk to the young woman. It’s a contradiction.”
At the funeral, Sharpton announced a $100,000 reward — jointly offered with filmmaker Tyler Perry — for information leading to an arrest. “He was not on that island by himself: Somebody saw something and knows something,” Sharpton said.
Investigation Status
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has stated that no evidence of foul play has been found to date. Sheriff Ledbetter said the investigation remains active and that “Nolan Wells’ family deserves a thorough and factual investigation.”
GPS data obtained by CBS News from the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources tracks the boat’s movements on July 4: it left the dock at approximately 9:56 a.m., arrived at Horn Island at 11:14 a.m., and departed the island at 4:31 p.m. without Wells. The boat later traveled to Fort Bayou before being towed to the owner’s residence.
Jackson County District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath has agreed to present the case to a grand jury once the investigation is complete. The FBI has confirmed its assistance, particularly regarding “interstate threats” that individuals involved in the case have received.
Family’s Grief and Demands
Wells’ mother, Christine Wells-Wonsley, delivered an emotional tribute at the funeral. “Share his stories, and never stop saying his name,” she said. “As long as we continue to remember him, his light will continue to shine through us all.”
His father, Elmore Wonsley, has expressed doubt that his son chose to remain on the island. “I don’t believe he decided to stay on the island by himself. It just doesn’t — that’s not his character,” he said.
The family has raised concerns about communication with law enforcement and whether messages on Wells’ cellphone — which was left on the boat and later retrieved from a friend’s house — may have been deleted. A joint inspection of the phone data by law enforcement and Crump’s team has been agreed upon.
What’s Next
As the community of Ocean Springs mourns, the central questions remain unanswered: What caused Nolan Wells’ death? Why was he left on the island? And will the grand jury return an indictment? The family and civil rights leaders have made clear they will continue pressing for answers until justice is served.
“Our lived experiences tell us that we must question everything, everybody’s role, law enforcement’s role,” Crump said. “That is the lived experience of us as Black people in America.”