What happened to Nolan Xavier Wells? ...Middle East

Miles from the Mississippi Gulf Coast on a remote island whose beauty of clear beaches and white sand dunes was immortalized by famed American artist Walter Inglis Anderson, Nolan Xavier Wells’ young life came to an end. 

How and why are among the many unanswered questions that remain after the 18-year-old from Ocean Springs was last seen on the Fourth of July and his body found two days later off Horn Island. 

What happened? How did the young Black man end up in the water? Was there foul play involved? Family members and their legal team have said they have received limited information, and speculation has circulated on social media. 

A state autopsy has been completed but its results, including a cause of death and toxicology, have not yet been released. The family’s attorney Ben Crump has called for an independent autopsy which is underway in Washington D.C. A funeral service is being planned. Black filmmaker Tyler Perry has offered to pay for the burial, and former quarterback Colin Kaepernick paid for Wells’ second autopsy. 

His parents, Christine and Elmore Wonsley, made their first public comments Friday on “Good Morning America,” and then spoke at an afternoon press conference in Harlem, New York, joined by Crump and the Rev. Al Sharpton. 

“We just want to know,” Christine Wonsley said during the news conference as she started to tear and her voice shook.

“We just want to know what happened and why our baby didn’t come home … We want it to be an honest, through investigation. That’s all we’re asking for.”

What was happening on Horn Island? 

Photos and videos of the July 4 get-together show multiple boats docked at Horn Island, some carrying young adults who drank beer and spiked seltzers in water reaching below their shoulder blades. Wells, a wide receiver for Southwest Mississippi Community College, arrived with a group of high school friends, who were mostly white, but did not return with them. Investigators have said he stayed behind, reportedly telling his friends he wanted to talk to a woman.  

He planned to get a ride with another boat off the island. Witnesses told authorities Wells was last seen near the island around 3 or 4 p.m.

When he didn’t come home, that promoted 911 calls and a missing person’s report by one of his friends and his mother. That kicked off land and air searches involving two sheriff’s offices, a state agency, the U.S. Coast Guard, the National Park Service and a volunteer search and rescue organization called the United Cajun Navy. 

A park ranger found Wells’ body off the northwest part of the island, and he was identified through dental records. Those records are a way to make an identification when other methods such as fingerprints and DNA are not available. 

His disappearance and death have raised flags from his family, their attorney Crump, community members and beyond, including whether race was a factor. 

Wells’ parents question why he would separate from the group and leave his phone and keys on the boat. During the news conference, his mother said they suspect videos and photos from July 4 are missing from his phone and SnapChat because Wells was known to take them often.

Dylan Johnson-Whitfield, a Biloxi High graduate, had already been out to Horn Island twice this summer when he heard about Wells’ disappearance. Johnson-Whitfield, who was not on the island on July 4, said he kept thinking: “the worst things happen to the best people.” 

Johnson-Whitfield knew Wells. They played for rival football teams. He remembers Wells’ smile and talent on the field for Ocean Springs High. Johnson-Whitfield said that the football players from Mississippi Gulf Coast high schools, which are in close proximity, all were familiar with each other.

Lately, he’s noticed a change in his community. Even shy friends have spoken out about a need for transparency from local law enforcement. Johnson-Whitfield said a lot of young people who were at Horn Island are afraid to speak up – afraid their statements will get them investigated or thrust into the media spotlight.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office is handling the investigation and is asking witnesses to come forward. 

Allegations have spread on social media about Wells being involved in an argument or altercation. On Friday, Crump cited a video in which a male can be heard saying: “Give me my freaking phone, what are you doing.” The legal team believes that voice was Wells. Mississippi Today has reviewed the video, which was taken from a boat and pans to show other boats parked and a sandbar where people stood on and waded nearby.

Sheriff John Ledbetter issued a statement Tuesday asking people to refrain from spreading unverified information. 

“Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences remain with Nolan Wells’ family during this difficult time,” Ledbetter said. “We respectfully ask the public to extend compassion and privacy to his loved ones as investigators continue working diligently to determine exactly what occurred.”

Johnson-Whitfield expects more supervision at the island and a crackdown on underage drinking. He said he hopes law enforcement will start answering some of the questions that continue to swirl around Wells’ death. He also hopes that Wells’ friends speak up about what happened – and the family can get closure.  

Horn Island is the largest of the Mississippi-Alabama barrier islands and is a designated wilderness area. The island is 4.2 square miles with a mixed terrain of sand dunes and beaches, sea oats and saw palmetto groves and pine trees. The island is undeveloped except for a small ranger station near its center and has no utilities and no commercial ferry service. It is reachable either by private boats or charters. 

The barrier island is “the spot” for teens and early 20-somethings during the summer months because it’s a place away from adult and police supervision, Johnson-Whitfield said. Underage drinking can be common, and friend groups link up in larger groups, which isn’t always the case in Gulf Coast communities. Most house parties get busted when they get too big in the area, he said.

Johnson-Whitfield also said the island is a natural paradise and a departure from urban landscapes and city noise.

“As soon as you get there, all you see is white sand, clear water and nature,” he said. “There aren’t any buildings, traffic or crowds.”

What we don’t know

A picture of how Wells ended up in the water and died is not clear, as investigators have released limited information and autopsy results have not been shared publicly. 

Ledbetter did not respond to a request for comment Friday, including whether Horn Island has been secured as a crime scene. 

The sheriff’s office has not said who was on Horn Island when Wells remained behind and whether he knew them. It is not known where on the island he was seen after his friends left, or if he was in the water.

The park service operates Gulf Islands National Seashore, including patrolling the barrier islands. Gulf Islands National Seashore Superintendent Rick Clark said in a Friday statement that the park service was part of the recovery of Wells’ body, but he did not answer questions about how rangers patrolled Horn Island on July 4. 

Crump said Friday that Wells knew how to swim and was in shape as an athlete. 

Ledbetter has also not said what the water around Horn Island was like, including whether people are discouraged from swimming there. 

Brian Trascher, national vice president of the United Cajun Navy, said the volunteer organization has been in contact with Wells’ mother since he was reported missing. Volunteers canvassed the island by boat and aircraft until he was found. 

Trascher said he hopes an investigation will provide answers about what happened to Wells, focusing on how Wells got into the water. If he struggled or needed help, Trascher wonders how others around Wells wouldn’t notice. 

“There were so many people around that somebody would have noticed a distressed swimmer … But with so many sets of eyeballs you would think with just scanning around, you would see someone with their hands up in the air,” he said. 

The family’s legal team echoed this sentiment during the Friday afternoon news conference. 

The northwest tip of Horn Island is somewhere people like to visit because it has a nice beach and the water is clear. But the area is also known for rip currents, including one that was strong on July 4, Trascher said. 

The Park Service, Coast Guard and various federal and state agencies issued safety messages about water, boat and heat safety. For the Gulf Coast beaches and barrier islands, authorities caution people about interacting with marine life and the presence of rip currents and drop offs. 

“There are rip currents even the strongest swimmers can’t break out of,” Trascher said. 

Reporting contributed by Geoff Pender

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