New details are coming to light in the investigation into what happened to Nolan Xavier Wells on Horn Island, Mississippi. Now the mother of one of his friends is defending her son on social media.
Jackson County Coroner Bruce Lynd Jr. confirmed a body was recovered Monday on the island. It was positively identified as Wells through dental records.
His cause of death has not been released.
What Happened?
Wells was celebrating Independence Day with a group of friends on the island. His grandfather, Christopher Wells Sr., was angered that it took more than a day to find his grandson.
“Too many unanswered questions: how can an island that was searched yesterday produce my grandsons body this morning,” Wells Sr. wrote Monday. “There’s nothing right about this; Nolan Xavier Wells deserved the same things that people he knew and associated with will enjoy in life.”
Brian Thrasher from United Cajun Navy said he was flying over the island at 6:30 a.m. on Monday. A park ranger found the body at 8:45 a.m. that day.
“My belief is he just washed up within that time period because we were flying a long grid, north and south,” Thrasher said. “It was just a park ranger doing his morning rounds.”
Thrasher said the body was not waterlogged, but he didn’t know its condition.
The term waterlogged means something that is so completely full or soaked with water, it becomes heavy or sluggish.
Several of Wells’ friends have since retained attorneys. Wells was reportedly also speaking with a girl on the island before he disappeared. She is also cooperating.
Atlanta Black Star confirmed Eli Jax Pitalo, Erick Alcantara, Wyatt Pyron, Warren Hudson, and Morgan Seymour switched their accounts to private. ABS reached out to all of them for comment.
Possible Witnesses
Hudson’s mother, Ashlee Cole, took to Facebook to defend her son, Warren.
“Nolan made a decision to stay on the island and return inland later with another group of friends,” she wrote. She added that her son reported last seeing Wells around 3 p.m. on Saturday.
Some people online claim that several of Wells’ friends have scrubbed their social media accounts and set them to private. Cole said she also deactivated her social media.
“Given the very heightened emotional state of social media right now, I fear for the safety of my child and my children,” she wrote on Facebook. “Yes, I am a judge. I also value transparency. I apologize if anyone was offended that I deleted my social media. There were no nefarious motivations.”
Cole said she also went to high school with Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley.
“I have the utmost respect for her and all of the Wells family. We mourn the loss of Nolan with them.”
A picture circulating online of Wells also features several of his friends. Wells is Black, and most of the other people were white.
“We live in a world of click-baiting. Sad, but true,” Cole wrote. “My family is hopeful that this information will help to redirect the attention to the Wells family, their grief, and their need for our community’s support.”
Support for the Family
Wells’ family has reportedly retained high-profile civil rights attorney Ben Crump as they work to figure out what happened to the 18-year-old.
In a statement to WXXV, Crump said the family deserves “answers” and “the truth” and urged investigators to pursue the case with “urgency and transparency.”
Crump told journalist Don Lemon that the family will request an independent autopsy that should be completed by Friday. He claims there was a “big argument” on the boat because Wells, who was a student-athlete, “made it clear” he didn’t want to indulge in anything that would appear in his system.
“He had a big workout on Monday,” Crump said, adding that the family is not convinced Wells died “by coincidence” or “accident.” He claims that the family discovered messages were deleted from Wells’ cellphone.
“It’s very implausible that Nolan would’ve not wanted his cellphone with him if he was going to stay on the island,” Crump said. “There are so many inconsistencies going on.”
