More than a week after their son was found dead in Mississippi, Nolan Wells’ parents will finally have a meeting with an official about his death.
Jackson County District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath is expected to meet with Christine and Elmore Wonsley on Wednesday.
It’s the first meeting since Wells was found dead at Horn Island on July 6. The 18-year-old went to the island with friends to celebrate the Fourth of July.
According to WLOX, Mcllrath regularly meets with families of children who have died. The meeting with the Wells family is meant to offer victim services and to help navigate the process of a death investigation.
The district attorney is the one who ultimately decides whether Wells’ death is a prosecutable death. That decision would come after the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office finishes its investigation.
“The Nolan Wells family deserves a thorough and factual investigation. And that’s exactly what we’re going to do,” Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter told WLOX.
Racial Divisions
Wells’ parents’ meeting with the district attorney comes as debate over whether race played a role in his death continues to intensify.
Nolan’s grandfather, Christopher Wells Sr., says he does not want people using his grandson’s death to promote racial division. At the same time, he acknowledges that racism remains a reality.
“I saw and dealt with racism going through school, while I was in the military and working for a government contractor after I separated from the military,” Wells wrote on Facebook. “I reside in Mississippi now; it’s home, but there are counties in this state I wouldn’t be caught in after dark.”
He also argued that white people can move through society more freely than Black people. Wells concluded his post by praying that God would “punish [the] wicked” and wishing blessings on “everyone that’s color blind.”
A Racial Thing?
Nolan’s high school football coach says he doubts race played a role in the teen’s death.
Tracy Lampley told TMZ there was no racial tension between Nolan and his friends that he knew of. He said the teens “grew up together” and “played together”.
Representative Jasmine Crockett pushes back on Lampley’s claim. She also spoke with TMZ, telling them she believes race did play a factor.
“I think that specifically as Black Americans in the United States right now, we are always going to question whether there is a racial motivation,” said Crockett.
The congresswoman says she was on high alert after learning Nolan disappeared after hanging out with his 3 white friends, who deleted their social media accounts.
“A blind man could see there is something to investigate,” she told the outlet.
Crockett contended that if the victim had been white and the friends had been Black, they would already be behind bars.
“If Nolan was white, they would be in jail. They would ask questions later,” she argued.
Jasmine Crockett is sharing her thoughts with @jacob_wass on Nolan Wells' case, saying "if you think race is not something to look at, you're not really trying to investigate." pic.twitter.com/NaQOBj0VG4
— TMZ (@TMZ) July 14, 2026
Where Do We Go from Here?
There are still more questions than answers when it comes to Nolan Wells. The cause and manner of his death have not been released
While waiting for autopsy results, Wells’ parents and authorities are asking anyone who has videos or photos of the teen from July 4th to come forward.
In the meantime, the family is preparing to lay Nolan to rest. It was announced that his funeral would be on Monday, July 20; however, that has since changed.
Sam Voisin, the Mississippi Coast Coliseum’s executive director, said that after meeting with the family, they have decided not to hold the funeral at the venue as previously discussed.
Nolan’s mother, Christine Wonsley, says they will release information about his new funeral arrangements on social media when made available.
