The family of 18-year-old Mississippi teen Nolan Wells is renewing its call for a federal investigation into his death after a state grand jury declined to bring criminal charges.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump and leaders from the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum joined Wells’ parents Monday at a news conference in Inglewood, California. The organization honored Wells’ mother, Christine Wells-Wonsley, over the weekend in California at their annual conference.
The family and their legal team cite an independent autopsy conducted by Dr. Roger A. Mitchell Jr. that found “unexplained blunt-force injuries to the back of his head,” as further cause for concern. They also point to no water being found in Wells’ lungs or stomach.
“Now they’re trying to say dry drowning, but again, where is the physical evidence from the autopsies? Where? They’re nowhere in sight. They’re not there,” Wells-Wonsley said. “So again, Elmore and I, our family, our friends, the community, all of you-we cannot accept that.”
Wells, an Ocean Springs resident and college student, disappeared during a Fourth of July boating trip to Horn Island. Authorities found his body two days later, but officials have not determined how he died or officially classified the manner of death. T
The push for federal involvement comes after a Mississippi grand jury chose not to pursue criminal charges. Wells’ supporters say unresolved questions surrounding his death warrant another review of the case.
Leading the renewed charged is, Florida Rep. Frederica Wilson who recently sent a letter to Jessica Bowron, the acting Director of the National Park Service.
“I urge you to direct the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch (ISB), which investigates complex and sensitive cases throughout the National Park System, to examine every circumstance surrounding Nolan’s death and pursue every available lead,” she wrote.
Cynthia Choi, with the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, says they are doing all they can to support Wells’ family in the push for answers.
“We join the Welles Wansley family in demanding that the Department of Justice use their resources to conduct a full and thorough federal investigation,” she said at the press conference.
Rep. Maxine Waters is also calling for a federal investigation. Waters was not able to make the press conference, but Crump says she and the Congressional Black Caucus are backing an investigation. The group previously urged for a federal review into Wells’ death back in August. However, federal authorities have not responded to their request.
And everyone has been in support of further investigation.
As previously reported, the United Cajun Navy has continued to push back against Ben Crump and the Wells family’s calls for further investigation, maintaining that the evidence supports an accidental drowning and not foul play.
They wrote on X, “No, there was no blunt force trauma on the body, only light bruising. Yes, the original sea tow call was altered and added fake captions to by a fake audio engineer. No, none of Nolan’s friends had anything to do with his death. These are indisputable facts.”
The organization has also urged the Justice Department to investigate Crump, accusing him of “inciting terrorism” after bomb threats surfaced near government buildings in Mississippi.
Despite this, Crump and the family continue to pursue answers and believe getting help from federal authorities is the next step in the process.
“Our son was found on federal land, and we are asking the FBI to step in and do a full investigation. We’re not asking for special treatment. We’re asking for what any father would do for his child, and that’s to find the truth of what happened to his child,” said Wells’ father Elmore Wonsley.
ABS Assistant news editor Morgan Bridgeman contributed to the writing and reporting of this story.
