Family seeks answers after teen found dead off Mississippi island

The family of 18-year-old Nolan Xavier Wells, who was found dead off a Mississippi barrier island after a Fourth of July boat trip with friends, has retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump as investigators seek information about what happened before he disappeared.

Wells was last seen July 4 on Horn Island, where he had gone by boat with friends to celebrate the holiday, officials said. His body was discovered off the coast of the island after a search involving local, state and federal agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and the National Park Service.

Jackson County coroner Bruce Lynd told CBS News that dental records confirmed the body was Wells. An autopsy took place Tuesday, Lynd said, but the results were not immediately made public.

Crump said in a statement Tuesday that Wells’ family is searching for answers about the events that led to his death.

“Nolan Wells was a beloved son, teammate and friend who went out to celebrate the Fourth of July and never came home. His family deserves answers. They deserve the truth,” Crump said. “We will not rest until every fact about what happened to Nolan on Horn Island is brought into the light, and we call on investigators to pursue this case with the urgency and transparency this family deserves.”

Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said Wells traveled to Horn Island by boat with friends Saturday but did not return to the mainland with them that afternoon. Crump’s office said Wells was last seen on the island at 3 p.m. His mother reported him missing later that night.

Ledbetter told The Associated Press that Wells’ friends were cooperating with investigators.

“From the people we’ve talked to, it sounds like he chose to stay on the island with the assumption that he was going to ride back to the mainland with someone else,” Ledbetter said.

Officials said Wells’ body was discovered Monday. NPR reported that the family said a rescue team found his body the following morning after he was reported missing.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has asked the public to come forward with information from Horn Island around the time Wells disappeared. Investigators are seeking “original, unedited photos and videos taken on the northwest tip of Horn Island,” where Wells’ body was found, “particularly those depicting alleged altercations or containing images of, or believed to include Nolan Wells.”

The sheriff’s office also asked anyone who “observed or heard an argument, disturbance, or other unusual activity while on the island that day” to contact investigators. Ledbetter previously told CBS News that investigators hoped to identify the original poster of a video in which arguing can be heard in the background.

Wells, who would have turned 19 next month, attended Southwest Mississippi Community College and played wide receiver on the football team. His high school coach, Tracy Lampley, described him to CBS News as a “happy-go-lucky kid with a big smile that everybody adored and loved.” Lampley said Wells was a talented athlete, conscientious student and respectful person.

“If you got kids, you want your kids to be like Nolan,” Lampley said.

Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley, wrote on social media that the family is seeking videos and other documentation from the island.

“My heart is broken for our sweet son who was always willing to cheer and uplift others,” she said. “Nolan was a special soul, God took his time creating our son.”

Brian Trascher, national vice president of the United Cajun Navy, a volunteer group that assisted in the search, told CBS News he was flying over Horn Island when Wells’ body was found. “Shortly after, I started getting texts from my guys on the ground that they recovered who they believed to be Nolan,” he said.