Grand Jury Finds No Criminal Conduct in Nolan Wells’ Death as Family Seeks Federal Probe
After months of speculation about the mysterious death of Nolan Wells during a July 4 boating trip, a Jackson County grand jury has found no evidence of criminal or racially motivated wrongdoing in the case, according to a report released Monday by the Jackson County District Attorney’s office.
The grand jury said its comprehensive review included witness testimony, physical and digital evidence, and GPS and cellphone data. It concluded that the position, condition, time of discovery and location of Wells’ body were consistent with drowning.
But lawyers for Wells’ family said the report leaves more questions than answers. They accused District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath of ending the investigation without determining what caused blunt-force trauma to the back of Wells’ head and body, a concern raised by the family’s independent autopsy. The attorneys renewed their request that the U.S. Department of Justice conduct an independent investigation.
Family and advocates demand transparency
The grand jury’s finding is unlikely to quiet a case that has drawn national attention, fueled online speculation and raised questions about how Mississippi authorities have handled the investigation. Wells’ parents, Christine Wonsley and Elmore Wonsley, have spent months pressing for answers, appearing at national gatherings and enlisting civil rights organizations.
From the National Urban League Conference to the National Association of Black Journalists annual convention and the Congressional Black Caucus annual legislative conference, they spent the summer connecting with Black leaders and keeping their son’s memory alive.
The NAACP’s Office of General Counsel announced Aug. 17 that it had joined the legal team representing the family. Kristen Clarke, the NAACP’s general counsel, said the organization was taking up the fight to search for truth and demand transparency.
“We’re taking up this fight to search for truth and to demand transparency concerning the tragic death of Nolan Wells,” Clarke said in a statement. “Drawing on the association’s long history of pushing for full and fair investigations when Black lives are lost under suspicious circumstances, we will bring additional investigative and legal resources to bear and ensure that no stone is left unturned in the quest for truth and accountability for Nolan’s family.”
The Congressional Black Caucus also sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel, urging an independent review of the case. Wells was the only Black person in the group of friends who went to Horn Island, a remote barrier island off the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
A July 4 trip and an unanswered timeline
Wells was last seen alive around 3 p.m. on July 4. He had gone to Horn Island with a group of white friends. It was not his first trip to the island; he occasionally went there with friends. That Fourth of July weekend was his last chance to have fun before returning to school, and his parents had prepared to take him back for football camp at Southwest Mississippi Community College.
On July 3, Wells stayed at a friend’s house, where he left his car. The next day, he was seen on the island wearing blue swim trunks, no shirt and sunglasses. Wells, a general business major and football player, was 18.
Christine Wonsley did not hear from her son. Instead, a friend called her about his disappearance. She tracked his phone; when a friend retrieved it, messages had been deleted, according to the family.
Elmore Wonsley later recalled the family’s rule: if you go with a group, you stay with a group. “If you go with five, you come back with five,” he said on Good Morning America. “He knew to stay with his group, so why would he split from his group?”
Around 11 p.m. on July 4, a friend of Wells reached out to the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard determined the incident did not require its assistance, WLOX in Biloxi, Mississippi, reported. Christine Wonsley called the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department around midnight to report her son missing.
A search began July 5, involving the Department of Marine Resources, the Gulf Islands National Seashore and the United Cajun Navy, a grassroots rapid-response organization that has assisted local law enforcement. On July 6, the U.S. Parks Service found a body in the water on Horn Island. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department confirmed the discovery around 8:45 a.m. on the island’s west end. The United Cajun Navy said the search for Wells was then called off.
The next day, Jackson County Coroner Bruce Lynd Jr. confirmed that DNA tests and dental records matched Wells, WLOX reported. The cause and manner of death remain undetermined.
New audio, old questions
Newly released audio of a 911 call placed on July 4 has added to the questions. In the recording, a caller can be heard saying the boat was sinking and needed a tow, according to CNN. After a dispatcher asked a teenager what he wanted to do, he responded, “I want to get this boat unsank and towed back, yes.”
But reports about what the new audio actually reveals have conflicted, and no official account has fully explained what happened on the water or why Wells was left behind.
Official autopsy sealed as grand jury reviewed case
Before the grand jury report, Jackson County District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath said the official state autopsy results for Wells would be sealed until they were presented to a grand jury. She said authorities were taking the time needed to “complete the work this investigation demands,” according to the Mississippi Free Press. The July 23 announcement came days after family attorney Ben Crump said the college student’s cause of death was undetermined following an independent autopsy.
The family’s independent investigation was supported by Crump. Forensic pathologist Dr. Roger A. Mitchell performed the independent autopsy, which was funded by former NFL star Colin Kaepernick. Its preliminary findings could not determine a cause of death. The autopsy found red discoloration in the soft tissue of the back of Wells’ head.
A family grieves as supporters rally
Hundreds gathered in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, on July 20 for Wells’ funeral service. His parents opened the service by reflecting on their son, who would have turned 19 the next month, and what he meant to them.
“I want to give all thanks and honor and glory to God for choosing Elmore and me to be Nolan’s parents,” Christine Wonsley said at the service at Center Pointe Church. “We thank you, Lord, for the beautiful 18 years that you blessed us with him.”
“He had a way of making people feel seen, welcomed and valued,” she said. “He could lift your confidence with just a few words and make you feel like you belong.”
Between somber words, a eulogy and speeches from the Rev. Al Sharpton and Crump, there was agreement on the tragedy of Wells’ death. Sharpton pledged $50,000 from his National Action Network for leads on what happened. “There’s too many unanswered questions,” he said. “We can’t have someone in law enforcement saying there was no foul play before there was an investigation.”
Crump called for justice, repeating, “Nolan’s life mattered!” as the crowd stood in agreement several times.
Days after her son’s body was found, Christine Wonsley, holding her husband Elmore’s hand, could not hold back tears during a July 9 appearance on Good Morning America. Elmore Wonsley said their son would be deeply missed and described him as a quiet leader who was more about action than words.
Sharpton said media mogul Tyler Perry paid for the funeral services. In an Instagram post, Perry shared his own experience of fighting for answers when his nephew died in a Louisiana prison. “I know what it’s like to not have answers that loved ones so desperately need. It’s debilitating,” Perry wrote. “It is my hope that Nolan’s parents and all who knew and loved him get to the truth of what happened in Mississippi.”
National scrutiny and racial questions
The case immediately drew national attention, along with a surge of misinformation, unverified allegations and skepticism from some Black online commentators who questioned whether Mississippi officials would be transparent in their investigation.
Social media debate has also focused on Wells being the only Black person in the group. Ibram X. Kendi, the author and historian, wrote on Instagram that too many people, particularly Black people, were already criticizing Nolan for going to the island as the only Black person with his white friends, implying he should have known better or that whatever happened was his fault. “Which is exactly the outcome of internalized racist ideas: anything that happens to us is our fault,” Kendi wrote. “Not the persons who did this to us. Not the racist structure that regularly allows it.”
Some have likened the case to the mystery of Tamla Horsford’s death in 2018. Horsford, a mother of five, was found in a backyard after attending an overnight house party in Forsyth County, Georgia. She was the only Black person in the group, and her family has sought answers for years.
Local officials respond as investigation continues
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi sent condolences to the Wells family and urged law enforcement to conduct a “full, transparent, and timely investigation.” The Mississippi Chapter of the NAACP echoed that call.
“Given the deeply concerning contradictions in initial accounts, reports of prior altercations, and the unanswered questions surrounding how Nolan was left behind, we call upon the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department and all involved state and federal agencies to pursue every lead without bias or delay,” the organization said in a statement.
Jackson County Chancery Court Judge Ashlee Cole, whose family has faced accusations related to Wells’ death, took to Facebook to “dispel rumors.” She said she feared for the safety of her six children because their photographs had been widely circulated online.
Cole said neither she nor her husband were at Horn Island. Their son, Warren, was there and has been interviewed by the sheriff’s department. In her post, she said no one in their family was trying to impede the investigation. She said Warren last saw Nolan around 3 p.m. on July 4, and that they left around 4:30 p.m. when the boat was taking on water and they had an issue with the bilge pump. According to Cole, Nolan decided to stay on the island and return inland later with another group of friends.
Horn Island is a barrier island off the Mississippi coast south of Ocean Springs, where Wells is from. It is accessible only by private boat, according to the National Parks Service.
Capital B reached out to the sheriff’s department and Jackson County Coroner’s Office but did not hear back.
In a post, Christine Wonsley thanked everyone for the support, love and resources over the past few days. A family friend launched a GoFundMe, which Christine later took over, for those who want to help the family.
“His father, our family, friends and I are absolutely devastated. My heart is broken for my sweet son who was always willing to cheer and uplift others,” she wrote. “Nolan was a special soul, God took his time creating our son.”
There have been no official reports or additional information from those who were present about what happened.
This story has been updated.