On July 4, 2026, 18-year-old Nolan Wells went missing after attending an Independence Day gathering on Horn Island, a barrier island off the Mississippi Gulf Coast, with a group of friends. His body was discovered on the shoreline of the island two days later. Investigators initially reported that there was no evidence of foul play and that drowning was suspected. In September 2026, a grand jury declined to bring criminal charges in the case, deeming Wells' death consistent with drowning and finding no evidence of criminal conduct.
The Wells family and their attorney, Benjamin Crump, questioned the circumstances surrounding the death and alleged that the investigation was racially biased. The Wells family and their independent inquiry have received support from the black community, several celebrities, and activists. Allegations of misconduct have been denied by public officials, and Crump's involvement has been criticized by some officials, pundits, and at least one of Wells' friends and another friend's father. The case has also been subject to misinformation, conspiracy theories, harassment, and threats directed at those involved in the event.
Background Nolan Xavier Wells was born on August 19, 2007, to Christine Wells-Wonsley and was raised in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. He graduated from Ocean Springs High School in 2025. At the time of his disappearance and death, he was attending and playing football as a wide receiver at Southwest Mississippi Community College.
Disappearance The precise circumstances surrounding Wells' disappearance and death remain unclear.
On July 4, 2026, Wells and his friends went on a boat trip to Horn Island, an isolated, federally protected barrier island that sits about off the Mississippi coast in the Gulf of Mexico, where roughly 300 people, many of them former high school classmates, were gathering for the holiday. The island is accessible only via private boat, and according to the National Park Service, "there is no staff, drinking water, shelter, facilities, or communication on the island". GPS data from the boat shows its departing from the dock at the mainland at 9:56 a.m. (CST) and arriving at Horn Island at 11:14 a.m. Wells had known his friends since high school, and the group was racially and ethnically diverse and described as tight-knit by Wells' friend Tracestin Shepherd. According to the Wells family, it was not unusual for Wells and his friends to venture to this island. A photograph from that day shows Wells on a boat with his arms casually over the shoulders of friends, and he was also depicted consuming alcohol. It is unknown whether he was intoxicated on that day, but witnesses told authorities he had been drinking heavily on the island. A friend described the party on the island as getting rowdier as time went on.
Wells was recorded on a boat with two older adults at 2:23 p.m., which is the last known image or video of Wells. Ashlee Cole, a local judge, spoke on behalf of her stepson Warren Hudson, who was friends with Wells and with him on the day of his disappearance. She stated Hudson last saw Wells at 3 p.m. and that Hudson returned to the mainland around 4:30 p.m., after the boat he was on experienced problems with the bilge pump and taking on water. NBC News obtained audio showing a call to Sea Tow, a towing company, around 4 p.m., requesting assistance with the boat. The caller stated that the boat had "like seven" passengers, and when the dispatcher asked about the well-being of the passengers, he said, "Yeah, yeah everybody is on board". Hudson stated that they received assistance from another boater nearby; another of Wells' friends identified himself as having provided that assistance and as having towed the boat a short distance, after which it functioned normally. The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) states the boat was towed before resuming normal operations. Sea Tow stated they did not tow the boat after the caller informed them the issue had been resolved. GPS data shows the boat departed the island at 4:31 p.m., returned to Fort Bayou at 5:52 p.m., and docked at 6:06 p.m. Cole stated that Wells decided to stay back on the island and return with a different group of friends. This account was corroborated by another friend, Shepherd, who stated Wells stayed back because of a young woman he had met and become acquainted with. Wells' parents and another friend who was present on the island, Jayvon Williams, have suggested that Wells' separating from the friends group would be out of character. According to TMZ, sources connected with the official investigation have said Wells was seen on the island after the boat departed, and Hudson stated on The Officer Tatum Show that he had "talked to somebody personally" who saw Wells on the island around 6 p.m.
At 7:19 p.m., the boat exited the water and traveled to the owner's residence in Biloxi, Mississippi. Hudson called Wells' parents later that night, at 11 p.m., and Wells' parents reported him missing to authorities that night. The U.S. Coast Guard reported receiving a phone call from one of Wells' friends around 11 p.m. as well but that it did not "require Coast Guard assistance". Wells' parents used a tracking app to locate Wells' cell phone and his car keys with a friend on the mainland. His car was located at a different location.
Search and investigation On July 5, the Jackson County sheriff's office announced its coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard and Mississippi's Department of Marine Resources to search for Wells in the area surrounding the island. The National Park Service and the United Cajun Navy also assisted in the search.
On the morning of July 6, Wells' body was discovered along the shoreline of the island by a park ranger, and he was identified using dental records. Jackson County sheriff John Ledbetter stated there were no signs of foul play and he suspected drowning as a possible circumstance of death. It has been noted that the area is known for strong and potentially dangerous currents. Todd Terrell, president of the United Cajun Navy, stated Wells was discovered "face down" and "fully clothed" in an area not far from rip currents. Terrell later clarified that Wells was clothed only in his swim trunks after Crump questioned why Wells would be fully clothed, considering he was last pictured shirtless, shoeless, and with swim trunks on. Jackson County coroner Bruce Lynd said there were no obvious signs of physical injury, though the official autopsy and toxicology report, performed by the Mississippi Medical Examiner's Office, had not been completed at that time. On July 30, it was reported that the autopsy had been completed.
The Jackson County District Attorney's Office stated that the autopsy and the results of the investigation, once completed, would be presented to a grand jury, which is standard for most unnatural or suspicious deaths. District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath has stated key pieces of evidence regarding the case, including the autopsy, would not be publicly disclosed until after being presented to the grand jury to ensure the integrity of the legal process.
On September 22, 2026, it was reported that that grand jury had found no evidence of criminal conduct and declined to bring charges related to Wells' death. The cause of death was undetermined by the state medical examiner, but the grand jury found Wells' death to be consistent with drowning, a "diagnosis by exclusion," considering the absence of evidence for other causes. Wells' body had two bruises, including one on the back of the head, but neither was deemed fatal. Wells family concerns and independent investigation On July 7, the Wells family retained Benjamin Crump, a civil rights attorney, to represent them as the investigation unfolds. In August, the NAACP joined the legal team for the family. The family has stated they believe race is factoring into how the death is being investigated, and Crump has stated the family is skeptical about Wells staying on the island without his cell phone, and insist he was a strong swimmer. Crump has stated there are contradictions in what has been reported by those at the party. He states the young woman Wells had been with at the party said he had returned to the boat with the other boys, which he believes contradicts the boys' account of the day.
The family retrieved Wells' cell phone on the night of July 4 from a friend of his on the mainland, after using a tracking app. Wells' aunt looked through the phone and found no photographs or videos on Wells' Snapchat from that day, which they considered unusual because of his typical social media activity. They speculated that things may have been deleted from the phone. Regarding Wells leaving behind his phone while on the island, Crump questioned this narrative. However, Shepherd told ABC News that it was not unusual for people to leave their phones behind in boats in parties of this nature, saying, "All our friends are out there. Who are we communicating with? And we're in salt water. We're not in fresh water" and that Wells had left his phone on the "[boat] dash with probably 15 other phones".
Crump has circulated a video appearing to show an argument that had taken place on the island and a separate photograph of Wells in a swimming pool with a group of people on the mainland. On a social media post, Crump suggested that Wells could have returned to the mainland early on July 5, then died, and his body disposed of in the ocean to be discovered on July 6. He also says he has received tips that Wells was involved in a confrontation on the island. However, Shepherd stated the photograph in the pool was taken on June 27, not July 4. Crump states that in the video Wells says, "Give me my freaking phone! What are you freaking doing?". Sheriff Ledbetter has said the video is being considered in the investigation. Shepherd told ABC News the voice that appears in the video is him, not Wells, and that Wells does not appear in the video. Furthermore, Shepherd stated the confrontation involved himself, not Wells, and another man over Shepherd's girlfriend, and Rolling Stone says Shepherd's account of the confrontation has been corroborated by Shepherd's girlfriend and by his uncle, both of whom were present on the island. Shepherd further stated the figure identified as Wells in the video is not him (Wells was nearby, off frame), while Jayvon Williams said the voice in the video was not Wells but he was unable to determine if the figure was Wells or not. Both Williams and Shepherd are black or biracial.
Crump and the family ordered a second, independent autopsy in Washington, D.C. and hired an expert to determine if anything was deleted from his cell phone.
On July 20, Wells' family sent spoliation letters, stating an intention to sue and demanding certain categories of evidence be preserved, to many of Wells' friends and their parents.
On July 22, the results of the independent autopsy were published. The autopsy was performed by forensic pathologist Dr. Roger A. Mitchell Jr., the president of Howard University Hospital. He found no signs of bone fracture or deep tissue injuries, but noted "red discoloration" on the back of Wells' skull, of which he could not determine the cause. He was unable to determine the manner of death, and could not rule out "non-accidental factors" without further investigation. The autopsy had limiting factors due to the state of decomposition and the fact that a past autopsy had already been performed. Wells' lungs and neck structures had already been removed from the state autopsy, which is not unusual practice. Nonetheless, it made it impossible for Mitchell to determine if he had injuries to his neck or if water had entered his lungs.