Staff and Wire Report
PASCAGOULA, Mississippi – Despite intense public and social media interest in the mysterious death of college football player Nolan Wells, the criminal investigation will not be rushed, officials said this week.
In an ABC-News interview July 13, Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said the investigation must prioritize accuracy over speed, according to a Black Information Network report.
“Nolan Wells’ family deserves a thorough and factual investigation, and that’s exactly what they’re going to get,” he said. “I think it is important that we do not put ourselves on a timetable and we do not rush ourselves, but I also think it is important to be diligent in gathering all of the facts.”
It has now been 10 days since Wells, 18, was reportedly last seen on Horn Island on July 4. Earlier that day, he took a boat trip with three white friends to enjoy the holiday weekend on an island off Mississippi’s Gulf Coast. After celebrating on the island with other teenagers, the friends returned hours later. Wells, the only Black teen on the trip, reportedly never did.
Two days later, his body washed ashore near Horn Island, sparking intense scrutiny and curiosity about what happened and why his friends returned without him.
Adding fuel to the mystery is an unsubstantiated video circulating on social media allegedly showing Wells at a pool party after returning to the mainland from Horn Island. That video reportedly suggests that Wells died sometime after leaving the island that day.
In multiple media interviews, Wells’ parents have called their son’s death a tragedy riddled with missing details, implausible explanations and conflicting stories — especially considering Mississippi’s shadowy racial history. Skeptical, Christine and Elmore Wonsley have called for a thorough and transparent investigation into their son’s death.
“We just want to know what happened and why our baby didn’t come home,” Christine Wonsley said during a recent news conference in New York City, joined by civil rights advocates Ben Crump and the Rev. Al Sharpton, who will officiate Wells’ funeral.
Working with Crump, the family’s attorney, the Wonsleys also are calling for an independent autopsy and an independent investigation into Wells death.
Considering all the inconsistencies, curiosities and unanswered questions in the case, Christine Wonsley told CNN anchor Laura Coates July 14: “This is really starting not to feel right.”
For his part, Ledbetter said he welcomed the independent autopsy.
“By all means, that’s more information looking into the death of Nolan that will be made available and another set of eyes looking at it,” he told Good Morning America last week.
Meanwhile, Ledbetter confirmed that Jackson County investigators are working alongside the local District Attorney’s Office, though he noted that the collaboration does not necessarily indicate a crime occurred.
In an interview with WLOX-TV in Mississippi, Ledbetter also confirmed that investigators have been in contact with the FBI.
“This investigation is active. It’s ongoing,” he said.
The investigation faces real logistical challenges. Horn Island reportedly has no surveillance cameras and limited cell service, making eyewitness accounts and voluntarily submitted photos and videos among the most critical tools available to investigators.
As a result, Ledbetter is urging anyone with knowledge of the case to continue share that information with police. Every piece of information matters, he said, even details that might seem minor.
“Even if you may think that it might be insignificant — every little bit helps, and that may be a bigger contribution than you think to this case,” he said.
He added that the public’s response so far has been significant.
“This recent week, we got a lot of valuable information that has come from the public. We put out a call-to-action last week for that information, and it has been very productive for us,” he told the outlet.
Ledbetter also addressed the range of rumors circulating online about the circumstances surrounding Wells’ death, including speculation about whether substance abuse may have played a role.
Friends of Wells, including Tracestin Shepherd, have said the group spent time on Horn Island swimming and drinking alcohol that day. Those and other rumors “have been brought to our attention and it’s investigators’ job to run down each one.” Ledbetter said.
“We act on the information that we get, and we’re looking for factual information, witness, firsthand witness knowledge that we could use to this case,” he said.
The official autopsy was conducted July 7, while toxicology testing and final findings could take several weeks.
