Family of Teen Found Dead Off Island Retain Ben Crump

The family of an 18-year-old who was found dead after a July 4 boat trip to an island off the Gulf Coast has retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump amid an ongoing investigation into the circumstances of his disappearance. Nolan Xavier Wells' body was discovered Monday off the coast of Horn Island, Mississippi, where he was last seen with a group of friends Saturday afternoon, officials said. In a statement released Tuesday, Crump said the family is searching for answers about the events leading up to his death, the AP reports.

• "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," said Crump.

Wells traveled by boat with friends to the island Saturday but did not return with them that afternoon, according to Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter. Wells was reported missing that night by his mother. A rescue team found his body the following morning, the family said. Authorities suspect that he drowned and say there is currently no evidence of foul play, reports ABC News. An autopsy was set to be completed Tuesday. Ledbetter said Wells' friends were cooperating with the investigation. "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 tells the AP.

• Authorities are looking into a video that appears to show a large group of people arguing on Horn Island near where Wells' body was found, TMZ reports.
• "We recognize that a significant amount of information, speculation, and commentary has been shared on social media and throughout the community," the Jackson County Sheriff's Office said in a press release Tuesday. The sheriff's office urged anybody who was on or near Horn Island on July 4 to contact investigators if they saw Wells, observed any arguments or other unusual activity, or have "original, unedited photos and videos taken on the northwest tip of Horn Island on July 4, 2026, particularly those depicting alleged altercations or containing images of, or believed to include Nolan Wells."
• Wells, who would have turned 19 next month, attended Southwest Mississippi Community College, where he played wide receiver on the football team. In a social media post, his mother, Christine Wonsley, said the family is also 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."