An ongoing investigation is underway after the body of 18-year-old Nolan Xavier Wells was found Monday at the northwestern tip of Horn Island, a barrier reef off Mississippi’s coast accessible only by boat. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department said Wells was last seen on a boat with friends around 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 4.
Search, recovery and pending results
Wells’ mother reported him missing after he did not return with the group that left Horn Island, and agencies including the National Park Service, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and the U.S. Coast Guard assisted in a two-day search. A U.S. park ranger located the body on Monday, according to statements relayed by the family’s attorney.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| July 4 | Wells last seen boating with friends near Horn Island, about 3 p.m. |
| Night of July 4 | Wells’ mother reports him missing after he does not return with the group |
| July 6 (Monday) | Body found at northwestern tip of Horn Island; identification confirmed by coroner |
The Jackson County Coroner’s Office confirmed that the recovered body was identified as Wells. Officials have not released a cause of death; autopsy and toxicology results are pending.
Questions from family and legal team
The family has retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who has publicly stated they do not accept that Wells’ death was an accidental drowning. Crump also noted the racial context the family and community see in the case.
“You had this 18-year-old kid who went out celebrating on the Fourth of July with his friends on a boat, and tragically, they all came back, but Nolan didn’t, and Nolan was the only African American in the group, and so it is like making people harken back to the sins of the past in the state of Mississippi.”
Law enforcement says friends are cooperating with investigators. Officials have not released the names of those aboard the vessel or further details about the boat trip.
Local impact and next steps
Horn Island is part of the barrier islands that line Mississippi’s coast and is reachable only by boat, which complicates shoreline searches and recovery efforts. The outcome of the coroner’s autopsy and toxicology testing will determine whether the death is ruled accidental or if further criminal investigation is warranted.
- Authorities involved: Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, U.S. National Park Service, Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, U.S. Coast Guard.
- Pending: Autopsy and toxicology reports; any additional public statements from investigators or the coroner.
- Family position: The family, represented by Ben Crump, disputes an accidental-drowning finding.
As the investigation proceeds, officials have urged anyone with information about the July 4 outing or the boat’s activities to contact the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. The community is watching for formal findings that will clarify how a young person ended up missing from a holiday outing and later recovered from the island’s shore.
