Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump hired by family of missing teen found dead off Mississippi island
The family of 18-year-old Nolan Xavier Wells, whose body was recovered near Horn Island, Mississippi, has retained attorney Ben Crump as investigators continue to probe the circumstances of his death.
An 18-year-old who disappeared during a July 4 boat outing to Horn Island, Mississippi, was found dead off the coast on Monday, prompting his family to hire civil-rights lawyer Ben Crump. Crump said the family is seeking a full accounting of the events that led to Wells’ death and urged investigators to handle the case with urgency and transparency.
Wells was last seen with friends on Saturday afternoon, according to Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter. He failed to return with the group, and his mother reported him missing that night. A rescue team recovered his body the following morning, and an autopsy was scheduled for Tuesday.
Ledbetter indicated that Wells’ friends are cooperating with authorities and suggested that Wells may have chosen to remain on the island, expecting a later ride back to the mainland. Wells, who was a wide-receiver at Southwest Mississippi Community College, would have turned 19 next month. His mother posted on social media that the family is requesting any video footage or documentation from the island.