Mississippi Sheriff’s Office Investigates Death of 18-Year-Old After Fourth of July Boat Trip
Police are probing the death of Nolan Wells, 18, who was found dead after disappearing on a July 4 outing to Horn Island, with authorities urging the public not to spread unverified information.
Jackson County, Mississippi – The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office is leading an investigation into the death of 18-year-old Nolan Xavier Wells, who was last seen alive on Horn Island during a Fourth of July boat trip with friends. Wells’s mother reported him missing that night, and his body was recovered on Monday after a multi-agency search.
Sheriff John Ledbetter told the Associated Press that friends of Wells are cooperating and that “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.” He added that a “significant amount of information, speculation and commentary” is circulating on social media and asked the public to refrain from sharing unverified details that could impede the investigation. The sheriff also urged anyone with relevant observations, photos, videos, or knowledge of any disturbance on the island to contact his office.
The family has retained civil-rights attorney Ben Crump, who issued a statement calling for a thorough and transparent investigation. Crump’s office noted that Wells did not return to the mainland with his group and was last seen on the island around 3 p.m. Wells was a student and football player at Southwest Mississippi Community College.