Ben Crump hired after teen found dead on Horn Island trip

Nolan Wells was found dead off Horn Island two days after a July 4 boat trip with friends. His family has hired civil rights attorney Ben Crump.

Jackson County authorities are still investigating and do not currently suspect foul play.

Wells was last seen around 3 p.m. on July 4 on Horn Island, a remote barrier island about 10 miles long and less than a mile wide off the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said Wells had gone to the island by boat with friends to celebrate the holiday, but he did not return to the mainland with them that afternoon. Ledbetter said Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley, reported him missing later that night.

His body was discovered Monday, July 6, at the northwestern tip of Horn Island after a search that drew in the U.S. Coast Guard, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, the National Park Service, the Gulf Islands National Seashore and other local agencies. Jackson County coroner Bruce Lynd confirmed dental records identified the body as Wells. An autopsy was performed Tuesday, July 7, but the results were not immediately made public.

Ledbetter said Wells’ friends are cooperating and that Wells chose to remain on Horn Island with the assumption he would ride back to the mainland with someone else. Ledbetter said investigators want original, unedited photos and videos taken on the northwest tip of Horn Island, especially any showing alleged altercations or including Wells, along with any witnesses who saw or interacted with him near the island that day.

Crump said the family is searching for the truth and called for a thorough, transparent investigation. “We will not rest until every fact about what happened to Nolan on Horn Island is brought into the light,” he said.

Horn Island has no facilities, was designated a wilderness area in 1978 and is one of the few undeveloped barrier islands on the Gulf Coast. Wells, a 2025 graduate of Ocean Springs High School, played wide receiver at Southwest Mississippi Community College.