Family of Nolan Wells seeks independent autopsy after Horn Island death

Christine and Elmore Wonsley are seeking an independent autopsy in Washington, D.C., after the death of their 18-year-old son, Nolan Wells, on Horn Island off the Mississippi coast. Colin Kaepernick helped facilitate the flight for that examination, while the family has also retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump.

The Wonsleys publicly rejected the suggestion that Wells chose to remain on the island after friends left by boat. Elmore Wonsley said Nolan "always stays with the group," while Christine Wonsley said that staying behind "that's not his character." The family believes the timeline surrounding the July 4 boating trip to Horn Island remains unsettled, and it wants investigators to account for the moments before Wells was found dead.

Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said the case is ongoing and that foul play is not currently suspected. Friends were cooperating with investigators, and detectives were working through tips, photos and video. Ledbetter said initial information suggested Wells may have chosen to stay on the island longer than his friends, a version of events the family disputes.

A friend contacted the Coast Guard around 11 p.m. on July 4, and Christine Wonsley contacted the sheriff’s office around midnight into July 5. Wells’ body was recovered on July 6 and identified through dental records by the Jackson County coroner. Wells’ phone was tracked through Life360 and later retrieved from friends, and Christine Wonsley said some texts and Snapchat messages appeared to have been deleted.

Horn Island is part of Gulf Islands National Seashore, about 10 miles south of the Mississippi mainland. It is an undeveloped wilderness barrier island with no facilities and access only by private boat. Wells was a student-athlete at Southwest Mississippi Community College and had traveled to the island with high school friends.