Everything we know about South MS college student Nolan Wells’ death so far
The search for 18-year-old Nolan Wells, who was reported missing over the holiday weekend, came to a tragic end Tuesday after officials confirmed a body recovered near Horn Island as his.
Jackson County Coroner Bruce Lynd Jr. said the State Medical Examiner’s Office identified the body using dental records.
“My heart (is) broken for my sweet son who was always willing to cheer and uplift others,” Christine Wonsley, Wells’ mother, said in a July 6 post on Facebook. “Nolan was a special soul, God took his time creating our son. I ask that you please give me and my family time to grieve.”
The investigation into Wells’ death remains ongoing, authorities said.
Here’s what we know so far.
Who was Nolan Wells?
Nolan Wells — a rising sophomore at Southwest Mississippi Community College in Summit, where he played on the football team — was remembered by family and friends as friendly, kind and easy-going.
Sharriod Whitehead, a teammate of Wells on the Ocean Springs High School football team, described Wells as “the most respectful” person he knew. “He loves to help and is always happy,” Whitehead told the Sun Herald.
Wells planned to be back at school July 6 to practice for the upcoming football season, friends told the Sun Herald.
“The entire Southwest family is heartbroken as we mourn the tragic loss of Nolan Wells,” Steve Bishop, dean of Southwest Mississippi Community College said in a July 6 statement. “We remember Nolan as a well respected young man who was very popular among friends and faculty. We loved Nolan, and he will be greatly missed.”
When was Wells reported missing?
Wells was reported missing by his mother, Christine Wonsley, on July 4 after not returning home from an outing with friends on Horn Island celebrating Independence Day, the Sun Herald reported.
Wells was on a private boat traveling to the barrier island with a group of friends, Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter told the Sun Herald. The boat left from a dock in St. Martin or Gulf Hills, he said.
Officials from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department, the United States Coast Guard, the Gulf Islands National Seashore, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and the United Cajun Navy searched around Horn Island, where he was last seen around 3 p.m. July 4, by water and air.
Wells’ friend, 17-year-old Jayvon Williams, told the Sun Herald Wells was visiting with a girl and other friends in the crowd that day. They rode out on different boats, and he last saw Wells last after 4 p.m. July 4, Williams said.
On July 6, search crews recovered a body matching Wells’ description around the western tip of Horn Island, Ledbetter told the Sun Herald.
The coroner was taken by boat to the island, and on July 7, the body found was confirmed as Wells using dental records, the Sun Herald reported.
The investigation is ongoing, officials said.
How to help in South MS
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department is asking witnesses with firsthand information to call them at 228-769-3065 to speak with investigators as they continue to investigate Wells’ death.
“This is still a very active investigation,” Ledbetter told the Sun Herald on July 7, adding that investigators are in the process of collecting information.
The sheriff’s department is asking witnesses for the following information:
- Original videos
- Original audio
- Original photographs
- Firsthand witness accounts
A family friend has created a GoFundMe account in memory of Wells, his mother, Christine Wonsley, said in a July 6 Facebook post.
The account is asking for donations in memory of Wells.
“This is the one and only official GoFundMe,” Wonsley said.
