Judge addresses rumors regarding her family, Nolan Wells death investigation
Chancery Judge Ashlee Cole wrote a public post on social media to “dispel some rumors with facts” surrounding the investigation into the death of Nolan Xavier Wells.
Cole’s statement comes after Wells 18, accompanied her son and two other young men on a July 4 trip to Horn Island, where he disappeared. A National Park Service ranger found Wells’ body in the water off the western tip of Northwest Horn Island two days later.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the death.
The Sun Herald has also reached out to Cole for any additional comments.
Since the investigation began, the Wells family has hired high-profile civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump to represent them.
Wells was Black and went to the island on a boat with white friends, including Cole and her husband’s son. Since then, speculation about his death has been rampant on social media, prompting Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter to urge the public to call investigators only with firsthand information.
Cole began by expressing condolences to Wells’ family.
“Our family, along with the community, grieves the loss of Nolan Wells. Our thoughts and prayers are with Nolan’s family,” she wrote. “Our son, Warren, loved Nolan dearly.”
She also addressed speculation surrounding her decision to initially shut down her Facebook account.
Cole said she deleted the account because of what she described as “the very heightened emotional state of social media right now” and out of concern for the safety and privacy of her children.
“My husband and I have six children, and we covet their privacy,” she wrote. “We do not believe it is appropriate for our minor children’s photographs to be circulated throughout the Internet, presenting potential threats to their safety.”
Cole said she graduated from high school with Wells’ mother, Christine Wells-Wonsley, and emphasized that her family continues to support the Wells family.
“We are from the same community,” Cole said. “I have the utmost respect for her and all of the Wells family. We mourn the loss of Nolan with them.”
Cole also denied rumors involving her family, saying neither she nor her husband was at Horn Island “at any point” on July 4.
She said no one in her family has attempted “to impede with the investigation by law enforcement or to otherwise hamper the family and law enforcement’s quest for answers.”
Cole said her son, Warren, fully cooperated with investigators after returning from the island.
“Warren was interviewed by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department and cooperated fully,” she wrote. “He last saw Nolan around 3 p.m. on July 4.”
According to Cole, the group left the island without Wells, at around 4:30 p.m. after their boat began taking on water because of problems with the bilge pump.
“Nolan made a decision to stay on the island and return later with another group of friends,” she wrote.
Cole also addressed her position as a judge and defended her decision to temporarily deactivate her social media account on Facebook.
“Yes, I am a judge,” she wrote. “I also value transparency. I apologize if anyone was offended that I deleted my social media. There were no nefarious motivations in my deleting my social media. Social media has a lot of positives, but a whole lot of negatives. We live in a world of click-baiting. Sad, but true.”
She concluded by saying her family hopes the public’s attention returns to Wells’ loved ones.
“My family is hopeful that this information will help redirect the attention to the Wells family, their grief and their need for our community’s support,” she wrote.
Meanwhile, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department is continuing the death investigation.
Jackson County Coroner Bruce Lynd Jr. said the cause of death for Wells is still pending.
Wells disappeared after failing to return home from the July 4 trip to the barrier island. He traveled there by private boat with a group of friends, including Cole’s son. The boat launched from a dock in the St. Martin or Gulf Hills area, Ledbetter said.
Investigators have said witnesses reported the original group left Horn Island without Wells after he decided to remain behind. One witness said Wells wanted to stay to talk with a girl and other friends.
Another friend who was on the island with others told investigators he last saw Wells on the island around 4 p.m.
“Our investigation includes interviewing all the parties involved,” Ledbetter said. “We are still in the process of doing that. It’s going to be ongoing; it’s not going to be a single interview.”
Staff Write Anita Lee contributed to this report.
