Ben Crump talks about Nolan Wells’ death investigation in new interview
Nationally known civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump provided an update on the independent investigation his law firm is conducting into the death of Nolan Xavier Wells, an 18-year-old who was found dead after a July 4 trip to Horn Island with three friends.
Crump made the remarks in an interview with independent journalist and former CNN anchor Don Lemon.
Wells’ body was found Monday off Horn Island, two days after his mother, Christine Wonsley, reported him missing Saturday evening when he failed to return from the island.
Wells, 18, of Ocean Springs, was Black and went to the island on a boat with three white friends. Since then, speculation about his death has spread on social media.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department is still investigating. Sheriff John Ledbetter has urged the public to call investigators only with firsthand information, including original videos and photos from the island that day. He said the case remains under investigation.
The State Medical Examiner’s Office in Mississippi performed an autopsy on Wells this week, but the results are pending.
Since then, Crump said Wells’ body was released to the family and flown to Washington, D.C., for an independent autopsy.
During the interview, Crump said Wells’ parents are frustrated because investigators have not told them whether they believe foul play was involved in their son’s death.
“They’re not telling the family anything about whether it was foul play or not,” Crump said.
He said the family’s primary concern is ensuring investigators conduct a thorough investigation.
“They’re not telling the family anything about whether it was foul play or not, and so that’s why the family is so desperate for answers because they’re saying, ‘We don’t want you to just wrap up this investigation and say, “Oh, well, it was just an accident,” and sweep it under the rug.’”
Crump said his team has arranged for an independent autopsy in addition to the examination conducted by Mississippi authorities. He said Wells’ body was flown to Washington, D.C., for the autopsy and that he expects to receive the results Friday.
For now, Crump said the family has received few answers. He also said Wells’ parents have concerns about their son’s cellphone after learning that several messages had allegedly been deleted. According to Crump, the three young men who returned from Horn Island had Wells’ cellphone with them. They have said Wells stayed behind to talk with a girl and another group of friends.
“They said it’s very improbable that Nolan would not have wanted his cellphone with him if he was going to stay on the island,” Crump said.
Since taking the case, Crump said his legal team has spent time interviewing family members, friends and others who were on Horn Island during the July 4 weekend.
“We have been staying up late with the family, talking to people who were there on the Fourth of July, trying to piece together what really happened to Nolan Wells, what caused a healthy young college athlete ... to end up dead, washed up on the shore,” Crump said.
Crump said the Wells’ family “are still in disbelief.”
“It’s like they are in a nightmare, and they can’t wake up,” he said.
He said Wells’ parents continue to struggle with how their son died just days before he was scheduled to return to football at Southwest Mississippi Community College in Summit. According to Crump, Wells had been training for workouts and hoped to earn an opportunity to move from a Division II program to a Division I program.
“They are just shocked that within 48 hours of one of the most consequential days of his life, this would happen,” Crump said.
Crump also addressed reports of an alleged altercation on the island. He said his team is still investigating that and all other aspects of the case
“We have investigators talking to some of his friends, and we’re gathering information,” Crump said. “As we get that information, we will share it because we want to be transparent. We don’t want to speculate, but we want to investigate, and that’s very critical
Crump has handled multiple cases in Mississippi, including the case of a 15-year-old shot by Gulfport police in 2022. Crump has represented other families of Black people killed by police across the U.S., including Breonna Taylor, Trayvon Martin, George Floyd and others.
The death of Wells, a standout athlete and popular teenager on the Coast, has made national news, with stories by Ebony, TMZ and the New York Post.
Staff Writer Anita Lee contributed to this report.
