The family of Nolan Wells is still searching for answers about what happened to the 18-year-old Mississippi college student, whose body was found on Horn Island two days after he went missing during a Fourth of July boating trip.
In a new feature with New York Magazine, Wells’ parents, Christine Wells-Wonsley and Elmore Wonsley, opened up about the toll his death has taken on their family as they continue pushing for a more thorough investigation.
“We are still stuck,” Wells-Wonsley told NYM. “We’re stuck in grief. We’re stuck in questions.”
Wells’ parents believe someone may have harmed their son, citing bruises on the back of his head that an independent medical examiner described as resulting from “blunt-force injury.” However, both the county medical examiner and the independent medical examiner classified Wells’ cause and manner of death as undetermined.
Wells’ friend and former teammate, Skylan Hunter, told the outlet that the case remains a difficult subject in their community, even as people continue discussing it elsewhere.
“Nobody talks about it, but everybody knows about it,” Hunter said. “They talk about it everywhere else but here.”
Hunter also said the online attention surrounding Wells’ death has been difficult to watch, particularly when people discuss his friend as though he were simply part of an internet mystery.
“This is a real person who walked around, breathed, had emotions. He’s really gone,” Hunter said.
NYM also detailed the backlash Wells’ parents have faced as they continue seeking answers about their son’s death. The couple received hate mail and messages from anonymous social media accounts as they continue seeking answers.
Wonsley said the attacks have left him “looking at people differently.”
Despite their grief, Wells-Wonsley and Wonsley continue showing up to support their younger sons at football games. At one recent game, their youngest son scored his first touchdown.
“We cheered,” Wonsley said, “then we cried.”
A Jackson County grand jury declined to indict anyone in connection with Wells’ deaths on September 21, finding “no credible evidence to support the public allegations” against the friends who were with Wells that day.
The report described the condition of his body as “consistent with drowning,” but said the case could be investigated further if credible evidence emerges that someone harmed him. It also noted that “there is no statute of limitations on homicide cases.”
In October, Wells’ family renewed its call for a federal investigation, receiving support from lawmakers including Reps. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) and Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.). The effort followed an August push by the Congressional Black Caucus, led by Chair Yvette D. Clarke (D-N.Y.), which included more than 60 lawmakers, among them Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.).
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