Key Takeaways
- A Mississippi grand jury declined to bring criminal charges after finding insufficient evidence to prosecute anyone in connection with Nolan Wells’ death.
- His family, joined by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, renewed calls on Oct. 5 for the FBI and Justice Department to investigate his death.
- A verified 292-page forensic report includes communications from 29 group chats and private Snapchat messages recovered from Wells’ phone.
A private conversation about attending Nolan Wells’funeral has surfaced in newly released records. The exchange shows how some of his friends discussed handling public scrutiny following his death. Other messages recovered from Wells’ phone also reveal discussions about the investigation, police questioning and accusations of a cover-up.
According to PEOPLE, which verified a 292-page forensic report commissioned by Wells’ family and prepared by Garrett Discovery, the records include communications from 29 group chats and private Snapchat messages. The exchanges capture conversations that continued after Wells disappeared during a Fourth of July gathering on Mississippi’s Horn Island.
On July 14, as public criticism of his predominantly White friend group intensified, one participant wrote, “We need to go to Nolan’s funeral and get with all our other Black friends to prove a statement for the media.” The message came amid online allegations that members of the group were concealing information about his disappearance. Less than an hour later, another participant suggested checking with Wells’ mother, Christine Wells-Wonsley, to see whether she would be comfortable with them attending the service.
What the newly released messages reveal about the Nolan Wells investigation
Earlier conversations show the group trying to reconstruct Wells’ final known movements. In a July 5 message, one person claimed the student-athlete had been hanging out with the group before leaving with another individual around 6 p.m. The person wrote, “He came and was hanging out with us and around us; he never disappeared with [redacted] when it was time to leave around like 6. He got off our boat with this other guy and [they] started walking back to their boat.”
That same day, a participant wrote, “There is def some sus s**t going on.” Someone else questioned why Wells would have left his phone behind if he planned to return with another person: “If he was gone ride with somebody else, why would he leave his phone on the boat?”
As police began contacting members of the group, their discussions turned toward handling questioning. On July 6, one participant advised seeking legal counsel, writing that “The smart move is to ask for an attorney and that doesn’t mean we’re guilty, [it's] just smart so we don’t get played by some [potentially biased] cop.” Other messages urged restraint: “Don’t speculate about s**t y’all” and “Just stick to what you know happened.” The exchanges also included expressions of grief, concern for Wells and support for his family, per PEOPLE.
Nolan Wells’ family continues pushing for federal investigation
Wells, who played wide receiver in college, was found dead on July 6, two days after traveling to Horn Island with friends. A Mississippi grand jury later declined to bring criminal charges, finding insufficient evidence to prosecute anyone in connection with his death.
Although the grand jury described the circumstances surrounding his body as consistent with drowning, both the state's chief medical examiner and a forensic pathologist hired by his family classified his cause and manner of death as undetermined.
As REVOLT previously reported, civil rights attorney Ben Crump joined Wells’ parents on Oct. 5 to renew calls for the FBI and Justice Department to investigate. The family has continued questioning the circumstances surrounding his death, including reported injuries documented during the autopsy and evidence recovered from his phone.
The newly publicized messages offer another look at what people close to the Ocean Springs High School graduate were discussing as the search, investigation and public scrutiny unfolded. They do not, however, resolve what happened during his final hours.