The family of a junior college football player believed to have been found dead after going missing on a Fourth of July trip with friends has retained a well-known civil rights attorney.Ben Crump is representing the family of Nolan Wells, 18, of Ocean Springs, Mississippi.Investigators said a park ranger at Horn Island discovered the body around 8:45 a.m. Monday on the northwest tip of the island.Investigators believe it is Wells. The Jackson County coroner said DNA testing will officially confirm the identity but added there is no reason to believe it is not Wells. An autopsy is scheduled Tuesday.Wells went missing Saturday afternoon while on a boat trip to Horn Island off the Mississippi Gulf Coast.The sheriff says the body matched Wells’ description, and the family has also shared posts on social media confirming their loss. Wells’ mother posted on Facebook, “I want to thank our family, friends, community, United Cajun Navy, local law enforcement, and everyone involved for all the love, support, resources over the last few days. His father, our family, friends and I are absolutely devastated. My heart is broken for our sweet son who was always willing to cheer and uplift others. Nolan was a special soul.”Wells, who would have turned 19 next month according to council, was an Ocean Springs High graduate and played wide receiver for the Southwest Community College football team. Horn Island, only accessible by boat, is about 10 miles off the Gulf Coast, just east of the frequently traveled Ship Island.Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter has said the investigation remains active, and the cause of Nolan’s death has not been determined.Crump said, “They (the family) deserve the truth. We will not rest until every fact about what happened to Nolan on Horn Island is brought into the light, and we call on investigators to pursue this case with the urgency and transparency this family deserves.”
The family of a junior college football player believed to have been found dead after going missing on a Fourth of July trip with friends has retained a well-known civil rights attorney.
Ben Crump is representing the family of Nolan Wells, 18, of Ocean Springs, Mississippi.
Investigators said a park ranger at Horn Island discovered the body around 8:45 a.m. Monday on the northwest tip of the island.
Investigators believe it is Wells. The Jackson County coroner said DNA testing will officially confirm the identity but added there is no reason to believe it is not Wells. An autopsy is scheduled Tuesday.
Wells went missing Saturday afternoon while on a boat trip to Horn Island off the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
The sheriff says the body matched Wells’ description, and the family has also shared posts on social media confirming their loss. Wells’ mother posted on Facebook, “I want to thank our family, friends, community, United Cajun Navy, local law enforcement, and everyone involved for all the love, support, resources over the last few days. His father, our family, friends and I are absolutely devastated. My heart is broken for our sweet son who was always willing to cheer and uplift others. Nolan was a special soul.”
Wells, who would have turned 19 next month according to council, was an Ocean Springs High graduate and played wide receiver for the Southwest Community College football team.
Horn Island, only accessible by boat, is about 10 miles off the Gulf Coast, just east of the frequently traveled Ship Island.
Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter has said the investigation remains active, and the cause of Nolan’s death has not been determined.
Crump said, “They (the family) deserve the truth. We will not rest until every fact about what happened to Nolan on Horn Island is brought into the light, and we call on investigators to pursue this case with the urgency and transparency this family deserves.”
