Nolan Wells’ family and friends detail online harassment, threats
The family and friends of Nolan Wells have been targeted online in the aftermath of the 18-year-old’s death. What happened to Wells remains a mystery.
The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) is urging the Justice Department to launch an independent federal review into the disappearance and death of 18-year-old Nolan Wells, whose family has continued to seek answers more than a month after his body was found on a Mississippi barrier island.
The request came on Wednesday, Aug. 12, a day before Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Georgia, joined Wells’ family, civil rights attorney Ben Crump and Rev. Al Sharpton at a news conference in Atlanta held alongside the National Association of Black Journalists convention, ABC News and Mississippi-based TV station WLOX reported. The CBC sent a letter Wednesday to Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel asking the department to review the case and determine whether a federal investigation is warranted.
The Justice Department confirmed to ABC News that it received the letter and “is ensuring the appropriate personnel within the Department are reviewing it carefully.” USA TODAY reached out to the Justice Department for comment on Aug. 14.
The CBC asked the department to provide a written response within seven days detailing what steps it has taken or intends to take. The lawmakers said federal involvement would not prejudge the findings of the ongoing local investigation but could provide additional investigative resources and determine whether federal laws, including civil rights laws, were implicated.
Why the CBC is calling for federal involvement
The CBC’s letter cites what lawmakers describe as a lack of transparency and unanswered questions surrounding Wells’ disappearance and death.
“More than 30 days after his disappearance and death, significant questions remain unanswered,” the letter states. The caucus said the family “deserves answers” and confidence that every available investigative resource has been used to determine what happened.
Sharpton said during Thursday’s news conference in Atlanta that Horn Island’s status as federal property was another reason federal authorities should examine the case. Horn Island is part of Gulf Islands National Seashore and is managed by the National Park Service as a federally protected wilderness area.
“There was a time that we could say if state authorities fail us, we could go to the Justice Department,” Sharpton said.
McBath, who lost her 17-year-old son Jordan Davis in a 2012 shooting in Florida, said the request was about accountability.
“We’re demanding a full federal investigation as to what has actually happened to Nolan Wells,” McBath said.
What happened to Nolan Wells?
Wells, an 18-year-old football player at Southwest Mississippi Community College, disappeared after a July 4 boat trip with friends to Horn Island, about 10 miles off the Mississippi coast. Authorities said Wells remained on the island while others returned to the mainland. His body was recovered two days later near the island’s northwestern tip.
No one has been charged in Wells’ death. Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter previously said there was no initial indication of a crime but that investigators were working to determine what happened.
A state autopsy has been completed, but its findings have not been publicly released. A private autopsy commissioned by Wells’ family determined that the cause and manner of death were “undetermined pending investigation,” according to the family’s attorney.
Local authorities have said the case will be presented to a grand jury after the sheriff’s investigation is complete. Officials have stressed that a grand jury review is standard for most unnatural or suspicious deaths in the county and does not itself indicate criminal activity.
Case has drawn threats and national attention
The investigation has also generated intense online speculation and threats against people connected to the case. Three people have been federally charged in connection with alleged threats involving a judge, witness and local officials tied to the investigation.
Meanwhile, Wells’ family continues to press for answers.
“We want the truth about what happened to Nolan,” Crump said Thursday.
Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley, said the family’s goal has not changed.
“Only thing we want to know is what happened,” she said.
Crump also announced plans for a national day of prayer for Wells on Aug. 19, what would have been his 19th birthday.
Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@usatodayco.com or on X @athompsonUSAT.