The family of 18-year-old Nolan Wells has retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump as law enforcement seeks information after Wells’ body was found on Horn Island, Crump’s office said Tuesday.
Wells went missing while visiting the barrier island with friends on July 4, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department said. The department said the body was found Monday morning and that the case remains under investigation.
In a press release, Crump said he took the case to ensure a thorough and transparent investigation. “Nolan Wells was a beloved son, teammate, and friend who went out to celebrate the Fourth of July and never came home,” Crump said. “His family deserves answers. They deserve the truth.” Crump’s firm, based in Tallahassee, Florida, has handled high-profile civil rights cases, the firm said.
Sheriff John Ledbetter urged the public to share any information that could aid investigators and cautioned against spreading unverified claims on social media. “Our investigators are working to establish the facts through eyewitness accounts, physical evidence, and other reliable information,” Ledbetter said.
The sheriff’s department said Wells’ body was taken to the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy and that no cause of death has been determined. Wells’ family confirmed via social media that the body found on Horn Island was his and said he graduated from Ocean Springs High School and played wide receiver at Southwest Mississippi Community College. Anyone with information can contact the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department at (228) 769-3065 during business hours or (228) 769-3063 after hours, the department said.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
