The parents of Nolan Xavier Wells and families of two other Black teenagers who died under unclear circumstances this year say they will continue seeking answers and justice. Christine and Elmore Wonsley traveled to Nashville, Tennessee, on Thursday to stand with the families of Daniel Erving and Tyler Smith, whose deaths occurred in Texas in April and Kentucky on July 4, respectively.
Attorneys for the families say each teen was in the company of mostly white groups before their deaths. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing Wells’s family, told reporters that no one has been held accountable for any of the three deaths, which he described as questionable cases.
Wells traveled by boat with white friends to Horn Island on July 4 but did not return. His body was found two days later off the island. An independent autopsy listed his cause of death as undetermined, citing the need for further investigation to rule out foul play or drowning. The results of an initial autopsy by the state medical examiner’s office have not been released.
Wells’s family has hired experts to review a dispatch call made by his friends and to analyze tidal conditions at the time of his disappearance. Crump said few outside Texas and Kentucky may know about the other two teens’ cases, which share similarities with Wells’s. Daniel Erving, a swim team member, died after going fishing with two white friends in Dallas. His death was ruled an accidental drowning, but his mother, Tameca Erving, disputes that conclusion, citing signs she says suggest otherwise.
Erving’s mother called for murder charges and plans to present her son’s case to a new grand jury. Meanwhile, Tyler Smith died of a gunshot wound to the head during a Fourth of July party in Lexington, Kentucky. Authorities deemed the death accidental, but Smith’s family disputes the finding, alleging the shooting was self-inflicted during a game of Russian roulette. They have called for gunshot residue testing, which has not yet been conducted.
Wells’s parents expressed their ongoing grief and frustration, noting they have faced character attacks amid their search for answers. Christine Wonsley emphasized they will not be distracted by negative attention, while Crump acknowledged efforts to threaten or defame others involved in the cases.
A former teammate of Wells, who was present at Horn Island, announced plans to sue for misinformation spread online that implicated him in Wells’s death. The family of Nolan Wells continues to advocate for transparency and justice as investigations remain ongoing.
State Rep. Jeffrey Hulum, a Democrat from Gulfport, cautioned against threats aimed at officials and emphasized the importance of allowing the judicial process to determine the facts. He highlighted that two autopsies have been performed and that current evidence does not support claims of murder or drowning outside the official findings.
Crump and the families stress their commitment to uncovering the truth, advocating for accountability and closure for the lives lost this year.
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
