The family of a teenage boy who was found dead on an island in Mississippi has taken legal action just days after his body was discovered.

Nolan Xavier Wells was just 18 when he went on a Fourth of July boat trip with his friends to Horn Island, a barrier island around 10 miles off the state's Gulf Coast.

The teenager mysteriously disappeared on the group's travels, and while the rest of the group returned on Independence Day, Wells never did.

His mother reported him missing and asked for help on social media, prompting a search that ended with the discovery of his body on Monday.

Wells' family confirmed on Facebook that it was the college student's body, and they have now taken action, appointing civil rights attorney Ben Crump.

Wells with friends on a boat during July 4 celebrations. Credit: Facebook

Civil rights attorney makes statement

Crump released a statement on Tuesday, explaining that the family is searching for answers about events leading to his death.

He stated: "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 civil rights attorney was also recently retained by the family of a Mississippi family whose one-year-old was killed when police fired into a moving car.

After Wells' body was found on Monday, an autopsy was set to be completed the following day.

Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said that the teenager's friends were cooperating with the investigation.

"From the people we've talked to, it sounds like he chose to stay on the island with the assumption that he was going to ride back to the mainland with someone else," Ledbetter told The Associated Press.

Nolan Xavier Wells disappeared from Horn Island, Mississippi, on the Fourth of July weekend. Credit: Facebook

Investigation remains ongoing

In a social media post, his mother, Christine Wonsley, said the family is seeking videos and other documentation from the island.

"My heart is broken for our sweet son who was always willing to cheer and uplift others," she said. "Nolan was a special soul, God took his time creating our son."

"His father, our family, friends and I are absolutely devastated," she penned. "Nolan was a special soul, God took his time creating our son. I ask that you all please give me and my family privacy as we grieve. Thank you all again. God bless."

Officials have not released a cause of death, and investigators have not publicly confirmed what happened to Wells after he was last seen.

The 18-year-old had recently completed his first year at Southwest Mississippi Community College and would have celebrated his 19th birthday next month.

He was expected to return to campus on Monday to begin preparations for the upcoming football season.

Featured image credit: Facebook

A chilling conspiracy theory has spread across social media following the tragic death of 18-year-old Nolan Xavier Well.

Wells, an 18-year-old boy from Mississippi, disappeared after traveling to Horn Island, a barrier island around 10 miles off the state's Gulf Coast, with a group of friends on July 4, The Guardian reported.

While the rest of the group returned home that evening, Wells never made it back, leading his mother to report him missing and plead for help on social media.

Nolan Xavier Wells disappeared from Horn Island, Mississippi, on the Fourth of July weekend. Credit: Facebook

Her appeal led to a massive two-day search that sparked national attention before coming to a heartbreaking end on Monday (July 6), when a body was found on the island.

The following day, Wells' mother, Christine Wonsley, confirmed on Facebook that the body was her son's.

"His father, our family, friends and I are absolutely devastated," she penned. "Nolan was a special soul, God took his time creating our son. I ask that you all please give me and my family privacy as we grieve. Thank you all again. God bless."

Viral video fuels online speculation

Following the discovery of Wells' body, an alarming video allegedly filmed on Horn Island on the Fourth of July began circulating online.

The clip appears to show several people involved in a heated confrontation near the shoreline, while boats are lined up along the beach.

A crowd can also be seen gathering and looking toward one area of the island.

Some online users have claimed the video shows Wells or captures a fight linked to his disappearance.

However, police have not confirmed those claims, and investigators have not said whether the footage has any connection to the case.

Officials are continuing to ask anyone who was on Horn Island on July 4 to come forward with any photos, videos, or information that could assist the investigation.

The person who shared the footage speaks out

The person who uploaded the video to Facebook claimed it was recorded at 4:01PM on the north side of the west tip of Horn Island.

"We were parked right next to the boat Nolan was allegedly on," the post read. "Hope this helps in any way."

"This was immediately after the big fight that broke out up on the shore," they added, per the outlet.

The individual said that they were unsure whether Wells could be seen in the footage, but encouraged anyone able to slow the video down to examine it more closely.

Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter confirmed to TMZ that investigators are aware of the circulating footage.

Wells with friends on a boat during July 4 celebrations. Credit: Facebook

Investigation remains ongoing

Officials have not released a cause of death, and investigators have not publicly confirmed what happened to Wells after he was last seen.

The 18-year-old had recently completed his first year at Southwest Mississippi Community College and would have celebrated his 19th birthday next month.

He had been expected to return to campus on Monday to begin preparations for the upcoming football season.

Before college, Wells played football at Ocean Springs High School, where those who knew him remembered him for much more than his athletic ability.

"We are devastated by Nolan's passing," Ocean Springs head football coach Jake Bramlett said. "He was the kind of son, teammate, friend and student that every coach hopes to have in a program."

"Nolan was so much more than an outstanding football player. He carried himself with humility, treated others with respect, worked hard, and led by example.

"His character spoke louder than his accomplishments, and he was loved deeply by his teammates and coaches. Our football family is grieving alongside Nolan’s parents, family, friends, classmates, teammates, and all who loved him," he added.

Southwest Mississippi Community College President Dr. J. Steven Bishop also paid tribute to the freshman.

"The entire Southwest family is heartbroken as we mourn the tragic loss of Nolan Wells," Bishop told WLOX. "We remember Nolan as a well-respected young man who was very popular among friends, faculty, and staff... We loved Nolan, and he will be greatly missed in many ways."

The investigation into Wells' death remains ongoing.

Featured image credit: Facebook

One of the many people involved in the search mission for a young football star who disappeared during Fourth of July celebrations has revealed some of the tragic details about the rescue operation.

During a boat excursion with friends to Horn Island, a barrier island off the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, Nolan Xavier Wells went missing, and a major search operation was launched on Independence Day.

After he failed to return home that evening, Nolan’s mother, Christine Wonsley, reported her son as missing to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and pleaded for people on social media to share any information or pictures they had of the trip with her.

Nolan went missing after celebrating July 4th with friends. Credit: GoFundMe

On Facebook, the distraught mother wrote: “We have so many questions. Our hearts are breaking; we keep waiting for Nolan to walk through that door with his beautiful smile and a joke of course.”

Hours after Nolan was reported missing, Wonsley contacted United Cajun Navy volunteer Josh Gill and asked for the organisation's help with the search.

Volunteer emergency services rushed to help with the search

The heroic volunteer told the U.S. Sun: “When I got notification of him missing from the family and then from the mother, we had surface vessels, that’s boats that were in the area starting to search.

“We also had two drones that were in the air, as well as boots on the ground on the island doing a manual walk to look for Nolan there.”

According to Gill, the island where the promising 18-year-old football star who was due to play at Southwest Mississippi Community College in the fall went missing is a very popular destination for boaters, fishermen, and recreational boaters.

While there were thousands of people around and the sea was fairly calm, the northwest of the island where Nolan was reportedly last seen sometimes had “increased tidal” activity.

Nolan was set to start playing football at college in the fall. Credit: Facebook / Christine Wonsley

Gill said: "There is a pretty heavy tidal surge and tidal movement on that portion of the island where they were at. It’s a pass between two islands. So, there’s increased tidal influence there, along with wind and wave action.

“Conditions can change rapidly there. It’s not exceptionally deep, which calls for the ability for conditions to change quickly.”

Nolan was last seen on the island at around 3PM on Saturday after his friends went back to the mainland, leaving him behind.

Nolan was found dead two days after he went missing

Sadly, the rescue operation came to a halt on Monday morning when a National Park Service member found a body that resembled Nolan.

While an autopsy is needed to determine the identity of the body, Wonsley confirmed the body was her son’s on social media in a heartbreaking statement thanking the emergency services.

She tragically also wrote: “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, God took his time creating our son.”

Featured image credit: Facebook / Christine Wonsley

Nolan Wells’ friend has spoken publicly to dispute claims surrounding a viral beach fight video, insisting the footage has been widely misinterpreted and that many of the assumptions circulating online are wrong.

The clip, which spread across social media after the 18-year-old football player disappeared, quickly became the focus of online speculation.

What have the claims suggested?

Wells with friends on a boat during July 4 celebrations. Credit: Facebook

Many viewers claimed they could hear Wells arguing moments before his death, while others believed he was visible on the beach because one of the young men in the footage appeared to be wearing blue swim trunks similar to the pair Wells had been wearing that day.

However, Tracestin Shepherd says that's not what happened.

Speaking to Rolling Stone, Shepherd claimed Wells does not appear in the video at all, adding that the voice many people have attributed to Wells actually belongs to him.

According to Shepherd, the confrontation on July 4 began after he and his girlfriend started arguing while standing waist-deep in the water off Horn Island, Mississippi.

He said another man, who wasn't part of their group, interrupted the argument, causing tensions to escalate.

"I told him he needed to mind his own business," Shepherd recalled.

The disagreement allegedly turned physical, prompting Shepherd's uncle to order him back onto the family's boat so they could leave the area.

Despite that, Shepherd admitted he wanted to continue the fight while friends remained on the beach.

"At that point, another adult on a nearby boat started filming" the footage that would later go viral after Wells disappeared.

Friend speaks out about viral video

Addressing the clip directly, Shepherd said: "In that video, you hear somebody yelling – that is me."

He added: "It's me yelling – my exact wording is, 'Get me off this f****** boat.' I wanted to fight, and I'd felt like I hadn't had my fair share."

His account was reportedly supported by his girlfriend, his uncle and a family friend who all witnessed the incident.

One unnamed family friend told Rolling Stone: "He want[ed] to get off the boat and go fight the dude who he got into it with."

The friend added: "Nobody knows what Tracestin was saying better than me because he was screaming it in my face."

As online theories continued to spread, many social media users claimed the person seen standing on the shoreline was Wells because of the blue swim trunks.

Shepherd strongly rejected that suggestion, arguing the individual identified online was too short to be his six-foot-two friend, and maintaining that Wells was actually out of frame in the water when the video was recorded.

He said he has since provided investigators with a full account of the day's events and has also spoken directly with Wells' family.

The footage has also been referenced by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the Wells family.

After sharing the clip online, Crump said during a press conference: "This video, you can hear an argument going where Nolan is saying, 'Give me my freaking phone, what are you freaking doing?'"

However, another friend of Wells, Jayvon Williams, also disputed that interpretation while speaking to TMZ.

"That altercation, it sounds just like my other friend who got into another altercation on the boat," Williams said.

He continued: "As he was in that altercation, I was trying to calm him down, they were trying to get him out, off the island, trying to get him back to land because he was just losing it. The parents on that boat were trying to get him out."

Shepherd later confirmed he was the friend Williams was referring to, saying: "Those were not Nolan's words, they were mine."

He added: "I get that everybody wants justice for Nolan. Everybody wants to know exactly what happened. Will we ever know?"

Wells' body was discovered on July 6 in the same Horn Island area where the group had gathered to celebrate Independence Day.

The Jackson County Sheriff's Office is continuing to investigate his death, while Crump has called for an independent investigation and has commissioned a separate autopsy.

Featured Image Credit: Facebook

Authorities in Florida have released new details surrounding the tragic death of 18-year-old Giovanni Pelletier, whose body was discovered in a pond one week after he went missing during a family trip. The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office shared fresh evidence this week, including video footage of the teen in his final moments, while stressing that no signs of foul play have been found.

According to Sheriff Rick Wells, Giovanni was picked up around 1:30 a.m. on August 1 by his paternal cousin and two of the cousin’s friends. Although Giovanni had spoken with his cousin by text, he had never met the two friends in person before that night. The group set off toward Brevard County, and during the ride, messages revealed Giovanni discussing smoking marijuana, mentioning that he “hadn’t had a smoke in a while because of court stuff” in North Carolina but was eager to take part.

Not long after, the three men told investigators that Giovanni began behaving erratically once they smoked in the car. They described him as “acting out and raging,” before he suddenly became agitated. Around 1:55 a.m., Giovanni sent his mother three desperate text messages in quick succession: “Help,” followed by “Help” and “Me.”

One of the friends told deputies that Giovanni declared: “I am a demon and I will wreck this car and kill you all,” while trying to open the door as the vehicle was still moving. Concerned, the group pulled over, noting that Giovanni carried a knife, . However, Sheriff Wells confirmed the blade was never drawn and remained in its sheath.

At that point, Giovanni bolted from the vehicle. Witnesses said he nearly ran into the path of an oncoming truck before disappearing into the darkness, leaving behind his backpack and phone. New surveillance video played at the press conference showed a truck swerving to avoid striking him on the highway. Additional footage from a nearby Lowe’s captured a figure—believed to be Giovanni—racing down a steep embankment in what Wells described as an “almost uncontrollable sprint.” The pond where his body would later be found lay just beyond that slope, out of the camera’s view.

“The important thing to understand is that Giovanni was alone,” Sheriff Wells told reporters. “No one was chasing him. No one was near him. When he ran down that embankment, the car was already two miles away.”

Giovanni’s backpack and phone were later recovered in Tampa after a truck driver who found them unknowingly took them from the scene. His body was ultimately discovered on August 8 by a private investigator hired by his family, per WFLA News.

The medical examiner has not yet determined a cause of death, pending toxicology results. Sheriff Wells emphasized that Giovanni showed no visible trauma; no gunshot wounds, no stabbings, no evidence of foul play. For now, his death remains classified as undetermined.

“This is a heartbreaking case,” Wells said. “What happened once Giovanni reached that pond, we simply don’t know.”

Featured image credit: Andrew Leyden / Getty Images.