Family and friends are grieving the loss of a Mississippi teen after a body believed to be his was found Monday near where he went missing July 4.

The Ocean Springs School District confirmed the body found on Horn Island, a barrier island off the Gulf Coast, was 18-year-old Nolan Wells, NewsNation local affiliate WJTV reported.

Wells was last seen on the northwest tip of Horn Island on the afternoon of July 4. Officials said he was on a boat trip with friends when they left without him.
“From what we understand, he chose to stay there,” Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter told ABC, adding he doesn’t suspect foul play. Authorities believe he drowned but are continuing their investigation, according to the outlet.

Wells was a 2025 graduate of Ocean Springs High School who played multiple sports, including football.

He went on to play wide receiver at Southwest Mississippi Community College, according to the team’s website.
https://www.newsnationnow.com/missin...ls-body-found/

The family of Nolan Wells has retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump as investigators continue looking into the circumstances surrounding the 18-year-old's death.

Crump, who has represented the families of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, said Wells' family is seeking a thorough and transparent investigation.
He says the Wells family is calling for a thorough and transparent investigation into how he died.

"We've been retained by the family of Nolan Wells — a beloved son, teammate and friend who went out to celebrate the Fourth of July and never came home," Crump said in a statement. "His family deserves answers. They deserve the truth. We will not rest until every fact about what happened to Nolan on Horn Island is brought into the light."
https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/n...5-bf9967302fac