Family and supporters gathered at a Mississippi church Monday to remember Nolan Xavier Wells, as Rev. Al Sharpton called for answers into the 18-year-old’s July 4 disappearance and offered a $100,000 reward for new information surrounding his death.
During his eulogy, Sharpton highlighted what he called the “many unanswered questions” surrounding Wells’ death after the teenager went on a boat trip with friends to Horn Island off Mississippi’s Gulf Coast.
Wells’ parents delivered emotional tributes during the funeral, describing him as having a warm and gentle presence, a role model to his younger siblings and a talented athlete who dreamed of playing in the NFL.
“He had a way of making people feel seen, welcomed and valued,” his mother, Christine Wonsley, said. “He could lift your confidence with just a few words and make you feel like you belong.”
Half of the sum will be covered by the actor and producer Tyler Perry, who also paid for the funeral, Sharpton noted.
“Somebody knows something,” Sharpton continued, drawing applause from the crowd that included the director Spike Lee, former NFL player Terrell Owens and many prominent Black clergy.
“Let every stone be rolled back and every veil be torn asunder and let truth pop out of the ground like a flower,” he continued.
Wells, who was Black, had traveled to Horn Island — a popular Fourth of July destination — with a group of friends from high school, all of whom are white. He did not return with them to the mainland that evening, officials said. His body was found two days later off the island’s coast.
Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said initial interviews suggested Wells chose to stay on the island and that his friends believed he would get a ride with someone else. The friends were cooperating with investigators, according to the sheriff.
But the still-unknown circumstances leading to Wells’ disappearance have fueled rampant online speculation and galvanized leaders in the Black community, including some who have expressed skepticism about the independence and transparency of the investigation.
In his eulogy, Sharpton urged those following the case to withhold judgment until more information becomes available. But he also questioned why Wells’ phone and keys were found with his friends, why they had not immediately called police after realizing he was missing and why local officials appeared so quick to dismiss the possibility of foul play.
Invoking the history of racist violence in Mississippi, including the lynching of Emmett Till and assassination of Medgar Evers, Sharpton continued, addressing the state’s law enforcement authorities: “Before we can medicate and heal today, we’ve got to look at your history.”
The family’s attorney, Ben Crump, then led the crowd in a chant of “Nolan’s life mattered,” as Wells’ mother sobbed into the shoulder of her husband, Elmore Wonsley.
At a news conference following the funeral, Crump said they were still waiting on the results of an independent autopsy. The official autopsy has also not been released.
Crump had said he is working alongside the local prosecutor to inspect Wells’ phone. The prosecutor has agreed to present the results of the investigation to a grand jury once it is completed, according to Crump.
“They went out on the boat, the boat came back, and Nolan washed up on the shore two days later dead,” he said at the funeral Monday. “Wouldn’t you want answers?”
Wells, who would have turned 19 next month, played wide receiver on the football team at Southwest Mississippi Community College in Summit, Mississippi, and had aspirations of playing at a high-level Division I program.
At the funeral, Wells’ father, Elmore Wonsley, recalled the hours the two spent studying game tape and running drills on the beach.
“I nicknamed you Mr. Cool Hands because it seemed like you were catching a touchdown every game,” the father said through tears.
“Our son meant a lot to a of people,” he concluded. “Today shows us how much he meant to the community, the country and the world.”
