I'm calling about Nolan Xavier Wells' death investigation. Please explain what evidence supports the conclusions, what records can be released, and how the family's concerns are being reviewed. Where can I send this request in writing and receive a written response?
Write to
District Attorney's Office P.O. Box 1756 Pascagoula, MS 39568-1756 Fax: 228-769-3345
Contact source: Mississippi Secretary of State directory
Action 2 / Records
Call the Sheriff.
Ask for the case file.
Jackson County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff John Ledbetter
I'm calling about the investigation into the death of Nolan Xavier Wells on Horn Island. Now that the grand jury has finished, which parts of the investigative file can be released to the public and to his family, and how do I submit a public records request for them?
Write to
Ask the person who answers for the mailing address for public records requests, and write it down.
Contact source: City of Ocean Springs, Jackson County contacts
I'm calling about Nolan Xavier Wells, 18, who died on Horn Island in the congressman's district on July 4. Both autopsies list his cause of death as undetermined. I'm asking Rep. Ezell to formally request that the FBI, the Justice Department and the National Park Service investigate. Will he make that request?
Write to
Rep. Mike Ezell 3207 Magnolia Street, Suite 101 Pascagoula, MS 39567
I'm calling about Nolan Xavier Wells, 18, who died on Horn Island, federal land, on July 4. Both autopsies list his cause of death as undetermined. I'm asking Senator Wicker to formally request that the FBI and the Justice Department investigate. Will the senator make that request?
Write to
Sen. Roger Wicker 2909 13th Street, Suite 303 Gulfport, MS 39501
I'm calling about Nolan Xavier Wells, 18, who died on Horn Island, federal land, on July 4. Both autopsies list his cause of death as undetermined. I'm asking Senator Hyde-Smith to formally request that the FBI and the Justice Department investigate. Will the senator make that request?
Write to
Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith 528 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510
Dear Civil Rights Team,
Please assess whether federal review is warranted concerning Nolan Xavier Wells' death and the concerns publicly raised by his family and legal team about the investigation, autopsy findings, and handling of digital evidence.
Please determine whether any issues fall within federal civil rights jurisdiction. I am a concerned member of the public, not a witness or family representative.
Please acknowledge receipt and direct this request to the appropriate office.
Thank you,
[Your name / City, state]
Write to
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Mississippi Attn: Civil Division, Civil Rights Section 501 East Court Street, Suite 4.430 Jackson, MS 39201
Send. Save your email. Keep any reply. Contact source: justice.gov/usao-sdms/civil-rights
I am asking the Civil Rights Division to review the death of Nolan Xavier Wells, 18, of Ocean Springs, Mississippi. He went missing on Horn Island, federal land managed by the National Park Service, on July 4, 2026, and was found dead there on July 6. The state and independent autopsies both list the cause and manner of death as undetermined. A county grand jury declined to indict. His family and the Congressional Black Caucus have asked for a federal investigation. I support that request.
Contact source: civilrights.justice.gov
Action 8 / Federal land
Ask the Park Service.
They have their own investigators.
National Park Service, Investigative Services Branch
Check your camera roll, Snapchat Memories, Instagram story archive and group chats from July 4, especially after 2 p.m. Look at the background of every shot. Send the original files, not screenshots, so time and location data stay intact. Send them to the FBI before posting anything.
Contact source: tips.fbi.gov
Action 9 / Keep him visible
Share. Source. Follow up.
Share this page to your story. Ask people to take Actions 1 and 6.
Link original reporting and the family's public statements. Keep disputed claims clearly attributed.
Follow up with the offices you contacted. Post verified replies and updates.
Story text to copy
Nolan Wells' family deserves answers. Take two minutes: ask the DA for transparency and ask the DOJ to assess independent review. Share this so more people act. #JusticeForNolanWells
Have original evidence? Preserve the unedited file and contact investigators or the family's legal team. Never contact Nolan's friends or witnesses.
Why federal
What a federal investigation could do
The county grand jury reviewed what local investigators gathered. Nolan died on land the National Park Service manages, which gives federal agencies standing to look again with tools the family does not have.
Get the records
Subpoena Snapchat and phone carrier records for July 4, so deleted or recalled messages can be checked at the source, not guessed at.
Find the witnesses
Roughly 300 people were on Horn Island that day. Collect their photos and video and pin down every sighting after 2:23 p.m.
Track every boat
Pull GPS and marine records for every vessel that left the island July 4, to answer whether anyone took him off it.
Explain the injuries
Have independent pathologists review both autopsies together and account for the bruising on the back of his head.
Tell his parents
Share what is found with Christine and Elmore Wonsley, in full, on a set timeline.
04
Chapter four
What would actually settle it
Mississippi has no statute of limitations on homicide, and the grand jury's own report says the case should be re-presented if credible evidence of a non-accidental death emerges. Horn Island is federal land. These are the steps that would produce that evidence, or close the question for good.
Subpoena SnapchatPull the group chats' server-side logs for July 4 and 5: every deletion, who made it, and the original content.
Re-interview under oath, separately, recordedThe friends, the young woman, the boater who towed, the relative who called Sea Tow off, and whoever placed the 11 p.m. call.
Account for every boatGPS and passenger lists for all three boats the grand jury cleared, plus any boat that left the island after 4:31 p.m.
Resolve the towReconcile the Dept. of Marine Resources' 2.75-mile tow with Sea Tow's denial and the boater's account, using the Sea Tow log and both boats' GPS.
Explain the head injuryHave independent pathologists review both autopsies together, with the slip-off-the-boat witness statement, and say whether it fits.
Collect the island's camerasRoughly 300 people were there. Every phone is a camera. A federal tip line with a deadline, and a review of what has already been sent.
Publish the fileWhen it is done, give Christine and Elmore Wonsley the complete file, and publish what can be published.
Short, factual and respectful messages get read. Fill in the blanks marked ___ before sending.
Email
Your U.S. senators
Use the senator's contact form linked in the action cards. Pick "law enforcement" or "justice" as the topic if asked.
Subject: Please request a federal investigation into the death of Nolan Wells
Dear Senator,
My name is ___ and I live in ___. I am writing about Nolan Xavier Wells, 18, of Ocean Springs, who went missing on Horn Island on July 4, 2026, and was found dead there on July 6. Horn Island is federal land managed by the National Park Service.
Both the state autopsy and an independent autopsy list his cause and manner of death as undetermined, and both found unexplained bruising on the back of his head. A county grand jury declined to bring charges, and the district attorney has closed the case.
I am asking you to formally request that the FBI, the Justice Department and the National Park Service investigate, and that the findings be shared with his family.
Thank you,
___
Letter
District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath
Mail to: District Attorney's Office, P.O. Box 1756, Pascagoula, MS 39568-1756. Keep a copy and note the date you sent it.
Dear District Attorney McIlrath,
I am writing about the death investigation of Nolan Xavier Wells, who died on Horn Island in July 2026.
I respectfully ask your office to explain what evidence supports its conclusions, which records can now be released to the public and to Nolan's family, and how the family's concerns were reviewed.
Please send a written response to the address below.
Sincerely,
___
___ (mailing address)
Social post
Instagram, Facebook or X
Post with a link to this page. On Instagram, use a story link sticker.
Nolan Wells was 18. He went to Horn Island on July 4 and never came home.
Both autopsies say his cause of death is undetermined. Both found unexplained bruising on the back of his head. The county has closed the case.
Horn Island is federal land. His family is asking the FBI, the DOJ and the National Park Service to investigate.
The full sourced timeline and who to call is at the link. #JusticeForNolanWells
Text
Friends and family
Send it to three people who have not heard about Nolan.
Have you heard about Nolan Wells? He was 18, died on Horn Island in Mississippi on July 4, and both autopsies say the cause is undetermined. His family is asking for a federal investigation. This page has everything, including a 2-minute call script: ___ (paste link)
Take action
Horn Island is federal land. Ask the federal government to look.
The county closed the case. Nolan's family is asking the FBI, the Department of Justice and the National Park Service to open their own investigation.
Sign: Justice for Nolan
To the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI and the National Park Service: Nolan Wells died on federal land and no one can tell his family how. Open a full, independent federal investigation and share what you find with his parents.
Go to the source
Ask federal agencies directly. Be brief and factual.
DOJ Civil Rights DivisionFile a civil rights report
My name is ___ and I live in ___. Nolan Wells, 18, died on Horn Island, which is federal land, on July 4, 2026. Both autopsies list his cause and manner of death as undetermined. I am asking for a full federal investigation and for the findings to be shared with his family.
Were you on Horn Island July 4?
Investigators asked anyone with photos, video or information from the island that day to come forward. Rewards have been offered for information.
Share on XShare on FacebookNolan Wells, 18, died on federal land and no one can tell his family how. Demand a federal investigation.
Never threaten anyone
Five people have been federally charged with threatening witnesses, a judge, and the sheriff's and coroner's offices in this case. No one has been charged in Nolan's death. Threats and harassment do not bring answers. They put the case at risk. Push agencies, not people.
Join the movement
People over power.
Officials count on families fighting alone. Join and get one five-minute action a week for Nolan and the other Mississippi cases, updates the moment something moves, and invitations to calls, vigils and events.
Fund the work
Support pays for records requests, independent experts and travel to stand with families. The Devin Kennedy Foundation is not yet a registered nonprofit, so gifts are not tax-deductible, and no money is collected in Nolan's name.
