Justice for Nolan Wells · Chapter 06
The people
Officials, friends, suspects
Who is involved
The officials and advocates
Public officials, agencies and public figures connected to the case, and what each has done.
Investigation
Jackson County Sheriff's Office
Sheriff John Ledbetter. Led the local investigation and said early on it did not suspect foul play.
Investigation
Jackson County Coroner
Bruce Lynd. Reported no obvious physical injuries when Nolan was found.
Investigation
Mississippi Medical Examiner
Performed the state autopsy. Cause and manner of death undetermined.
Prosecution
District Attorney
Angel Myers McIlrath. Presented the case to the grand jury and says it is closed.
Family
Christine and Elmore Wonsley
Nolan's parents. Asking the FBI, DOJ and National Park Service to investigate.
Family
Ben Crump and the NAACP
The family's legal team, retained July 7. The NAACP joined in August.
Independent review
Dr. Roger A. Mitchell Jr.
Forensic pathologist who performed the independent autopsy in Washington, D.C.
Support
Rev. Al Sharpton and Colin Kaepernick
Sharpton officiated the funeral and offered a $100,000 reward. Kaepernick funded the independent autopsy.
Congress
Congressional Black Caucus
Asked the Justice Department in August for an independent federal review.
Congress
Reps. Maxine Waters and Frederica Wilson
Asked the National Park Service in October to open its own investigation.
Federal
FBI and U.S. Attorneys
Investigating and charging people who threatened witnesses and officials. No announced investigation into the death itself.
Federal
National Park Service
Manages Horn Island. A ranger found Nolan. Has been asked to investigate.
The friends
What the friends have said
Nolan went to Horn Island with friends he had known since high school. They have not been charged with anything, and a grand jury found no credible evidence that any of them committed a crime. We do not name them here. This is their side, as reported, next to the questions Nolan's family still has.
The groupWho he was with
One friend described the group to ABC News as diverse and tight-knit. Witnesses told authorities the party on the island grew rowdier through the afternoon and that Nolan had been drinking. Whether he was intoxicated has not been established.
Their accountWhy he stayed behind
The friends say Nolan chose to stay on the island and ride back with a different group. One friend said he stayed because of a young woman he had met. The family's view: his parents and another friend say leaving his group was out of character for him.
Their accountWhy his phone came back without him
One friend said phones are routinely left together on the boat dash at island parties, and that Nolan's was one of about 15 there. The family's view: Crump has questioned whether Nolan would have stayed on the island without it.
The boatThe trip home
Around 4 p.m. a caller told Sea Tow that everyone was aboard the boat. GPS shows it left the island at 4:31 p.m. and docked on the mainland around 6 p.m. A friend called Nolan's parents around 11 p.m. The Coast Guard says it got a call from a friend around then that did not require its help.
Their accountThe viral video
The friend who filmed the argument says the voice is his own, in a separate dispute, and that Nolan was off camera. His girlfriend and uncle backed that account. Another friend said the voice was not Nolan's but could not say who was in the frame.
In their wordsHow they see the case
One friend said publicly that people are trying to spin a narrative that isn't there, and that nobody wanted Nolan to die.
LegalWhere things stand
On July 20, Nolan's family sent the friends and their parents letters to preserve evidence and announcing an intent to sue. Three of the friends raised money for a legal defense, sent Rev. Al Sharpton a letter accusing him of defamation, and on October 5 sued Terrell Owens in federal court after he called for their arrest. Their complaint says they had no role whatsoever in Nolan's death. Their lawyers say more suits are planned.
Why we don't name them
People have been federally charged for threatening witnesses in this case. Naming young people who have not been charged with anything puts them in danger and gives the case's critics a reason to dismiss Nolan's family. The answers have to come from investigators with subpoena power, which is why we are asking for a federal investigation.
Are there suspects?
No one has been named
People ask this more than anything else. Here is what the record shows.
Law enforcementNo suspects named
The Jackson County Sheriff's Office has never named a suspect or person of interest. It said early on that it did not suspect foul play.
Grand juryNo charges
In September, a 23-member grand jury unanimously found no credible evidence that anyone who traveled to or from Horn Island that day committed a crime related to Nolan's death. The district attorney says the case is closed.
Family's legal teamTheories, not evidence
Nolan's family and their attorney have raised possibilities publicly, including that he may have left the island. No evidence for those possibilities has been released.
Federal agenciesNo announcement
The FBI, the Justice Department and the National Park Service have not announced an investigation into Nolan's death. The FBI is investigating threats made against people connected to the case.
That is why the family is asking for a federal investigation. Only investigators with subpoena power can turn questions into answers.
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.
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