Nolan Xavier Wells, 18 was a popular teen and elite athlete from Ocean Springs, Mississippi with a bright future ahead of him before the unimaginable happened following a local island trip with his ‘friends’ on July 4th.
It’s been three weeks since Nolan Wells was last seen on Mississippi Horn Island and there are so many alarming questions and concerns surrounding the 18-year old’s disappearance and death that remain un-solve and unclear.
Nolan also known as “NoNo” according to his mother Christine Wonsley was a sweet guy with a heart of gold and love for everyone that was in his life from family to friends. A Mississippi native with deep southern roots from both of his parents, Nolan’s ‘alleged disappearance and mysterious un-aliving’ demands answers, proper law procedure, and justice at the very least of what has come to light recently from both the independent autopsy and new audio from Sea Tow Dispatch in Ocean Springs, Ms.
Nolan’s father, Elmore Wonsley shared similar sentiments that his son was an exceptional student, athlete, and swimmer, and does not accept that his son “accidentally drowned” as the Sheriff’s office suggest immediately after Nolan’s body was recovered on the North Coast of Horn Island where he was last spotted with his friends.
Despite their story accounts that Nolan wanted to stay on the Island with Katie McCormick (a girl who we know now was not a newly hookup on the day of Nolan’s vanishing but a friend from Ocean Springs high school where the two attended), the circumstances surrounding all the details that have come forward thus far is simply not adding up.
Nolan was found two days later by a U.S park ranger after his mother made an urgent call to attention and help on social media in the disappearance of her son who did not return with his friends whom he traveled with to Horn Island for a July 4th party.
According to Nolan’s parents, Nolan wanted to commemorate the holiday and take in ‘his final summer fun celebration’ before returning to his post season football practice where he was required to resume daily after the holiday break.
This is a common practice for most high-school and college athletes to gather with their friends at least once during the summer break period and most athlete-parents in familiarity would fairly agree as well. But what is un-common practice for teenagers across the color board is to ‘leave their cellphone’ on a boat along with their ‘car keys’ and make a decision to stay on an Island they are not from nor agree to not go back on the boat with their friends they came with to return safely to land shore without proper communications to their parents or guardian who had given them permission to attend in the first place.
The Wells family adamantly affirms that Nolan was aware of their social family rules especially when out with friends: “If We Come Together, We Leave Together, No One Is Left Behind”.
Nolan’s “friends” whom he traveled with on the fourth of July wasted no time deleting their social media profiles and lawyering up within a 36-hour period of Nolans’ disappearance. What also came to light and is now under forensic investigation is the deletion data of text messages and snap chat accounts from Nolan’s phone that was discovered once his parents retrieved it from his friends.
According to Nolan’s father, there was denial and a hesitancy from Nolan’s friends when he went to retrieve his car keys from their house. These findings prompted the Wells family to obtain legal counsel and obtain a second ‘independent autopsy’ of Nolan Wells in Washington D.C which was sponsored by former NFL’er Colin Kapernick. Attorney Benjamin Crump issued the live reading of the autopsy at a news conference at 117th NACCP National Convention in Chicago on Wednesday July 22nd, 2026.
Nolan’s autopsy was ruled “undetermined” and ‘pending further investigation’ due to two things that were visibly noticeable during the body examination. Nolan had a ‘red-discoloration’ on the back of his brain aka ‘the occipital lobe’ which is located beneath the occipital bone. This could indicate foul play whether Nolan’s death was ‘intentional’ or ‘accidental’.
There are swirling rumors that Nolan and another friend had an argument on Horn Island, and Nolan demanded his phone back, others rumors suggest there was fight at a pool party that Nolan attended, and he may have been harmed there and then dragged back to the Horn Island, and there is also a video evidence showing Nolan coddling a girl on a boat which is rumored to be Katie.
The second revelation of the autopsy that was done by renown national forensic pathologist, Dr. Roger Mitchell was missing the ‘throat and lungs organ‘ from Nolan’s body. While it is of normal procedure for a person’s organs to be remove to complete a full body autopsy and toxicology report there was slight hiccup on Mississippi’s in this case that ultimately tampers with plausible findings for a conclusive independent autopsy.
Due to the decomposition of Nolan’s body when it was received ten days later on July 10th, it was also undetermined as to whether Nolan had any water fluid from the alleged ‘accidental drowning’ or whether he may have been harmed and or unconscious prior to being placed in the water. The toxicology report has not been submitted for public reveal as yet on both sides.
Regarding the ‘New Audio’ release from Sea Tow Dispatch that has stirred world wide frenzy and new attention to foul play in Nolan’s un-aliving. If authenticated this implicates proof that Nolan was on the boat with his friends when Wyatt made the initial call for help as their boat was sinking. This is also ‘damning proof’ that Nolan was alive which goes against any other narrative that his friends have all said that they left on the boat without Nolan prior to their boat sinking between the hours of 3pm and 4:30pm.
What interesting is to hear how beloved Nolan was by many and how there were hundreds if not more than a thousand people who attend the popular destination – Horn Island for the holiday celebration; yet no one knows what happened to Nolan Wells.
The full with audio with and without AI enhancement reveal another possible suspect in Nolan’s disappearance. Bart Edmiston; a college friend and football peer of Nolan Wells at Southwest Mississippi Community College was present when Wyatt made the call for help. When initially questioned, Bart alleges he was out of town and nowhere near Horn Island. However, there is now viable proof that Bart may in fact have been on scene.
According to Warren Hudson in his recent public interview, Bart assisted them in help efforts as he lived on a private waterfront of Old Fort Bayou which is about a mile from where the boat was sinking. When speaking with the Sea Tow dispatch operator Warren claims there were 7 people on the boat which included Bart and two other women who can be heard on the the recently leaked audio.
Another shocking new detail was Wyatt’s father Jerry who made a call to the captain and cancel help after his son Wyatt spent up to 15 minutes on the phone with the dispatch caller requesting assistance. As it stands Katie is sticking to her story that Nolan departed the island with his friends after 3pm and Nolan’s friends are saying they departed the Horn Island without Nolan after 3pm.
In a early rising post today Christine Wells shared a heartfelt message to the public on her tiktok page on how’s she coping with it all following her son’s burial and celebration of life event that was held in Nolan Wells honor.
” Its Hard, Every Day Is Different, Every Second Is Different, This Grief Is Different. I Miss My Baby, I Miss Him Coming In To My Room, Laying Across Our Bed Just Talking About His Day & Everything…. I Miss Seeing His Smile, I Miss His Hugs, And Saying I Love You Mom, I Just Miss All Of Those Things , And I Know That We Will Never Have That Again, I Will Not Be Able To Hear Those Words, I Will Not Be Able to Put My Arms Around Him, And I Know That, And We’re Just Trying to Make It Through”- Christine Wells
Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences remain with the Nolan Wells family, during this difficult time and may judgement and justice meet at the hands of everyone involved in the un-aliving Nolan’s untimely demise.
Stay tune PLUMS!
