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 Wells-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 Wells-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 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 Nolan’s 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 a denial and a hesitancy from Nolan’s friends when he went to retrieve his ‘car keys’ from their house. Nolan had spent the night over his friends house on July 3rd and went to out to Horn Island on Wyatt’s boat the following day. 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 the 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 online rumors that Nolan and another male friend had an argument on Horn Island, and Nolan demanded his phone back. Others rumors first suggested there was a dispute fight at a pool party that Nolan attended, and he may have been harmed there and then dragged back to Horn Island. That rumor has since been debunked as the viral pool party pic stems from June 27th, 2026 in ‘Pass Christian’ which is about 45 minutes from Horn Island.
More recently is video evidence showing Nolan cradling a girl, on a boat which is rumored to be Katie on the day of his disappearing
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 a slight hiccup on the state of Mississippi’s end in this case with the transfer process that ultimately tampers with plausible findings for a conclusive independent autopsy. At this time there is no official record of cause of death for Nolan Wells.
Due to the decomposition of Nolan’s body when it was received ten days later on July 10th, it is 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. Nolan was found ‘face down’,and 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 and when authenticated, this could implicate 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 Horn Island on the boat without Nolan prior to their boat sinking between the hour of 3:00pm and 4:30pm.
What’s interesting to hear is how beloved Nolan was by many and how there were hundreds if not more than a thousand people who attended the popular destination – Horn Island for the holiday celebration; yet no one knows what happened to Nolan Wells.
The full audio of the Sea Tow Dispatch call that has been released by an audio engineer, Jeanetta Brantley shows two contrasts without AI enhancement that reveals multiple voices in the background on the boat that allegedly includes Nolan, his friends, two girls, and another possible suspect in Nolan’s disappearance.
Bart Edmiston Jr; an Ocean Springs native, 6’0 foot 200 pound football punter kicker and junior transfer from Jones college who is on path to the NFL appears to be present on the boat when Wyatt made the call for help. Bart is a graduate of Ocean Springs High School, and former childhood football teammate, however it is unconfirmed whether Bart and Nolan were ever friends.
When initially questioned regarding the viral pool party, Bart alleges he was out of town in Wyoming and nowhere near Horn Island. However, there is now viable proof that Bart may in fact have been on scene, and came back to Ocean Springs for the July 4th holiday. Bart’s mother issued a statement confirming this to be in true. In the newly audio leak it reveals one of the teens saying: Dammit BART!
According to Warren Hudson in his recent public interview with former police officer and youtuber Officer Tatum, his buddy –Bart assisted them in help efforts as he lived on a private waterfront at 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 seven (7) people on the boat which includes Bart and two other women with them who can be heard on the the recently leaked audio.
Bart who is currently being sponsored by ESPN has alot to lose in the matter and new information also notes that his father Dr. Bart Edmiston Sr is a pain management physician who works in the same medical building as Nolan’s mother, Christine Wells-Wonsley.
Another shocking new detail is was Wyatt’s father, Jerry who made a call to the captain and cancelled help after his son Wyatt spent up to 10 minutes on the phone with the dispatcher requesting assistance. The captain confirm this with the female Sea Tow Dispatcher when she requested his help in assisting the teens.
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. But now when you add Bart Edmiston in the mix of it, it draws further suspicion to whom were present on the boat at the time of, and or what may have caused Nolan’s un-aliving.
Bart and Katie are alleged to have once dated each other and were a public on and off again couple in Ocean Springs, Miss. As Nolan friends Tracestin Shepherd and Warren have said in their recent interviews, they made passing remarks to Nolan about the girl he was with on Horn Island on July 4th, and that girl is Katie. Katie apparently was ‘off limits’ and her public affection with Nolan was not a ‘good look’ in the town.
With thousands of people out there on Horn Island who saw this; it can be assumed with certainty that while the jury is still out on whether the crime of Nolan Well’s was not of ‘racial consequence’, the ‘cover up’ of Nolan’s un-aliving suffices this argument. Nolan Wells body had to be identified by dental records which shows that ‘something happened’ and there was indeed ‘foul play’ in this case.
In an early rising post today Christine Wells-Wonsley shared a heartfelt message to the public on her tik-tok 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 on Monday July 20th, 2026.
” 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 Wonsley
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 of untimely demise.
Stay tune PLUMS!
