Black Teen Nolan Wells Found Dead After Trip With White Friends. Family Demands Answers

family of a black teen in Mississippi.They want answers as to why their son is dead.And the group of white friends he went out with on the Fourth of July weekend all return home safely.A park ranger found the body of 18 year old Nolan Wells on the coast of Horn Island on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi.This morning, Nolan's mother, Christine Wansley, confirmed the finding of her son on Facebook, asking that everyone give her and her family time to grieve.Nolan was a recent graduate of Ocean Springs High School and a football player at Southwest Mississippi Community College.

He was last seen with three of his friends on the island at around 3 p .m.local time on Saturday before he went missing.Authorities have not released details about what led to Nolan's disappearance.The circumstances surrounding his death remain under investigation.Now, what happened was his cell phone was found, but he was missing and his friends could not articulate As to what happened, when did they last see him?

And so again, lots of questions are being raised here.The family sent out notices over the weekend.They were demanding for folks to assist them with finding their son.And again, no one could say what happened.And they kept asking the questions again.His friends, his white friends, they all they all came back.

But Nolan actually actually died.He was his mother reported him missing late Saturday night.And the friends, of course, went out on a small boat for Independence Day.And he was again did not come home.And so, again, the question now begs, what happened?What happened?

Did this happen on the boat?Were they on land?What's going on?I want to bring my panel.right now.Dr. Omicongo Debing, a senior professor of lectures, School of International Service, American University, author of Lies About Black People, How to Combat Racist.

He joins us from Washington, D .C.Thelma Anderson, creator of the Public Opinion Court, author of Shut Up and Prosecute.Joining us from Dallas, Representative Jolanda Jones, Texas State Representative, lawyer out of Houston.Glad to have all three of you here.Lots of questions obviously are being raised here.

Jolanda, what happened in this case?Uh, and, uh, what's again, what's strange is he comes up missing the other teams.Okay.What information did they give?If you're going out, you kind of know what someone else is doing, uh, unless they decided to just go off on their own.And that's why people are saying, what the hell, what the hell is going on?

What took place here?

Well, of course, Roland, I mean, four kids left.Three white, one black.The black kid didn't come back with him.They were on a boat to get there.So when they were coming back, they knew he wasn't there.Why would you leave?

Why wouldn't you go figure out what happened?And, you know, it just doesn't smell right to me.But, you know, so many black parents try to put their kids in a better situation or so they think, and they put them with White people, I mean, and I don't want to say I hate to say it because we hear this story over and over and over again.And they don't know what happened.Of course they know what happened.So the police need to be interrogating them to find out what's going on and what happened to Nolan.

And I pray for his mom.I pray for his family who would expect that their son would go away with quote unquote friends and not come back.And when he's found, he's dead.So I suspect that the time that the kids have been back without him, they've been coming up with the same story.I suspect their parents have probably already contacted lawyers and they're trying to CYA, you know what that means, cover their asses.But we hear this story over and over and over again, and black people think that integration was great.

It wasn't.In 2026, we see that a black kid is not safe when he goes out with his white friends on an island.And I mean, I think black parents need to pay attention.

Again, again, we do not.We do not.Here's what again.This is this was a photo that was posted and the family shared photos all over the weekend in terms of looking for him.So we don't know.I don't know.

One second.We don't want one second.OK, one second.Okay.Okay.We do not know what happened.

All we do know that at one point he was separated from his cell phone.Um, they went to this, this Island they went to, uh, Thelma was a remote Island that was only accessible by boat.Uh, and so, um, and so again, uh, over the weekend I saw a number of social media posts on Saturday, on Sunday, Uh, folks calling for national media pay attention to this story.Uh, again, speculation is one thing.Facts is another, is another thing.Uh, and unfortunately for this family, they now, uh, have to bury their son after his body was found this morning.

Well, one second, one second.I'm a Congo.Just hold on.So I'm gonna go ahead.

What we do know is that this friendship with these young boys have been going on for years.We do know for a fact that they have been on the water several times with Nolan, and he's happened to make it back every single time.But this time, what we do know is that there's a timeline.The timeline starts around 3pm, when there was a allegationthat they could not locate him. ThereThere was another timeline that said around 4 p .

m.they were still trying to actively search for him.But there's another allegation that around 7 p .m.that's when it was notified to the parents after they made it back with his phone.So in the interim, if those allegations are true based on a timeline, What was going on in the interim of those three hours?

What I can tell you is that they have lost valuable evidence at this point.Because what we did see is those young men on that boat drinking underage, which is a crime in the state of Mississippi.What we do know, based off of the timeline, that now we cannot collect urine samples to see how intoxicated these young men were.We can't collect any statements from them at the time that this happened to actually get a factual, accurate account of what they recall based on where Nolan was and where they last saw him.So now it's going to be upon the parents to get independent everything.They need their own civil rights attorney.

They need their own trial advocate.They need their own M .E.expert.They want an independent autopsy done, not with the state solely because it's too many questions that need to be answered.They're going to need a forensic phone specialist in order to determine what was going on with them phones, who made contact, Who was talked to after the fact?

What was the last contact with Nolan based off a cell phone service?It's going to be a lot, but it's some valuable time that has been lost.But what we can say for a fact is that they've been out on that water before with Nolan, and he's made it back every single time.

So this is a Omicongo.This is from Capital B. They reported Wells was last seen on July 4th on the island where he was hanging out with a young woman.friends.The friends returned home, but no one has come forward with any information about what happened to him.Later in their story, they say there's been no official reports or additional information from those who were present about what happened.That right there raises a serious red flag on the Congo.

in order to understand because if you had a friend and you go out, this is very simple.Did he fall overboard?Y 'all did y 'all search for the body?Did they arrive at the island?Did all of you get off and go on the island?Were y 'all together?

Did you go separate ways?Did he run into someone there he knew and then he left with them?All those are the kind of questions that those friends are going to have to answer to authorities.

And these are the types of questions they should have immediately told the parents if they were being honest and upfront about what was going on.And I know that this case is immediately becoming racialized for obvious reasons.This also makes me think, Roland, we covered it here of 2022 with Shawnqualla Robinson.I believe she was from North Carolina, went to Mexico with her friends and they were all black and, you know, and didn't come back.And then a video appeared of her being beaten and the like.And so we really have to, as has been said here, we really have to pay attention to what Thelma was saying about all of the valuable time that was lost, because there's no way in hell I'm leaving with my friends to go somewhere and they all don't come back with me.

And I'm not, you know, saying anything.I'm not talking to parents.I'm not coming home without them.So just the fact that these so -called friends left this person in whatever way, shape or form, that automatically brings suspicion.And from what we understand, given the fact that their parents have been putting outthe word to help find their child, it doesn't seem like these other kids came back saying anything.

And that's the other part that leads to suspicion.You know, and all of us who got kids in this area at this age, whether it's our own kids, nieces, nephews, whatever, kids in the community, cousins, it hurts at a deeper level.It hurts at a deeper level.And given everything that's going on in this country, of course, we're going to expect things, you know, racially.But at the end of the day, Parents lost their child under suspicious circumstances, and there are people who know the answers who are not talking right now, and that is unacceptable.And as more information comes out about the black family, the Wells family, I'm also hoping that people are looking at ways to support them to get them everything that Thelma talked about they may need, particularly as it relates to financial resources to get those things accomplished.

So this is from WLOX .com.the local TV station there.The United Cajun Navy is a rapid response team when it comes to cases like this.And this was one of the quote from Brian Trasher.He said there were some people that thought he might have wandered off to the middle of the island, maybe into that lake.

We'd sent people up there today.And if he was barefoot, there's no way he made it up there.There's cactuses and a lot of thorny, thorny brush.He would not have been comfortable being able to make it to the middle of the island.He probably would have turned around and went to the beach.And this was the story that they reported as it was going on.

And the sheriff's department was asking for additional information as well.And again, as I sort of see this story, You know, I do wonder.I do wonder.Jolanda, what type of investigation was happening immediately?Did authorities, did they see the story of these other individuals as being sketchy?Because if you look at that description, you're going to this remote island to that point.

If you're barefoot or whatever, you're not walking around the island.Um, and then so it's just obviously there are a lot more questions that people have.And and, uh, Thelma is right.As for this attorney, they absolutely need a very strong legal legal advocate right now, um, demanding those answers to ensure that there is a proper investigation conducted 30 30 years as a 30 year trial lawyer, criminal defense lawyer rolling.

Let me be clear.One fact we know.is that four kids went, three kids came back, right?So yes, of course I want to know what time did he go missing, what time did they call the police and let the police know that there was a problem.But at the end of the day, like Thelma said, yeah, we need to know those things.But I find it curious that those kids haven't said anything, or if they have, no one has said anything about it.

And I would be super surprised if those kids' parents hadn't already lured it up with them so that they can get their story straight.Nothing about this sounds right.I don't care if they've traveled a whole bunch of times and made it back.This time is really all that matters because Nolan is dead.So, and they are going to need financial resources.Medical, having your own independent autopsy done is important.

Having forensic experts is, uh, it's important and it's expensive.All of these things are expensive.Having a really good lawyer is really expensive.Having a team, because trust me, the state's going to have a team.And I thinkthese three kids' parents will have lawyers to protect them.

So nothing about this smells right.nothing about it.If it were me, I would have never come back on that boat without my friend.I would have stayed there.I would have helped look for my friend.I would have called the police.

That's what I would have done.So the appearance that they're friends and there's a nice pretty picture of the black kid with the three white kids.I think it looked like they were there was fishing.None of that matters.because no one is dead.

Well, that photo that that that photo was what was posted.And so that was the last that was the last known photo of them being out.And so that's one of the reasons why that that photo was gone out.And so, again, I really do hope that in terms of when we talk about the the legal ramifications, they absolutely need their own advocate.Now, the other issue is here, and I already asked control, I need to verify for me.So one of the stories said that there are a number of GoFundMe campaigns that have been up that were not authorized by the family.

So no, do not show that.I want to make sure that what we are showing has been authorized by the family.OK.All right.Got it.All right.

So this GoFundMe account, Nolan Wells mother posted on her Facebook page.This is the this is the official GoFundMe that they that they have put up.And so this is so again, you know, when these things happen, you know, folks just jump out, you know, on their own.But this is another memory of Nolan Xavier Wells.This is the one second because I want to pull up.I want to pull it up much.

So the family is seeing.approximately.So do this here.So switch to my iPad.So the family is seeking, as you see right here, twelve thousand dollars.They're going to need more than that.

I can tell you that right now.So far, two thousand five hundred and thirteen dollars.30 donations has been raised.So if you're interested, what you do is so just so you know, this is what the page looks like in loving memory of Nolan Xavier Wells.And so that's what you should be that just so you know.And it's right here.

Aaliyah Dennis is you see the information right here as well.So just so just so you know, you have the correct information.in terms of you want to support this family and you see all the information right here.All right, folks.

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