(OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss.) — The family of Mississippi teen Nolan Xavier Wells will conduct an independent autopsy following the 18-year-old’s mysterious death, according to attorney Ben Crump, who revealed new details about what he says unfolded on the day Wells vanished.
“He was a good kid. He was beloved. He was a college athlete. He had everything going for him. And so to go on that island … and then not to come back is what is concerning,” Crump told ABC News’ Linsey Davis.
Wells went missing on the 4th of July after going on a boat trip with his high school friends to the popular, undeveloped Horn Island, just south of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, according to officials and Crump. The location is accessible only by private boat and doesn’t have facilities, drinking water or staff.
“[The friends] left [Horn Island] and went back without Nolan,” Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said. “From what we understand, he chose to stay there.”
A body believed to be Wells was recovered Monday, officials said.
One of Nolan Wells’ friends who went boating to Horn Island on July 4 was the first to report him missing, Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter told ABC News Thursday.
That friend contacted the Coast Guard around 11 p.m. that night, Ledbetter said. Separately, Wells’ mother contacted the sheriff’s office about her son around midnight leading into July 5.
Authorities said they believe Wells drowned and don’t suspect foul play, but the sheriff’s office stressed Wednesday that investigators are “working diligently to determine exactly what occurred.”
Crump said investigators “continue to tell the family that ‘We don’t see any evidence of any foul play,’ even though you have students who recorded an altercation while they were on the boats.” Crump described the altercation as “Nolan and somebody yelling at one another on the boat.”
According to Crump, Wells’ friends took the teen’s phone with them when they left Horn Island. Crump said when Wells’ family got his phone back, messages had been deleted.
Crump also said Wells’ father described the 18-year-old college football player as “an elite athlete.”
“He said that his son could swim. And so, they’re just not accepting that Nolan drowned accidentally,” Crump said.
Crump said the independent autopsy will be conducted in Washington, D.C.
The sheriff’s office stressed Wednesday that the investigation is ongoing and urged anyone who was on or near the northwest tip of Horn Island to come forward with photos or videos, “particularly those depicting alleged altercations or containing images of, or believed to include Nolan Wells.”
The sheriff’s office said it’s also looking for anyone who may have seen Wells or “observed or heard an argument, disturbance, or other unusual activity while on the island.”
“Even information that may seem insignificant could prove valuable to investigators. We encourage anyone with firsthand knowledge to come forward,” the department said.
“Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences remain with Nolan Wells’ family during this difficult time,” the department added.
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