The death of 18-year-old Nolan Wells, a Mississippi college freshman, who disappeared after a Fourth of July boat trip with friends continues to make national news.
Immediately after Wells, who is black, went missing but before his body was found, his parents had suspicions about the friends he went out partying with that day. The Wells family alleged they received conflicting accounts from the friends, most of whom are white.
Nolan’s parents say local authorities were too quick to believe their son’s death was an accident and have since started working with Benjamin Crump and Al Sharpton. Both men have a well-documented history of race baiting, which has led to a litany of racially charged insinuations about Wells’ mysterious death.
Wells’ Death
The teen was last seen alive on July 4 on Horn Island, an island 10 miles off the coast of Mississippi that is only reachable by boat. He had gone with a group of friends he knew from high school for a Fourth of July party. They arrived on the island around 11am, and Wells’ friends say they last saw him around 3pm.
One of the friends with Wells that day was Warren Hudson. In a new interview with Brandon Tatum, Warren, who said he and Wells were best friends, explained the group traveled to Horn Island aboard three separate boats and recalled Wells was drinking alcohol that day.
Hudson’s stepmother said she was told Wells decided to stay on the island after a boat carrying some of the boys left early because it was taking on water. The apparent belief by the friends who were leaving was that, since they arrived on three boats, Wells would get a ride back on one of the others.
But Wells never made it back to the mainland, and a massive search began on July 4. Two days later, his body was found face down in the water along the shoreline of Horn Island. Nancy Grace reported she has seen photos that indicate he was found in the same bathing suit seen in photographs from the day.
The area is apparently known for its strong rip currents. And while local authorities said they did not suspect foul play, they said complete findings from the autopsy would take weeks.
Crump and Sharpton Step in
The day after Wells’ body was found, his parents, Christine and Elmore Wonsley, hired Crump. By that Friday, they had traveled to New York City to do a press conference with Crump at Al Sharpton’s National Action Network headquarters. Both Sharpton and Crump spoke before the parents were able to say anything about their son.
Crump used his time at the podium to talk about Mississippi’s fraught racial history. “The history of Mississippi is something that they don’t just read about in books, but it’s a lived experience for many black Americans that oftentimes, when our children are killed in highly questionable situations, that there is this notion that, oh, it was nothing wrong, no foul play. Let’s just sweep it under the rug,” he claimed.
“Well, we refuse to sweep it under the rug,” Crump continued. “The glaring contradictions just jump out at you. The fact that he is there with his friends and you look at all the videos, it seems to be he’s the only black on the island, or maybe one other, but not many.”
At the same presser, Wells’ mother said one of the reasons she became suspicious was because her son’s phone – which made it back on one of the boats even though he did not – was found without any pictures from that day, something she described as unusual. The family also said they didn’t believe Nolan would stay on an island without his friends and think one of the friends delayed finding Nolan’s car keys.
The Preliminary Autopsy
On Tuesday, Crump announced he would be releasing the results of his team’s independent preliminary autopsy that was paid for by former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick is best known for taking a knee during the playing of the National Anthem to protest perceived racial injustice.
Crump’s flashy announcement included a produced full screen touting “breaking” news and detailed that the results would be released during a press conference at the NAACP headquarters in Chicago on Wednesday.
With Wells’ parents in attendance, Crump revealed on Wednesday that the independent autopsy found Wells’ cause and manner of death are “undetermined pending further investigation” – one of the reasons being Wells’ throat was not delivered with the rest of his body for the second autopsy.
Crump also noted the pathologist could not rule out whether Wells was conscious or unconscious when he entered the water, so foul play could not be ruled out. He ended the press conference by starting a “Justice for Nolan Wells” chant.
Complete Coverage
On Wednesday’s edition of The Megyn Kelly Show, Megyn was joined by reporter Caitlyn Becker and attorneys Arthur Aidala, Dave Aronberg, and Matt Murphy to discuss the growing mystery surrounding the case and how it has been racialized. Keep scrolling for complete reporting and analysis.
The Major Questions About Wells’ Death
Megyn breaks down the latest developments in the case, the evidence that points to drowning, the major questions still remaining about what may have happened, and more.
How Crump and Sharpton Undermine the Case
Aronberg, Murphy, and Aidala join Megyn to discuss how Crump and Sharpton are undermining the Wells case, the total lack of evidence of a crime, and more.
You can check out Megyn’s full analysis by tuning in to episode 1,365 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s The Megyn Kelly Channel (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.