Nolan Wells’ heartbroken parents won’t let their son’s dєatᩚh be swept under the rug, according to the civil rights lawyer representing the teen’s family — who also revealed the biggest lingering question in his disappearance.
Wells, 18, was found ᴅᴇᴀᴅ days after he vanished on a Fourth of July boating trip to Horn Island, Mississippi, with his friends — who left the island without him, according to police.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump said the biggest question is learning exactly what happened to the teenager after he was last seen on Saturday afternoon — especially since footage has surfaced showing the teenager intensely arguing with others on the island.
18-year-old Nolan Wells was found ᴅᴇᴀᴅ days after he vanished on a Fourth of July boating trip — and his parents will “not allow” his dєatᩚh to be swept under the rug.
Lawyer Ben Crump said, “Obviously, the biggest question is what happened to Nolan Wells?”
“Obviously, the biggest question is what happened to Nolan Wells,” Crump said in an interview with ABC News.
“I think the reason this… case has caught such fire is because [people] see the pictures, they see the video, and they’re saying, ‘Hold on. You’re trying to tell us just accept this an accident and sweep it under the rug?’ His mother, Christine, his father, Elmore, say no, they will not allow that to happen,” Crump continued.
“I mean, 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 for a Fourth of July celebration and then not to come back is what is concerning everybody — especially when you hear the contradictions,” he said.
Authorities reportedly believe Wells likely drowned and no foul play is suspected — however, the teenager’s family is conducting its own investigation and is flying his body all the way to Washington DC for an independent autopsy.
Wells was found ᴅᴇᴀᴅ days after he vanished on a Fourth of July boating trip to Horn Island, Mississippi, with his friends — who left the island without him, according to police.
Wells is pictured with his mother, Christine Wonsley.
Wells’ body was found Monday morning near the northwestern tip of the popular barrier island — where he was last seen around 3 p.m. Saturday talking to a girl.
Wells’ pals told police he wanted to stay with the woman — but Crump said there are inconsistencies in witnesses’ accounts of the day.
“The boys on the boat said, ‘No, Nolan told them he was going to stay with her.’ And so they are conflicting. She’s saying he went and got on the boat. They’re saying he didn’t get on the boat. So which is it?” he asked.
Wells’ body was found Monday morning near the northwestern tip of the popular barrier island — where he was last seen around 3 p.m. Saturday talking to a girl.
Crump then claimed that Wells’ friends took his cellphone when they left the island.
“That’s not adding up to them. The fact that then when the family gets the cellphone back … they’re saying they are trying to understand why there are deleted messages and so it’s very concerning to them,” the attorney said.
