Members of the Congressional Black Caucus and Stop AAPI Hate (Asian American and Pacific Islander) are renewing calls for a federal investigation into the death of Nolan Wells, following an earlier request from the caucus for a federal review of the case.
Nolan Wells’ parents, Christine and Elmore Wonsley, and their legal team held a press conference on Oct. 5 in Inglewood, California, on the renewed push for the investigation. The push follows a Mississippi grand jury decision not to indict anyone in connection with the death of the Black teen.
Nolan, 18, traveled from his hometown of Ocean Springs, Miss., to Horn Island with a group of people on July 4. In a widely circulated photograph, he was pictured aboard a boat with three young White men, who returned to the mainland without him. His body was discovered two days later off the shore of the island.
The state autopsy reported that no fluid or debris was found in Nolan’s airways, and his stomach was empty. The Mississippi State Medical Examiner and the family’s independent medical examiner, Dr. Roger Mitchell, documented contusions to the back of Nolan’s head. The cause and manner of Nolan’s death are undetermined.
“There is so much that screams out that we should not close this investigation, that we should keep asking questions. We should keep dotting every ‘i’ and crossing every ‘t’ because Nolan was Christine and Elmore’s son. But in many ways, he was all of our son,” civil rights attorney Ben Crump, part of the family’s legal team, said at the press conference.
Congresswomen Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) and Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) are supporting the family’s call.
At the press conference, Atty. Crump read a letter from Rep. Wilson addressed to Jessica Bowron, the acting director of the National Park Service, requesting a “prompt and exhaustive investigation” into Nolan’s death.
Horn Island is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore and is administered by the National Park Service. Rep. Wilson urged Ms. Bowron to direct the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch to “examine every circumstance surrounding Nolan’s death and pursue every available lead.”
“Nolan Xavier Wells was a son whose life was precious and whose life mattered and whose future was full of promise. The loss of his life has left his family with a question they should not have to fight to have answered: ‘What happened to our son?’” her letter read. “Nolan cannot speak for himself.
Therefore, we have a duty, all of us, to ensure his death is met with the seriousness it deserves. Not only are we asking that you hear the pleas of Nolan’s mother and father and his family, but we’re asking that you hear the pleas of the Congressional Black Caucus as well as all of us all across America saying, ‘What really happened to Nolan Xavier Wells?’”
Cynthia Choi, executive director of Stop AAPI Hate, further demanded that the Justice Department conduct a full and thorough federal investigation.
“We stand with the Wells-Wonsley family for as long as it takes,” she said.
Nolan Wells’ parents have been fighting for answers about their son’s death for more than three months. Ms. Wonsley was recognized at the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum’s 30th Anniversary Gala, where she received the organization’s “Voice of Courage Award.” Nolan was Black and, through his mother, was also of Filipino heritage.
“It has been 93 days. I want that to sink in. 93 days,” Ms. Wonsley said at the press conference.
“Our child went out with young men who he thought were his friends. Everyone made it home but Nolan. Two days later— two days later—he’s found dead. He’s found dead. No longer here to give us a hug, tell us he loves us, tell us corny jokes, put his cellphone in our face first thing in the morning.
We do not have that anymore. What we were left with were many, many inconsistent stories, as well as our local authorities early on telling us this is likely an accidental drowning,” she added. “Body has not even been processed and ME (medical examiner) has not done her job.
It’s just already the narrative is likely a possible drowning. That’s it. That’s all. Nothing to see here. Then the grand jury comes back and they say, ‘You know what? Consistent. It’s consistent with drowning, accidental drowning.’”
But she posed several questions: Why were there no photos taken of the back of Nolan’s head, why wasn’t a thorough investigation done and where is the physical evidence from the autopsies?
“Elmore and I, our family, our friends, the community, all of you, we cannot accept that. We cannot. So, it is our plea that his case is reopened, re-examined but also that the authorities do their job,” she said.
Nolan’s father, Elmore Wonsley, echoed the call.
“Our son was found on federal land, and we are asking the F.B.I. to step in and do a full investigation. We’re not asking for special treatment. We’re asking for what any father would do for his child, and that’s to find the truth of what happened to his child,” he said.
“My message to the F.B.I., please open this investigation and give our son the seriousness he deserves. To every parent listening, call your children today. Tell them you love them. Don’t wait.”
