Overview
- Nolan Xavier Wells went to Horn Island on July 4 with friends and did not return with them, and a body matching his was found off the island two days later on July 6.
- State officials completed an autopsy but toxicology results are still pending, and the family has commissioned an independent autopsy paid for in part by national supporters.
- The investigation includes conflicting witness accounts about whether Wells left the island with his friends, a phone found in a friend’s possession that the family says showed deleted messages, and an agreement for a joint inspection of the device with prosecutors.
- Wells’s funeral was held on Monday, July 20, with the Rev. Al Sharpton officiating and public support from figures including Ben Crump, Tyler Perry, Colin Kaepernick and Spike Lee.
- Horn Island’s remote location and coastal currents complicate reconstruction and evidence gathering, and continued public scrutiny over race and transparency could drive the prosecutor to present findings to a grand jury and increase calls for an independent review.