Overview
- The 18-year-old was last seen speaking with a woman on Horn Island during a July 4 boat trip and his body was found in the water by a park ranger on Monday, July 6, then identified by the county coroner using dental records.
- Local authorities completed an initial post-mortem and say toxicology and final medical findings are pending and could take weeks to arrive.
- Wells’ family hired civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who says the body will be flown to Washington, D.C., for an independent autopsy and that the family has concerns about deleted phone messages and conflicting witness accounts.
- Investigators are reviewing a viral video that appears to show a heated argument and have asked witnesses to provide original, unedited photos and video while the sheriff says there is currently no information indicating a crime.
- The case has raised calls for transparency from the family and community and could prompt further private and official forensic review as officials collect phone records, witness statements, and original media from July 4 beachgoers.