Atlanta, GA (August 12, 2026) – Nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump will join the parents of 18-year-old Nolan Wells, Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder and President of the National Action Network (NAN), and Congresswoman Lucy McBath (D-Ga.) at a news conference in Atlanta on Thursday. They will amplify the newly issued call from the Congressional Black Caucus for the U.S. Department of Justice to open an independent federal review of Nolan’s disappearance and death.
In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel, Congressional Black Caucus Chair Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) and caucus members urged the Justice Department to determine whether a separate federal investigation, including a possible civil rights investigation, is warranted. The lawmakers wrote that the Wells family has waited more than a month for basic answers and should not be forced to grieve in an information vacuum, and gave the department seven days to explain what action it has taken or intends to take. The FBI is already assisting local investigators.
Congresswoman McBath, who represents Georgia and serves in the Congressional Black Caucus, will stand with the family in Atlanta. She entered public life after her 17-year-old son, Jordan Davis, was shot and killed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 2012.
Nolan disappeared during a Fourth of July boat trip to Horn Island, Mississippi, and his body was found on the morning of July 6. An independent autopsy commissioned by the family classified both the cause and manner of death as undetermined. Findings from the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office have not been publicly released.
The news conference will follow a plenary conversation with Attorney Crump, Rev. Sharpton, and the Wells family at the 2026 National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Convention & Career Fair.
WHO:
Elmore Wells and Christine Wells Wonsley, Parents of Nolan Wells
Attorney Ben Crump, Civil Rights Attorney
Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder & President, National Action Network
Congresswoman Lucy McBath (D-Ga.)
Attorney Eric J. Hertz, Hertz Law Firm
WHEN:
Thursday, August 13, 2026
11 am ET, following the 9-10:30 am plenary conversation
WHERE:
2026 NABJ Convention & Career Fair
Atlanta Marriott Marquis
Rooms L504 and L505
265 Peachtree Center Avenue NE
Atlanta, GA 30303
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MEDIA CONTACT: [email protected]
Rachel Noerdlinger — [email protected] [email protected]
NABJ Press Team: [email protected]
ABOUT BEN CRUMP LAW
Through his work, nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump has spearheaded a legal movement to better protect the rights of marginalized citizens. He has led landscape-changing civil rights cases and represented clients in a wide range of areas including civil rights, personal injury, labor and employment, class actions, and more. Ben Crump Law is dedicated to holding the powerful accountable. For more information, visit bencrump.com.
About National Action Network (NAN)
National Action Network is one of the leading civil rights organizations in the Nation with chapters throughout the entire United States. Founded in 1991 by Reverend Al Sharpton, NAN works within the spirit and tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to promote a modern civil rights agenda that includes the fight for one standard of justice, decency, and equal opportunities for all people regardless of race, religion, nationality, or gender.
For more information, visit www.nationalactionnetwork.net
