OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (July 7, 2026) – The family of Nolan Xavier Wells, the 18-year-old Ocean Springs student-athlete found dead on Horn Island this week, has retained nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump. The family is calling for a thorough and transparent investigation into how Nolan died.
Nolan traveled by boat to Horn Island with a group of friends on Saturday, July 4, to celebrate the holiday. He was last seen on the island around 3 p.m. and did not return with the group, according to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department. His mother reported him missing that night, and local, state and federal agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and the National Park Service, joined a two-day search. On the morning of Monday, July 6, a U.S. park ranger found a body at the northwestern tip of the island, and Nolan’s family confirmed his death later that day. An autopsy was scheduled for Tuesday, July 7. Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter has said the investigation remains active, and the cause of Nolan’s death has not been determined.
Nolan played football at Ocean Springs High School and was a wide receiver at Southwest Mississippi Community College, where he was set to return for the upcoming season. He would have turned 19 next month. Attorney Crump and the legal team will conduct an independent review of the circumstances of Nolan’s death and will press for the timely release of all records, witness accounts, and autopsy findings.
Attorney Crump released the following statement:
“Nolan Wells was a beloved son, teammate and friend who went out to celebrate the Fourth of July and never came home. His family deserves answers. They deserve the truth. We will not rest until every fact about what happened to Nolan on Horn Island is brought into the light, and we call on investigators to pursue this case with the urgency and transparency this family deserves.”
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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.
