On July 10, dozens of community members held a vigil commemorating Nolan Wells, the Black 18 year old who disappeared during a Fourth of July trip with his three white high school friends.
The group travelled to a remote island off of Mississippi’s Gulf Coast called Horn Island. Wells was the only one who did not return to the mainland and days later his body was found in the water. Family members are pressing for answers about his death.
Authorities say there are no signs of foul play and that Wells drowned, though the investigation remains ongoing. His family is seeking an independent autopsy and calling for a full and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.
Christine Wonsley, Mother of Wells said “I would hope that any parent who, God forbid, would be in our situation, I would hope that you would do the same thing.
“I would hope that you would ask for any help, receive any help to get answers, because, at the end of the day, that’s all we want. We just want to know. We just want to know what happened and why our baby didn’t come home.”
Attorney for Wells’ family, Benjamin Crump told PBS News, “The only thing we have heard is what was suggested at the very beginning before any forensics was done, what seemed like before any interviews or interrogation of any of the witnesses who were on the boat. That is, they don’t believe it’s any foul play.
They think it was an accidental drowning. That has been the suggestion. And that’s very troubling for Christine and Elmore, the parents of Nolan Wells, and many of us in the Black community, because we believe that they are trying to sweep this matter under the rug, especially when you think about the history of the state of Mississippi when it comes to Black people being killed in highly questionable situations, and nobody ever having any accountability.”
QUESTIONS REMAIN
Many questions have been raised by the public and the media:
- Why didn’t he return on the boat with his friends?
- Why didn’t he have his cell phone with him?
- Using a tracking device, his cell phone was found by his mother at a friend’s house, a friend who was on the island with him. All texts and Snapchat posts were deleted from the recovered phone. Why didn’t his friend turn the cell phone over to the police? Who deleted the messages and posts?
- Was Wells involved in an altercation?
- Did he break off with his friends to speak with a young woman on the island?
The Jackson County Sheriff’s office is still investigating. Wells’ death has sparked speculation and distrust in part due to Mississippi’s troubled racial history.
FRESNO COMMUNITY MEMBERS WANT ANSWERS
Fresno Community member Kristina Holmes, an advocate and parent said “It’s something that has affected my family. It resonates with me on a personal level. I was that black girl, the only black girl on the street, we were the only black family on the street.
“I know what it feels like trying to find a sense of the world, of belonging, trying to find a sense of peace knowing you are standing out.
“I don’t wanna speculate on what happened to Nolan but I think we all know what fate he came to. My hope is that there is a full investigation and justice for Nolan.
“All of the kids have been impacted by the climate in this country right now. The Trump administration has come in and terrorized immigrants, terrorized our neighbors and now on the backdrop of the 4th of July we have a young black boy, 18 years old that should be alive today!
“We demand justice for Nolan and if he was harmed all of us are harmed. Who are we as a country where do we want to go? A lot of what I see looks like going back and we need to continue to move forward.”
Ms. Holmes’ 14 year old daughter Amre’love said, “to hear that an 18 year old on vacation lost his life is heartbreaking to me. It is a reminder of the kind of people we should strive to be. We should closely listen to one another, be honest in our friendships and have the courage to speak up when something goes wrong.
“Today, let’s keep Nolan and his family in our thoughts and prayers. May we honor his memory by choosing compassion and love and looking out for one another.”
A young man named Damien addressed those at the vigil saying, “I came out here because it’s important. Look around at all of us, we don’t look the same and it doesn’t matter because we think alike.
“What do we have to do with this kid from far away? We are here because we care, you see people who are white, who are Latino, who are black and we are all humans together.
“It’s really good to see it’s real. It could have been any one of us, our children, your grandchildren. He was my age, one of us, my people, our generation.”
Alfred Aldrete of Fresno Resistance said “we are here today not just to honor a life but to confront reality. When a member of our collective family is taken under a shroud of uncertainty, the impact goes far beyond the immediate circle of loved ones.
“It creates a fracture in our shared sense of safety, it breeds a quiet fear that walks the streets with us, whispering that the system designed to protect us has failed.”
Rodolfo Bellatore, with Fresno Immigrant and Refugee Ministries (FIRM), said “our main focus is to work with refugees and immigrants but I am here today to support different communities because it’s not only my community that is a target right now.
“Everybody is a target now, maybe just because of skin color. I will say we don’t trust what we see on the news, we need to do our own research and we need to ask questions.”
