Investigation continues into the death of Mississippi teen Nolan Wells

At a press conference in New York City on Friday, Wells' parents remembered their son.

"This is not how I wanted the world to meet my son," said Wells' mother, Christine Wells-Wonsley. "Nolan was — is — the kind of soul, he never met a stranger. He loved everybody. He just wanted everyone to be in peace with one another."

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing the family, is asking for photos and videos to aid their independent investigation.

An independent autopsy ordered by Crump has not yet been completed, though Crump said they expect results soon.

Results from an autopsy by the state of Mississippi are still pending, with state officials saying they're waiting on a toxicology report.

Nolan Wells, 18, was the only friend in his group who didn't return from an Independence Day trip to Horn Island, off the coast of Mississippi.

The Jackson County Sheriff's Office is investigating this as a death — not a homicide — per a press release.

There's been a lot of speculation, and state officials haven't announced a cause of death yet. They say the medical examiner is still waiting on a toxicology report to finalize the autopsy. 

Most of the public's attention is on the fact that it looks like Wells was the only Black friend in a group of mostly white teenagers. 

Right now, the details of what might have happened are coming from social media: a video reportedly showing an argument that took place on the island. A mom of one of Wells' friends said Wells chose to stay on the island when his friends left. Wells being left behind is one thing catching attention online, as well as questions about whether that argument involved Wells and if there is a racial element in any of this. 

At Friday's press conference with the family, civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton echoed calls for a thorough investigation into the teen's death.

"We're not bringing in race, but we're not discounting race either," Sharpton said. "This smacks of some of the worst fears we've had historically, not only in Mississippi, but in this country."

Funeral details haven't been finalized, but Sharpton said he'll be officiating the service.

He said he sees the funeral as a way "to seek justice and unity."

"We want everybody: Black, white, everybody to come," he said. "It will be to really lift up the spirit of this young man and to stand with the family."

Crump said that former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick is helping pay for the autopsy, while filmmaker Tyler Perry is assisting with funeral expenses.

By all accounts of those who knew him, Wells was really loved by his friends, family and community. He was a wide receiver at Southwest Mississippi Community College. Before that, he played football at Ocean Springs High School. In a statement, his high school coach said Wells was an outstanding young man and the kind of son, teammate, friend and student every coach hopes to have.

Ocean Springs is home to nearly 19,000 people. It's a middle-upper class, majority-white community situated on the southeast corner of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

And for folks on the coast, going out on the water — including trips out to those barrier islands — is pretty normal.

Brian Trascher, with volunteer emergency response group United Cajun Navy, was part of the search for Wells. He said the area the friends went to is especially popular due to the nice beaches on the northwestern tip of the island.

Horn Island is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, which is managed by the National Park Service. According to the NPS website, "there is no staff, drinking water, shelter, facilities, or communication on the island."

Trascher said calls for help around these barrier islands are not unusual: "There's parts of [the northwest tip of Horn Island] where you could be in like 3 feet of water and [then] 20 feet of water, like within a few steps."

There haven't been many updates from the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, and they have not responded to Mississippi Public Broadcasting, the Gulf States Newsroom and NPR's requests for comment. One of the open questions is when the state's autopsy results will be released.

The Sheriff's Office has asked the community for photos and videos of Wells the day he went missing, particularly for anything "depicting alleged altercations" or arguments that involved Wells. 

Elise Catrion Gregg is the Community Engagement Reporter for the Gulf States Newsroom and Mississippi Public Broadcasting. She is based in Jackson, Miss.