As questions remain about the death of Nolan Xavier Wells, an 18-year-old from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, an organization has shared a screenshot of a conversation that took place in the comment section of a Facebook post, indicating there was a fight before he died. American Freedmen Legal Fund, which operates under the Freedmen Reparations Fund Trust as a private legal instrument focused on enforcement, is asking questions that have been haunting everyone who knew Wells: why did his friends leave him behind on Horn Island and how did he end up in the water?
Wells was reportedly found dead in the water on the northwest end of Horn Island on Monday morning, July 6. Wells went missing on July 4 after taking a boat to the island with friends. The search for the teen was called off after a body was found by a park ranger on Monday, July 6.
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American Freedmen Legal Fund posted a screenshot of a Facebook conversation where one user wrote, “One of my passengers is pretty certain he was part of the group that was almost fighting around 5pm. The Bertram with the blue top that I posted left shortly after that and pretty fast.”
When another individual asked if they were “fighting amongst themselves or other people,” the first user replied, “The 3 people on my boat that saw it all say yes it was amongst themselves.”
American Freedmen Legal Fund posted the screenshot of the conversation on X with the caption, “We told you all we wanted to wait and have sources send us info. This is what we found in this conversation. Did he run from the kids he was fighting and run into the dangerous waters? Or did the fight go into the water? Every cell phone circling that island needs to be questioned. Thanks to the person who sent us this conversation.”
Was there a fight?
Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said that an investigation remains active. TMZ reported that the sheriff’s office was investigating a video shared on social media that appeared to show people arguing on Horn Island on the holiday. The video shows a crowded beach, and it is unclear if it is related to the case.
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Attorney Ben Crump, who has been hired by Wells’ family, said that he and his legal team are planning to conduct an independent review, and have committed to urging “the timely release of all records, witness accounts, and autopsy findings.”
Meanwhile, a viral photo claims to show Wells at a land-based pool party in Jackson County on July 5, a day before he was found dead. Crump shared the photo on Instagram, but stressed that he does not know “if these are facts or rumors.”
