The mother of an 18-year-old college football player who disappeared from a Mississippi island on the Fourth of July has confirmed that a body found during a two-day search was her son. A video circulating online is now fueling questions about what really happened.
Nolan Xavier Wells traveled to Horn Island, a barrier island around 10 miles off Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, with a group of friends on July 4.
The rest of the group returned home that evening. Wells did not. His mother Christine Wonsley reported him missing and posted a public plea for help that quickly spread across social media, triggering a massive search effort.
On Monday July 6, a body was found on the island. The following day, Wonsley confirmed on Facebook that it was her son.
“His father, our family, friends and I are absolutely devastated,” she wrote. “Nolan was a special soul. God took his time creating our son.”
The video fueling questions
Shortly after Wells’ body was discovered, a video allegedly filmed on Horn Island on July 4 began circulating online. The clip appears to show a heated confrontation near the shoreline, with boats lined up along the beach and a crowd gathering nearby.
The person who posted the footage said it was recorded at 4:01 PM on the north side of the west tip of the island, right next to the boat Wells had allegedly been on.
They said it was filmed immediately after a fight broke out on the shore and encouraged people to slow the footage down to examine it closely.
Some online users have claimed the video shows Wells or is connected to his disappearance. Police have not confirmed any link between the footage and the case, but Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter confirmed to TMZ that investigators are aware of it.
Officials are continuing to ask anyone who was on the island that day to come forward with any photos, videos or information.
No cause of death has been released and the investigation is ongoing.
Wells ‘will be greatly missed in many ways’
Wells had just completed his first year at Southwest Mississippi Community College, where he had been due back on Monday to begin preparations for the upcoming football season. He would have turned 19 next month.
Before college he played football at Ocean Springs High School, where head coach Jake Bramlett remembered him as someone whose character spoke louder than his accomplishments.
“He was the kind of son, teammate, friend and student that every coach hopes to have in a program,” Bramlett said.
“He carried himself with humility, treated others with respect, worked hard, and led by example.”
Southwest Mississippi Community College president Dr. J. Steven Bishop said the entire college community was heartbroken.