By Jake Offenhartz and Stephen Smith
The Associated Press
Family members and supporters of Nolan Xavier Wells filled a Mississippi church July 20 to mourn and celebrate the 18-year-old, as the Rev. Al Sharpton pleaded for new evidence addressing the “many unanswered questions” around the teenager’s July 4 disappearance.
The funeral opened with tearful remarks from Wells’ parents, who described their son as a warm and gentle presence, a role model to his younger siblings and a gifted athlete with NFL ambitions.
“He had a way of making people feel seen, welcomed and valued,” said his mother, Christine Wonsley. “He could lift your confidence with just a few words and make you feel like you belong.”
In a fiery eulogy, Sharpton then promised a $100,000 reward for any new information about the circumstances around Wells’ death, which came following a boat trip with friends to Horn Island, off the Gulf Coast.
Half of the sum will be covered by the actor and producer Tyler Perry, who also paid for the funeral, Sharpton noted.
“Somebody knows something,” Sharpton continued, drawing applause from the crowd that included the director Spike Lee, former NFL player Terrell Owens and many prominent Black clergy.
“Let every stone be rolled back and every veil be torn asunder and let truth pop out of the ground like a flower,” he continued.
“Let every stone be rolled back and every veil be torn asunder and let truth pop out of the ground like a flower.” – The Rev. Al Sharpton
Wells, who was Black, had traveled to Horn Island — a popular Fourth of July destination — with a group of friends from high school, all of whom are white. He did not return with them to the mainland that evening, officials said. His body was found two days later off the island’s coast.
Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said initial interviews suggested Wells chose to stay on the island and that his friends believed he would get a ride with someone else. The friends were cooperating with investigators, according to the sheriff.
But the still-unknown circumstances leading to Wells’ disappearance have fueled rampant online speculation and galvanized leaders in the Black community, including some who have expressed skepticism about the independence and transparency of the investigation.
In his eulogy, Sharpton urged those following the case to withhold judgement until more information becomes available. But he also questioned why Wells’ phone and keys were found with his friends, why they had not immediately called police after realizing he was missing and why local officials appeared so quick to dismiss the possibility of foul play.
Invoking the history of racist violence in Mississippi, including the lynching of Emmett Till and assassination of Medgar Evers, Sharpton continued, addressing the state’s law enforcement authorities: “Before we can medicate and heal today, we’ve got to look at your history.”
The family’s attorney, Ben Crump, then led the crowd in a chant of “Nolan’s life mattered,” as Wells’ mother sobbed into the shoulder of her husband, Elmore Wonsley.
At a news conference following the funeral, Crump said they were still waiting on the results of an independent autopsy. The official autopsy has also not been released.
Crump had said he is working alongside the local prosecutor to inspect Wells’ phone. The prosecutor has agreed to present the results of the investigation to a grand jury once it is completed, according to Crump.
“They went out on the boat, the boat came back, and Nolan washed up on the shore two days later dead,” he said at the funeral on July 20. “Wouldn’t you want answers?”
Wells, who would have turned 19 next month, played wide receiver on the football team at Southwest Mississippi Community College in Summit, Mississippi, and had aspirations of playing at a high-level Division I program.
At the funeral, Wells’ father, Elmore Wonsley, recalled the hours the two spent studying game tape and running drills on the beach.
“I nicknamed you Mr. Cool Hands because it seemed like you were catching a touchdown every game,” the father said through tears.
“Our son meant a lot to a lot of people,” he concluded. “Today shows us how much he meant to the community, the country and the world.”
Associated Press video journalist Sophie Bates in Jackson, Miss., contributed to this report. This article was originally published by The Associated Press.
