Nolan Xavier Wells Funeral Set as Family, Ben Crump and Rev. Al Sharpton Continue Calls for Answers
The family of 18-year-old Nolan Xavier Wells has announced funeral arrangements as they continue demanding answers surrounding the circumstances of the Mississippi college football player’s death.
A visitation and memorial service honoring Wells will be held Monday, July 20, at Center Pointe Church in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton will deliver the eulogy, while nationally recognized civil rights attorney Ben Crump will deliver a “Call to Justice” during the service.
Family, friends and members of the community are expected to gather to celebrate Wells’ life while continuing to call for transparency in the ongoing investigation into his death.
Funeral Information
The visitation will take place from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Monday, July 20, at Center Pointe Church, 6201 MS-57, Ocean Springs, Mississippi. The memorial service will begin immediately following the visitation.
Related: Nolan Wells’ Friend Shares New Account as Family Questions Conflicting Stories
Remembering Nolan Wells
Wells, 18, graduated from Ocean Springs High School and was a football player at Southwest Mississippi Community College. Family members describe him as a young man with a bright future whose life was cut tragically short.
On July 4, Wells traveled by boat with a group of friends to Horn Island, off the Mississippi Gulf Coast, for a holiday outing. According to authorities, he was last seen on the island around 3 p.m. but did not return to the mainland with the rest of the group. His mother, Christine Wells Wonsley, reported him missing later that evening.
Following a multi-agency search involving the U.S. Coast Guard, Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, National Park Service, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and the United Cajun Navy, Wells’ body was recovered near Horn Island on July 6. The Jackson County Coroner later confirmed his identity through dental records.
Officials have said the investigation remains active, and Wells’ cause of death has not yet been determined.
Family Continues to Seek Answers
The Wells family has retained attorney Ben Crump to conduct an independent review while pressing investigators to release records, witness statements and other investigative findings.
Questions surrounding the case have continued to grow after the family said Wells was left behind on Horn Island by the group he traveled with. The case has also drawn national attention after family members said some of those who returned from the trip had possession of Wells’ cellphone but did not initially disclose it to investigators or the family. The family has also secured an independent autopsy with financial assistance from former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
On July 10, Crump, Sharpton and Wells’ family held a press conference at the National Action Network’s House of Justice in Harlem, calling for a full, transparent and urgent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Wells’ death.
The National Action Network said it is supporting the family as part of its longstanding effort to ensure deaths involving young Black men receive thorough investigations and that families receive answers.
As loved ones prepare to lay Nolan Xavier Wells to rest, his family says their pursuit of justice will continue long after the funeral concludes.
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