During a press conference at the White House on Wednesday, President Trump indicated he might request the FBI to investigate the death of Nolan Wells.
When reporters inquired if federal authorities would conduct their own investigation into the 18-year-old Mississippi football player’s death, which occurred days after he went missing during a summer boat trip with friends, Trump responded, “we’re looking at that.”
The push for a new inquiry into Wells’ death was made by his father, Elmore Wonsley, on Monday, who called for federal involvement.
“Our son was found on federal land and we are asking the FBI to step in and do a full investigation,” Wonsley stated.
Nolan Wells, a black teenager, was discovered dead after going missing during a July Fourth outing with friends to Horn Island in Mississippi, according to authorities.
Wells, a student at Southwest Mississippi Community College, had traveled to the island with friends by boat but did not return with them. He was located deceased nearby two days later.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department noted that Wells was last seen going to the opposite side of the island with a girl, yet officials asserted that there was no evidence of foul play in his death.
His family and numerous supporters challenged the circumstances surrounding Wells’ disappearance, questioning the case’s transparency, the investigators’ accountability, and whether there was a racial motive involved.
However, it was concluded that his death was neither criminal nor racially motivated after being presented to a grand jury last month.
Wells’ family expressed skepticism regarding the grand jury’s findings, with their attorney Ben Crump criticizing the outcome as “[leaving] us with more questions than answers” following its announcement.
“Today, the State of Mississippi is attempting to close the chapter on Nolan Wells’ death without getting to the truth,” Crump remarked in a statement.
