Attorney Benjamin Crump and Nolan Xavier Wells‘ parents, Christine and Elmore Wonsley, have shared new details about the night he went missing and their search for him.
RELATED: Mississippi NAACP Issues Statement As Authorities Reveal Teen Who Was On Boat With Nolan Xavier Wells Was First To Report Him Missing
Ben Crump & Nolan Xavier Wells’ Parents Share New Details About The Night He Went Missing
On Friday, July 10, Christine and Elmore Wonsley appeared alongside Attorney Benjamin Crump and Rev. Al Sharpton. This, at a press conference in Harlem, New York. In footage broadcast via YouTube, Ben Crump reiterated that Nolan Xavier Wells was a skilled swimmer. Therefore, he doesn’t believe the teen drowned on Horn Island. Additionally, he reiterated that the Wonsleys had to retrieve their son’s cell phone and car keys. This, instead of it being willingly given to them by their son’s friends. Furthermore, Crump noted that stories also conflict on whether Wells willingly stayed on the island.
After he spoke, a separate attorney took the stage, then Al Sharpton, then Wells’ mom. Christine Wonsley explained that a friend of hers picked up her son’s cell phone “from where it was.” And provided it to her and her husband. Amid this, her son’s friends noticed that his Snapchat location was displayed differently from what Christine was shown on Life360.
From there, they ventured to a separate location, a home, where Nolan’s car was. At that point, Elmore took the stage. He explained that a few of Nolan’s friends were at the home, and things became “tense.”
“‘I need you guys to calm down. Don’t do this to me right now,” Elmore recalled telling them.
Elmore explained that at that point, one of the boys who traveled to Horn Island with his son came out of a bedroom. When he asked for his son’s car keys, the teen allegedly said he didn’t know where the keys were. However, another teen was able to retrieve the car keys from the initial teen’s items.
“So now I feel like you done lied to me so now, I’m really in distrust with you,” Elmore recalled.
Parents Christine & Elmore Wonsley Also Detailed Their Search For Him
From there, Nolan Xavier Wells’ father explained that if he knew anyone who had a boat, he would’ve gone out that night to search for his son. Ultimately, at 5 a.m., presumably on Sunday, a coach of Nolan’s reached out to Elmore. And took him and Christine out to the island.
Per the father, they walked a “pretty nice stretch” before circling the island in the boat. And never saw his son’s body. Not even in the spot where it was ultimately found.
“And on the trip there, there was a family that stayed the night on the island. So if he was left, he would’ve saw that family on the island… and he would’ve had help,” he explained.
At that point, Crump questioned why Wells’ body would have allegedly reappeared on July 6. This, instead of it being sighted on July 5. Additionally, Rev. Al Sharpton noted that if Wells was there for an extended time, someone would have saw him.
To note, when Christine Wonsley returned to the podium, she reiterated that when she retrieved her son’s phone, his Snapchat accounts appeared to have been wiped.
More On The Death Of Nolan Xavier Wells & The Retention Of Attorney Ben Crump
As The Shade Room previously reported, Nolan Xavier Wells traveled to Horn Island in Jackson County, Mississippi, with three of his white male friends on July 4. By Monday, July 6, a search had commenced to locate him, and his body was ultimately found on the north side of the island.
RELATED: Nolan Xavier Wells’ Death Ignites Social Media Conversation About Being The Only Black Person In Non-Black Spaces & Friend Groups
A state autopsy was conducted on Wells’ body on Tuesday, July 7. The results of that autopsy remain pending. However, has since diverted to footage of a shouting crowd on Horn Island on July 4.
Since then, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has requested unedited photos and videos taken on the island on July 4 to aid in the investigation. Additionally, Crump noted the viral argument footage, seemingly confirming that it involved Wells.
More recently, it has been revealed that one of the teens who traveled to Horn Island with Wells was reported missing shortly before his mom. This, while the parents have shared their thoughts on the claim that their son willingly stayed on Horn Island.
