Ben Crump says his legal team is taking another step in the investigation into the death of 18-year-old Nolan Wells. Speaking at the National Urban League Conference in Nashville on Thursday, Crump announced that experts have been hired to examine the full Sea Tow call made on the day Wells disappeared.
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The update comes as Wells’ family continues to seek answers while the official investigation remains ongoing and the state autopsy report has not yet been released.
Crump said his team has obtained the complete Sea Tow call from officials and has asked some of the country’s top audio engineers to review every part of the recording.
He said ocean engineering experts will also study the tides around Horn Island, Mississippi, where Wells disappeared during a Fourth of July boating trip before his body was found two days later.
Crump also said Dr. Roger Mitchell, who carried out the family’s independent autopsy, is trying to obtain Nolan’s throat, which was not available during the second examination, along with photographs taken shortly after his body was recovered.
The independent autopsy ordered by Wells’ family listed both the cause and manner of death as undetermined pending further investigation. It also noted a large area of red discoloration in the soft tissue at the back of his head.
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The official autopsy conducted by Mississippi authorities has not yet been released because it will first be reviewed by a grand jury.
Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley, made an emotional appeal during the press conference, asking anyone with information to help the family.
“We are begging… if anyone knows anything, his friends, strangers… please, call the hotline, because we will not be able to rest until we get answers,”
Christine said. “We will not be distracted. We are ready to do whatever we need to do as his parents to continue advocating for him because Nolan is not here. He is not here to speak for himself, to tell us what happened. So again, we will not rest until we get answers, and if you know something, you need to let us know. Please do not be afraid.”
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Attorney Eric Hertz said the legal team is also working with Jackson County District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath to arrange a joint examination of phones linked to the investigation, with the FBI expected to be involved if an agreement is reached.
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The team is also bringing in ocean engineering experts to study how Wells’ body was later found near the same area where he was last seen.
“We want to know how is that possible with the oceanic tides,” Crump said. “I mean, you got low tides and high tides… so it’s not adding up.”
Crump said the independent examiner could not determine whether water was present in Wells’ lungs. According to him, even if drowning is eventually confirmed, it would still not answer whether Nolan entered the water conscious, unconscious or under other circumstances.
