A $100,000 reward has been announced for any new information about the circumstances around the death of Nolan Xavier Wells, an 18-year-old Mississippi student-athlete who was found dead after he disappeared during a July 4 boat trip to Horn Island off the Gulf Coast.
Civil rights advocate Rev. Al Sharpton announced the reward during his eulogy at Wells’ funeral in Mississippi, with $50,000 from Sharpton’s organization and a matching $50,000 contribution from actor and producer Tyler Perry, who also paid for the funeral.
Sharpton pleaded for new evidence addressing the “many unanswered questions” around the teenager’s July 4 disappearance.
“Somebody knows something,” he said. “Let every stone be rolled back and every veil be torn asunder and let truth pop out of the ground like a flower."
In his eulogy, Sharpton urged the public to reserve judgment until more facts emerge. At the same time, he raised questions about why Wells' phone and keys were found with his friends, why they did not immediately contact police after realizing he was missing, and why local authorities appeared so quick to rule out the possibility of foul play.
Wells's parents have cast doubt on the circumstances surrounding their son’s death.
Wells, who was black, traveled to the popular Fourth of July destination with a group of high school friends, all of whom are white. According to officials, he did not return to the mainland with the group that evening. Two days later, his body was discovered off the island’s coast.
Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said early interviews indicated that Wells chose to remain on the island and that his friends believed he planned to catch a ride back with someone else. The sheriff said the friends have been cooperating with investigators.
Even so, the unanswered questions surrounding Wells’s disappearance have fueled widespread speculation online and drawn heightened attention from black community leaders. Some have raised concerns about the investigation’s independence and transparency and have pushed for greater accountability as authorities continue to examine the case.
The family has hired attorney Ben Crump, who held a press conference after the funeral. Crump said the family is still awaiting the results of an independent autopsy. The findings of the official autopsy have not yet been released.
The family has described Wells as an elite athlete who was able to swim. The college football player, who had NFL ambitions, would have turned 19 in August.