Christine and Elmore Wonsley’s son, Nolan Wells, died after disappearing from a Fourth of July boating trip
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NEED TO KNOW
- Nolan Wells was found dead two days after he went missing from a party on July 4
- His parents, Christine and Elmore Wonsley, hired attorney Ben Crump and commissioned an independent autopsy
- The family has questioned inconsistencies in the events leading up to Wells’ death, though authorities did not find immediate signs of foul play
Christine and Elmore Wonsley are grieving the loss of their son Nolan Wells, who died after a boat trip.
On July 4, the 18-year-old was reported missing by his mother after he did not return home from a party on Horn Island in Mississippi. His body was recovered in the water on the northwest end of the barrier island two days later.
While authorities are still working to determine what happened and did not immediately suspect foul play, Wells’ parents have continued to call for an in-depth investigation into his death as questions about the case continue to circulate online.
“We just want honesty and transparency,” Christine told Good Morning America in July 2026. “We want a thorough investigation. We want that same respect that would be given to anybody else, and that’s it. We just want answers.”
Here’s what to know about Nolan Wells’ parents, Christine and Elmore Wonsley.
Christine and Elmore are from Mississippi
Credit: ABC
Both of Wells’ parents have strong ties to Mississippi. Elmore said that his family is from Moss Point, Miss., and Christine moved to the state, where her father’s family is from, when she was younger.
In a July 2026 interview with theGrio, they spoke about the importance of passing down Mississippi’s Black history to their kids.
“Me and Christine, we’re trying to teach our children because we feel like they don’t teach it well enough anymore. It’s watered down,” Elmore said. “We constantly talked to our boys about things, about situations. I would give them scenarios about things that happened to me and just try to prepare them.”
Wells was born in 2007
Credit: Gerald Herbert/AP Photo
According to his obituary, Wells was born on Aug. 19, 2007, and had five siblings, including his sister Carlisha Briscoe and his brothers Jalen Briscoe, Jaden Briscoe, Ethan Wonsley and Elmore Wonsley Jr.
The family’s patriarch told GMA that Wells had grown especially close with one of his brothers over a shared love of football.
“I was looking forward to both of them having outstanding seasons,” Elmore said. “He’s going to be really missed.”
Christine and Elmore launched their own investigation into Wells’ death
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In their interview with GMA, Wells’ parents said that they were launching an investigation into his death independent of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department.
Christine and Elmore hired attorney Ben Crump and commissioned an independent autopsy in Washington, D.C., with help from former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
“We had his body flown from Mississippi to Washington, D.C., because his family wanted to make sure that they had a doctor who had no ties to Mississippi law enforcement to do an independent examination of their son’s body,” Crump told CNN in July 2026, adding that the results were still pending.
Jackson County Coroner Bruce Lynd told CNN that there were no immediate, obvious signs of foul play on the teen’s body and that the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office conducted a full autopsy on July 7. Authorities have said Wells could have drowned, but his parents have pushed back on that as a rush to judgment. Results from toxicology tests were still pending.
Wells’ family is also seeking more information from his phone, which they got back from his friends after he vanished. They have questioned why he would leave his phone and why there isn’t more documentation on his phone of what he was doing that day.
Christine said her son had a “gentle, calming spirit”
During his funeral — which was attended by filmmaker Spike Lee and retired NFL star Terrell Owens — in their hometown of Ocean Springs, Miss., Christine described her son as having “a gentle, calming spirit.”
“He had a way of making people feel seen, welcome and valued,” she said. “He could lift your confidence with just a few words and make you feel like you belonged.”
Christine continued, “We will miss everything about him, from his quiet nature to the corny jokes … His gentle smile, the way he made everyone around him feel comfortable, loved and at ease.”
“Your absence has left an emptiness that can never truly be filled — a piece of our hearts will always be missing,” she added.
Elmore nicknamed Wells “Mr. Cool Hands” because of his athleticism
Wells’ father spoke about his son’s skills on the football field during his funeral, telling the crowd that he had nicknamed him “Mr. Cool Hands” because of how often he caught touchdowns.
The teen had played at Ocean Springs High School and Southwest Mississippi Community College in Summit, Miss.
“You wanted to be the best, so I poured all my knowledge into you that I could,” Elmore said, per ABC News. “By taking you to the gym to work out, taking you to the beach to do drills in the sand, teaching you how to watch film, how to study your opponents’ strengths and weaknesses.”
He concluded, “And you carried these teachings all the way through high school.”
Christine and Elmore have said they will continue “to fight” for Wells
Credit: Gerald Herbert/AP Photo
At Wells’ funeral, Christine told the congregation at Center Pointe Church that they would “continue to fight” for him as they seek answers about the circumstances surrounding his death.
The family has said in interviews that they question the account that Wells chose to remain on Horn Island after his friends left, noting that voluntarily separating from the group was out of character for him.
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