5 pastors react to the death of Nolan Wells on Horn Island

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Friday, July 10, 2026

Days after 18-year-old Nolan Wells was found dead near Horn Island off the Mississippi Gulf Coast Monday after traveling there by boat with a group of friends on July 4, a flood of reactions have emerged on social media as his family calls for a full and transparent investigation.

Wells’ death has sparked a range of discussions about race, safety and justice nationwide.

A resident of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, Wells was a popular football player at Southwest Mississippi Community College. He was last seen alive on the island at around 3 p.m. Saturday and didn’t return to the mainland with his friends later that day. His mother subsequently reported him missing Saturday night after he failed to return home. 

His parents, Elmore and Christine Wonsley, have hired renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump and are expected to join him and the Rev. Al Sharpton at a press conference in New York City on Friday to “call for a full, transparent, and urgent investigation” of their son’s death, according to a statement from the National Action Network provided to The Christian Post.

Crump told ABC News that Wells’ family will be conducting an independent autopsy to determine his cause of death even though investigators have said they didn’t see any signs of foul play.

Crump also claimed that Wells’ friends took his phone when they left Horn Island, and that when it was returned to his family, messages had been deleted.

Here are five reactions from pastors on Wells’ death.