HAUNTING FINAL PHOTOS SHOW 18-YEAR-OLD FOOTBALL STAR SMILING WITH FRIENDS ON JULY 4 – JUST HOURS LATER, HE WAS DE-AD
A mother’s haunting photos show a beloved student athlete celebrating July 4 on a boat just hours before he went missing and was later found dead.
Nolan Xavier Wells, 18, had been last seen around 3pm near the northwest tip of Horn Island off the coast of Mississippi, according to his mother, Christine Wonsley. She added that it was unclear whether he made it back to land.
Wonsley reported her son missing early Sunday morning, and an enormous multi-agency search followed for the next two days.
At 8.45am on Monday, a park ranger found a body on the northwest end of Horn Island. Wells was not immediately identified, but Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter told WLOX, ‘There is no reason to believe it is not him.’
Then on Monday afternoon, Wonsley confirmed the death of her son in a post on social media.
‘My heart [is] broken for my sweet son who was always willing to cheer and uplift others,’ she wrote on Facebook. ‘Nolan was a special soul, God took his time creating our son.’
The Jackson County coroner is working to officially identify Wells through DNA testing. The student athlete’s cause and manner of death have not been released, and there has been no word on whether foul play is suspected.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, the Department of Marine Resources, the Gulf Islands National Seashore, the US Coast Guard and the United Cajun Navy searched for the young man for two days after he was reported missing.
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Nolan Xavier Wells, 18, is pictured boating with friends near Horn Island, located off the coast of Mississippi, on July 4 just hours before he went missing
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Wells’s mother posted the haunting photos on Facebook, which show Wells and his friends enjoying themselves during the holiday
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Wells’s body was found by a park ranger at 8.45am on Monday after a two-day search conducted my multiple agencies
Over the course of the search, Wells’s frenzied mother posted more than a dozen updates and pleas for information on her Facebook page, one of which included a collection of photos that depict him smiling with friends just hours before he went missing.
Agencies searching for the young man, as well as Gautier Mayor Casey Vaughan, had also requested the public’s assistance in sharing information that could lead to finding Wells.
‘If you were on Horn Island on July 4, traveled by boat in the area, or believe you may have seen Nolan or even given him a ride from the island, please contact authorities immediately,’ Vaughan said during the search.
After his body was found, Wonsley thanked ‘family, friends, community, United Cajun Navy, local law enforcement, and everyone involved for all the love, support, resources over the last few days.’
United Cajun Navy, a non-profit disaster relief organization, released a statement that said in part: ‘We extend our deepest condolences to Nolan’s family, friends, teammates, and everyone whose lives were touched by him.
‘We are grateful that Nolan’s family entrusted us to assist in this search. It was an honor to stand alongside… all of the agencies and volunteers who worked tirelessly throughout this mission.’
Wells was a budding college footballer who played for Southwest Mississippi Community College’s team. He had previously played for Ocean Springs High School’s team.
Jake Bramlett, Ocean Springs’s head football coach, said in a statement to WLOX: ‘We are devastated by Nolan’s passing. He was the kind of son, teammate, friend and student that every coach hopes to have in a program.
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Wells was a beloved student athlete footballer who had played for his high school’s team and recently began playing for Southwest Mississippi Community College’s team
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Wells is pictured in his football gear with his mother, Christine Wonsley. She said she is ‘heartbroken’ and that ‘Nolan was a special soul’
‘Nolan was so much more than an outstanding football player. He carried himself with humility, treated others with respect, worked hard and led by example.’
Southwest Mississippi Community College President Dr J Steven Bishop told the outlet: ‘The entire Southwest family is heartbroken as we mourn the tragic loss of Nolan Wells.
‘We remember Nolan as a well-respected young man who was very popular among friends, faculty, and staff. We loved Nolan, and he will be greatly missed in many ways.’
SOURCE: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15956589/Mississippi-footballer-Nolan-Xavier-Wells-July-4-boating-pictures-missing-dead.html
