Nolan Wells’ Mother Christine Wonsley Under Investigation by Mississippi Board of Nursing

The mother of Nolan Wells — the teenager who mysteriously vanished and died following a trip to Mississippi’s Horn Island — is under investigation by the Mississippi Board of Nursing, according to the family’s attorney.

Benjamin Crump, who is representing Christine and Elmore Wonsley, said in a press release issued Wednesday, August 5, that Christine was notified that a professional misconduct investigation against her was opened.

Crump said the investigation is based on a complaint filed by an anonymous person.

Calling the situation a “warning shot at a grieving mother, meant to pressure and scare her into staying quiet,” Crump said in a statement: “It is a distraction, it is intimidation, and we will not let it stand.”

“Christine had part of her identity stolen from her the day Nolan died,” he stated. “Now, someone is trying to take another piece of it. This cruelty knows no bounds.”

Crump pointed to the “timeline,” stating that Christine has given “years of service to her patients without a single complaint against her with the Board of Nursing” until her 18-year-old son was found dead on July 6.

“She did what any grieving mother would do: she took a leave of absence to bury her child and search for answers,” Crump stated. “And only now, after all of that, does an anonymous person want the Board of Nursing to believe she is a bad nurse. Nothing about her practice changed. The only thing that changed is that she started asking questions.”

Amid the tragedy, Christine is “now also forced to defend her professional record,” Crump said. “No family should accept that, and no institution should tolerate it.”

As the family continues to desperately search for answers in Wells’ mysterious death, Crump said that the family “will keep asking questions and demanding the facts.”

On July 4, the teen traveled to Horn Island with friends, and the boat left around 9:56 a.m., according to CBS affiliate WLOX. He was last seen near the island around 3 p.m., and he was found dead two days later.

While investigators have said drowning is suspected, they haven’t released an official cause of death, and the case remains under investigation. An independent autopsy was conducted, but Wells’ cause of death was “undetermined pending investigation.”

Wells’ friends have maintained that the Mississippi college football player opted to stay on Horn Island with an unknown female despite the others getting on the boat and heading back to the mainland.

However, his parents have pushed back, saying that it would be unlike their son to do so. Crump is conducting a separate investigation into his death.

Wells’ family is expected to take legal action following his death. The three friends who accompanied Wells to Horn Island have retained attorneys.