Nolan Wells Update: Funeral Planned as Investigation Into College Student’s Death Continues

Funeral arrangements have been revealed for Nolan Wells, the 18-year-old college football player who died during a Fourth of July trip to Horn Island, Mississippi.

The service is expected to take place at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum and Convention Center on July 20, more than two weeks after Wells vanished during the outing with friends. A formal announcement has not yet been made, but the venue’s director said a time is being coordinated with the Wells family, according to reporting by ABC and CBS affiliate WLOX-TV on Monday, July 13.

The news comes as an independent autopsy meant to determine the college football player’s’ cause of death has been delayed due to setbacks transporting his body to Washington, D.C.

According to an article the U.S. Sun published on Tuesday, July 14, Wells’ parents, Christine and Elmore Wonsley, have raised concerns about the state of Mississippi’s handling of the investigation, citing racial dynamics in the case, and have requested an independent probe.

“The family has some concerns about the state of Mississippi doing an investigation of the death of a young Black man, where a young White student may be looked at as having some culpability,” said civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who has been retained by Wells’ parents, per the report.

According to the outlet, the family has cast doubt on investigators’ preliminary assessment. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department has said it has not found evidence of a crime and believes Wells likely drowned, though officials stress the investigation remains active.

Per the report, Crump said Wells’ father described his son as an “elite athlete” who knew how to swim, adding that “they’re just not accepting that Nolan drowned accidentally.”

As Globe previously reported, the three friends who were with Wells during the trip have retained attorneys as the investigation continues.

“We don’t know the level of cooperation the friends are engaging in [with authorities] because they all have retained attorneys,” Crump said during an appearance on PBS NewsHour.

He argued investigators would have handled the case differently had the roles been reversed.

One of the friends, Tracestin Shepherd, previously told Good Morning America, “We did no wrong here, and we don’t understand how we’re getting so much hate behind us.”