Inset: Nolan Xavier Wells (Lockett Williams Mortuary). Background: Attorney Ben Crump speaking at a press conference (Law&Crime/YouTube).
The family of a Mississippi teenager who was found dead after going on a boating trip with his friends wants answers about his social media activity.
Nolan Wells, 18, was found dead on July 6, two days after he was last seen with a group of friends who took a boating trip on July 4 to Horn Island off the Mississippi coast. According to authorities, Nolan’s friends came back from the island without him — but they returned with his phone. Nolan’s friends told police that he stayed behind to talk to a girl. When Wells’ parents got his phone back, they reportedly noticed that content posted to some of the teen’s social media accounts was missing.
On Tuesday, attorney Benjamin Crump, who is representing Nolan’s parents Christine Wonsley and Elmore Wonsley, filed five subpoenas on five different social media companies demanding to see “all documents, electronically stored information, records” associated with their son’s accounts.
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On July 10, the Wonsleys appeared on ABC’s “Good Morning America” to break their silence after Nolan’s body was found. During that interview, Christine Wonsley said she thought it was “suspicious” that Nolan gave his phone to his friends and “can’t fathom why he would” not join them when they left Horn Island.
When Christine Wonsley went through her son’s phone, she told ABC that even though it had been less than 24 hours since she saw Nolan post on Snapchat, on which he reportedly had two accounts, she found “[a]bsolutely nothing.” The New York Post reported that during a recent press conference, Christine Wonsley said “there were no saved pictures. There were no snaps from that day” on his phone, despite Nolan being known to take several pictures and videos with his phone.
WATCH on Law&Crime on YouTube: Nolan Wells Mystery: CHILLING New Audio Released
Law&Crime reviewed all five subpoenas, which were issued to TikTok, Snap Inc., WhatsApp LLC, Meta, and Life360 Inc. They all contained the same demands to turn over “all documents, electronically stored information, records” and data including IP addresses, GPS information, and timestamps. Each company has 21 days to respond.
Nolan’s family had an independent autopsy conducted on his body, which listed his cause and manner of death as undetermined. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has stated that the investigation into Nolan’s death is ongoing.
The post Nolan Wells’ family hits 5 social media giants with subpoenas after concerns about deleted content first appeared on Law & Crime.
