T3rrifying Discovery: The way Nolan Wells’ b0dy was found on Horn Island is leaving investigators and the public with chilling questions
The leader of grassroots rescue group United Cajun Navy wants to “set the record straight,” clarifying that Nolan Wells was not fully clothed when the missing teen’s body was found in the water in Mississippi.
During a Wednesday press conference announcing preliminary results from an independent autopsy into the death of the football player, civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump said the United Cajun Navy told him Wells’ body was found “fully clothed” on Horn Island — despite Wells being seen that day wearing only swimming trunks.
The comment appears to have spiraled from an interview on Monday’s “Nancy Grace Show,” when the host interviewed Todd Terrell, founder and president of the volunteer-led disaster relief organization, United Cajun Navy.
“As I recall, Todd Terrell, Nolan was face down, still fully clothed, on the beach. Is that correct?” Grace asked Terrell.
“Yes, that is correct. He was face down,” Terrell responded, later adding: “When we say he was found fully clothed on the beach, it was in the same vicinity of where he possibly drowned.”
Terrell has since said he should have corrected Grace when she said the body was “fully clothed,” adding that he was caught off guard after picking up the phone only three minutes before the show went on air.
“I just agreed with her because the body was clothed. Maybe I should have corrected her,” he told the Sun Herald.
Terrell said a Cajun Navy pilot was in the air when they spotted Wells’ body, and saw he was wearing swim trunks, like most other males on the island.
“He was clothed, meaning he had his shorts on, from what we could see,” Terrell said, adding that Wells was wearing blue swim trunks, the same that he was pictured wearing earlier in the day.
The United Cajun Navy — set up in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to support those affected — posted a clip of a follow-up interview with Grace clarifying that Wells was only wearing trunks, along with a statement.
“Recent media reports have stated that Nolan Wells was found ‘fully clothed.’ That statement is not consistent with what the United Cajun Navy search team observed,” read the Wednesday post.
“Nolan was found face down wearing only swim trunks. The United Cajun Navy has never stated that Nolan was recovered fully clothed, and it’s important that the facts surrounding this case are reported accurately,” the statement continued.
“Facts matter. Families deserve the truth.”
Representatives for Benjamin Crump did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
Wells, 18, had been on a Fourth of July boating trip with friends to Horn Island, Mississippi, before he disappeared. His body was found two days later in the water off the island.
An independent autopsy listed Wells’ cause and manner of death as undetermined pending investigation, with the date of death also unknown.
The college football player had a 12-by-8-inch red discoloration to the back of his head, according to the autopsy performed by Dr. Roger Mitchell, President of the National Medical Association.
The red discoloration in the soft tissue of the back of Wells’ head may indicate head trauma — however, decomposition and a lack of associated injuries meant the findings were inconclusive, the report states.
Police have said that nothing yet points to foul play and suspect Wells likely drowned.
