Nolan Wells: Family Given Less Than 2 Days To Turn In Phone

Three people posing for a photo: a smiling older man, a younger man in a graduation gown, and a smiling woman. — Source: Wells Family GoFundMe / Screenshot

The legal team representing Nolan Wells’ family has spoken out to push back against allegations that they are unwilling to cooperate with local authorities investigating their son’s death.

In a press release, the legal team representing Wells’ family said that the family previously agreed to a joint examination of Nolan’s phone during a meeting with the District Attorney’s office last month. While an agreement was reached, no date was set for the examination.

Nearly an entire month passed before the District Attorney’s office sent a letter to the Wonsley family asking them to deliver Nolan’s phone by 9 a.m. on Aug. 14, giving the family less than 48 hours to respond. The issue is that Nolan’s parents were out of town when the letter was sent and could not deliver the phone within the set timeline.

“The parties have also not agreed on a forensic protocol governing the scope and method of the examination, chain of custody, preservation of the extraction, access to the resulting data, and return of the device,” the press release reads. “The legal team has asked the District Attorney’s office to send its proposed protocol and has said the examination can be scheduled immediately once it is agreed upon.”

It’s truly frustrating that nothing has been straightforward in the aftermath of Nolan Wells’ death, but considering he died in what is objectively one of America’s most racist states, it’s sadly unsurprising.

Nolan Wells went with a group of friends to a Fourth of July party on a barrier island just off the coast of Mississippi. Nolan’s friends returned home without him, and he was reported missing the next day. After a brief search, Nolan’s body was found just off the coast, raising questions about what happened to him.

For some reason, there seems to be more sympathy for the four boys who left Nolan on the island and not for the family grieving their lost son. Which is crazy because the boys have not really done an effective job demonstrating their trustworthiness. I mean, leaving your friend on an island is already a sus move. I know it’s anecdotal, but in my experience and observation, friend groups that go somewhere together tend to leave that place together. I would never leave one of my friends behind, especially if I was their ride to wherever we went.

The group started a GiveSaveGo, the crowdfunding platform favored by racists and white nationalists whenever they face consequences for being racists and white nationalists. Just this week, the boys went on Brandon Tatum’s podcast, a Black conservative who’s made a living apologizing for white nonsense. None of these moves project the image of a group of boys who feel any sense of remorse or empathy for Nolan’s death and what his family is going through.

Whether it’s Nolan’s alleged friends or the way state investigators are moving, it feels like everyone involved wants to just wash their hands of his death and move on. That has to be incredibly disheartening for the Wonsley family, who simply want to know what happened to their son.