Civil rights leader Rev.
Al Sharpton announced a $100,000 reward during a funeral service for 18-year-old Nolan Wells, an Ocean Springs, Mississippi teenager found dead after a boat trip.
Family and community members gathered at a local church on July 20, 2026 to honor Wells, whose death following a July 4 excursion to Horn Island has prompted national demands for an independent inquiry.
Wells vanished during a trip with white friends to Horn Island off the Gulf Coast.
Search crews located his body off the island's coast two days after his disappearance.
During the ceremony, Wells' mother, Christine Wonsley, remembered her son's character. "He had a way of making people feel seen, welcomed and valued," she said.
"He could lift your confidence with just a few words and make you feel like you belong."
Rev. Al Sharpton pledged financial assistance to help uncover new details surrounding the teenager's death.
"There's too many unanswered questions," he said.
"We can’t have someone in law enforcement saying there was no foul play before there was an investigation."
Sharpton connected the current local law enforcement response to historic civil rights cases across the state.
"The reason why a lot of people in the nation are looking at this Nolan situation is that we’ve looked at history in Mississippi," he said.
"Before we can medicate and heal today, we’ve got to look at your history."
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing the family, questioned local law enforcement's handling of the case.
"Our lived experiences tell us that we must question everything, everybody’s role, law enforcement’s role," Crump said. "That is the lived experience as Black people in America."
Crump stated that another witness claimed Wells intended to return on the boat with his friends.
He noted that Wells' phone and keys were found with his friends, alleging that messages appeared to be deleted from the phone.
Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter stated that Wells' friends are cooperating with the ongoing investigation.
Initial interviews indicated Wells chose to remain on the island believing he could secure another ride home.
Before his death, Wells played wide receiver at Southwest Mississippi Community College in Summit, Mississippi, with ambitions to compete at a Division I athletic program.
"He was very sociable with everyone, didn’t meet a stranger," said football coach Les George.
"He would pop up at my office and come sit on the couch just to hang out and talk."
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus issued a joint statement requesting a transparent, independent probe into the teenager's death.
"We hope the outpouring of concern and support from people across the country in recent days brings them some comfort in the days ahead," the statement said.
Crump confirmed the local prosecutor agreed to submit the completed case findings to a grand jury.
