Authorities halted the search for missing 18-year-old Nolan Xavier Wells after a park ranger discovered an unidentified body off the coast of Horn Island, Mississippi, on Monday, July 6, 2026.
Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said the body was found at approximately 8:45 a. m.
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in the water just offshore from the northwest end of the wilderness island.
The United Cajun Navy confirmed the suspension of rescue efforts later that morning. Official identification of the body is still pending.
Sheriff Ledbetter told the New York Post that the physical characteristics of the recovered individual matched the description of the missing Ocean Springs resident.
Wells, a wide receiver at Southwest Mississippi Community College, disappeared around 3 p. m.
on Saturday, July 4, during a holiday boat trip with friends.
Before the discovery, the college's athletic department released a statement supporting the family.
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“The SMCC family is praying for beloved football player Nolan Wells, his loved ones, and everyone involved in the search,” the statement said.
The teenager's mother, Christine Wonsley, expressed her grief online, noting that Wells had been separated from his cell phone during the outing.
“We have so many questions.
Our hearts are breaking, we keep waiting for Nolan to walk through that door with his beautiful smile and a joke of course,” she wrote.
The Jackson County Sheriff's Office, the U. S.
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Coast Guard, and the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources are continuing their investigation into the incident.
