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.
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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."
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