Family of Mississippi teen who died after July 4 trip call for transparency, deeper investigation

NEW YORK (AP) — The family of a Mississippi 18-year-old who was found dead after a July 4 boat trip with friends to an island off the Gulf Coast called for a deeper investigation and for greater transparency at a news conference Friday (July 10, 2026) with the Rev. Al Sharpton and noted civil rights attorney Ben Crump. The body of Nolan Xavier Wells was found Monday off Horn Island, Mississippi. That’s where he was last seen with friends on Saturday. Crump says the family is seeking answers about the death. Sheriff John Ledbetter says investigators have been told Wells chose to stay on the island when his friends left and was apparently going to return with someone else.