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Nolan Xavier Wells (Born: August 19, 2007 - July 6, 2026) was an African-American teenager who went missing during a Fourth of July celebration at Horn Island, located in Mississippi. His corpse was found two days later.
The circumstances of his death were seen as suspicious by some. Nolan was one of the few black people there and was the only black person among his group of friends. For context, Mississippi has a notable history of racism directed towards African-Americans and flippant investigations into their deaths; most cited is the 1955 murder of Emmett Till.
There are three prevailing theories into his death: he drowned; he was killed, accidentally or maliciously, by his friends; or he was killed by a stranger whilst missing.
An independent autopsy paid for by Nolan’s family was unable to determine a cause of death as his corpse had deteriorated too much, and his neck/lungs were confiscated by Mississippi authorities. Many of Nolan’s friends have sought legal counsel and deleted their social media. There is also suspicion that some of the contents of Nolan's phone may have been deleted.
As of now, no official cause of death has been released, and a final decision has yet to be made by Mississippi officials.