🚨 MY SON’S FATHER AND I… WE’RE NOT DOING WELL… — THE MOTHER OF 18-YEAR-OLD FOOTBALL PLAYER NOLAN XAVIER WELLS DESPERATELY SEARCHED FOR HER SON… NOW, THE ENDING HAS UNFOLDED IN THE WAY NO ONE WANTED
A body has been found in the water after a Mississippi football player mysteriously disappeared while visiting a local island with friends on the Fourth of July.
Nolan Xavier Wells, 18, vanished after a boat trip with friends on Saturday and was last seen around 3 p.m. “talking to a girl” on the north end of Horn Island, a popular barrier island about 10 miles off the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the United Cajun Navy and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department said.
Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter told The Post that a body was found at around 8:45 a.m. Monday and that “it does match the description” of Wells.
“The body was found in the water, just off shore just off the west end of Horn Island,” Ledbetter revealed.
Nolan Xavier Wells, 18, vanished after visiting Horn Island with friends Saturday afternoon.Facebook / Christine Wonsley
Cajun Navy Incident Commander Josh Gill said in a video posted to Facebook early Sunday: “He was last talking to a girl on that north end, he went out to Horn Island with some buddies yesterday on a boat and he has not been heard from in close to 24 hours.”
“So guys, if you’re out there fishing, if you’re out there jet skiing, doing whatever you guys are doing, keep your eyes out for Nolan,” he said. “Guys, please, please keep your eyes out… Let’s find this young boy, his mother is worried sick.”
It’s unclear if the teen, a wide receiver at Southwest Mississippi Community College, ever made it back to the mainland.
Wells’ heartbroken mother flooded Facebook with photos of her son from the day he vanished and desperate pleas for information.
Wells’ heartbroken mother has since flooded Facebook with photos of her son from the day he vanished and desperate pleas for information.Facebook / Christine Wonsley
Horn Island is a popular barrier island about 10 miles off the MIssissippi Gulf Coast.Barbara Gauntt/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
“His father, Elmore Wonsley and I are not ok,” mom Christine Wonsley said in a Monday morning post.
“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. We just pray our son is alive & safe. Again we are looking for any pictures/video footage around 4:30 p.m. or later.”
Photos of the shirtless teen, who reportedly played football at Ocean Springs High School, show him sporting blue swim trunks, sunglasses and grinning alongside friends on a boat before he went missing.
Photos of the shirtless teen show him sporting blue swim trunks, sunglasses and grinning alongside friends on a boat before he went missing.Facebook / Christine Wonsley
Authorities said the 6-foot-1, 180-pound teen was last seen wearing blue swim trunks, sunglasses and no shirt.
“If you were on or near Horn Island, Mississippi, or traveling by boat in the area, please think back to anything you may have seen,” the United Cajun Navy posted on Facebook Sunday.
“No detail is too small when someone is missing.”
United Cajun Navy spokesperson, Brian Trascher, told The Post the non-profit disaster relief organization has since launched aerial reconnaissance to scour the waters between Horn Island and Ship Island, stretching south to the Chandelier Islands.
Authorities said the 6-foot-1, 180-pound teen was last seen wearing blue swim trunks, sunglasses and no shirt. Facebook / Christine Wonsley
Aviation teams are also coordinating closely with surface vessels, relaying areas of interest spotted from the air to maximize search efforts on the ground and water.
“We are deeply grateful for the overwhelming support from the local community,” Trascher said.
“The dedication of volunteer pilots, boat captains, drone operators, and countless others has been instrumental in this ongoing effort. Every resource and every volunteer strengthens our mission.”
The United States Coast Guard, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, and the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department are also reportedly assisting in the frantic search.
Anyone with information is urged to call the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department at 228-769-3063.
SOURCE: https://nypost.com/2026/07/06/us-news/body-found-in-search-for-nolan-xavier-wells-18-who-vanished-during-fourth-of-july-celebrations-reports/
