‘He Just Wanted Peace’: Parents Honor Nolan Wells’ Life, Raise Questions About Final Hours

The last time Christine and Elmore Wonsley saw their son, Nolan Wells, alive, he made them dinner.

“It was salmon. He baked it, so proud,” his mother recalled during a Friday (July 10) press conference. After the meal, Wells hugged his parents, exchanged “I love yous” and left. Three days later, his body was found off Mississippi’s Horn Island, plunging the family into grief and leaving them searching for answers.

“This is not how I wanted the world to meet my son, but here we are,” Christine Wonsley said alongside civil rights attorney Ben Crump and the Rev. Al Sharpton.

The appearance came as the family continued pressing investigators for answers in the death of the 18-year-old college football player. As we previously reported, Wells disappeared during a Fourth of July boating trip to Horn Island with friends and was found dead on July 6. The family is conducting an independent investigation.

RELATED: Nolan Wells’ Family Calls For an Independent Autopsy as Concerns About His Final Moments Grow

Instead of focusing solely on the case, Wells’ parents used Friday’s news conference to remember the young man they lost. Christine described her son as “the kindest soul,” saying he never judged anyone for being “Black, white, purple, green or [looking] like a marshmallow. He just wanted everyone to be in peace with one another.”

“God gave him this big heart, which always scared us,” she said.

Like many Black parents, Christine said she and her husband had difficult conversations with Wells about what it means to be Black in America. The couple also rejected criticism that they were making the case about race.

“It’s not us feeding into racism or the stereotypes that come with that. Unfortunately, that is just a matter of fact,” Christine said.

The parents shared stories highlighting Wells’ compassion. Christine recalled arguing with her husband when Wells, then a toddler, unexpectedly burst into the room.

“He starts dancing,” she said. “It was like he could feel the tension. He could feel that something wasn’t right. He was just a special kid.”

Football was another defining part of Wells’ life and his relationship with his father.

“I could see, as he did that, his baby brother really started getting more into it,” Elmore Wonsley said. “When I look at my youngest, I’d say Nolan. Or when I look at Nolan, I’d say my youngest’s name. They were becoming men.”

Elmore said it’s difficult to believe his son would have willingly remained stranded on Horn Island. “I think me and his mother did a great job. That’s why it’s so hard for me to believe that he would just choose to stay on the island,” he said. “It just wasn’t in his character.”

The family thanked relatives, coaches and friends who helped search for Wells, eventually locating his cellphone and car keys. But recovering his phone only deepened Christine’s concerns.

“Anyone that’s ever been around Nolan will tell you at social gatherings, he’s taking videos, he’s taking pictures,” she said. Yet she found no photos or Snapchat posts from July 4.

“There were no saved pictures,” she said. “That’s why we feel that things may have been deleted.” Elmore also questioned why he and others were unable to find Wells during their initial search.

“I don’t know a lot about water currents,” Elmore said, “but I would think that we would’ve saw his body,” adding that nearby homes and docked boats made him believe Wells “would’ve had help.”

As the family mourns, Elmore said the loss has devastated everyone at home.

“My son, Ethan, he’s hurting. My twins, the loss of a younger sibling is hurting them,” he said. “For my family, this is going to be our new norm.”

Still, he’s encouraged his children to carry their brother’s memory.

“I said, ‘Nolan wanted you to be the best you can be. He would want you to outdo him. Whenever you feel like you’re in a bind, call on your brother.’”