The family of an 18-year-old Mississippi teenager whose body was recovered from the Gulf Coast two days after he disappeared during a Fourth of July boating trip has issued subpoenas to five major social media companies, seeking records that could explain what happened in the final hours before his death. Attorney Benjamin Crump, representing Nolan Wells' parents, filed the legal demands Tuesday on behalf of Christine Wonsley and Elmore Wonsley.
Background
Nolan Xavier Wells was last seen alive on July 4 when he departed with a group of friends for Horn Island, an uninhabited barrier island located roughly eight miles off the Mississippi coast. According to authorities, Wells' companions returned from the island without him two days later—but they had his cellular phone in their possession. The friends told investigators that Wells chose to remain behind on the island to speak with a girl.
Wells' body was recovered on July 6. An independent autopsy conducted at the family's request listed both the cause and manner of death as undetermined, leaving questions about how the otherwise healthy teenager died in circumstances that authorities have not characterized as criminal. The Jackson County Sheriff's Office confirmed the investigation into Wells' death remains ongoing.
During an appearance on ABC's "Good Morning America" on July 10, Christine Wonsley described her son's disappearance as suspicious and said she struggled to understand why he would hand over his phone before being left behind. When she later examined the device, she discovered that content posted to some of Wells' social media accounts appeared to have been deleted.
"I thought it was suspicious that Nolan gave his phone to his friends," Christine Wonsley told the program. "I can't fathom why he would not join them when they left Horn Island."
The Investigation
The five subpoenas, reviewed by Law&Crime, were issued to TikTok, Snap Inc., WhatsApp LLC, Meta (parent company of Facebook and Instagram), and Life360 Inc. (a family location-sharing application). Each subpoena contains identical demands for "all documents, electronically stored information, records" associated with Wells' accounts on the respective platforms.
The legal requests specifically seek IP addresses that could establish where Wells was when he accessed his accounts, GPS location data embedded in photos and videos, timestamps of account activity, and any content—images, videos, messages—that may have been posted or deleted around the time of his disappearance. Christine Wonsley told ABC she found "absolutely nothing" on her son's two Snapchat accounts despite having seen him post content less than 24 hours earlier.
"There were no saved pictures," she said during a subsequent press conference. "There were no snaps from that day," despite Nolan being known among family and friends for frequently documenting his activities with photographs and videos. The subpoenas give each company 21 days to respond to the demands.
Key Takeaways
- Nolan Wells, 18, was found dead on July 6, two days after disappearing during a boating trip to Horn Island off the Mississippi coast
- His friends returned from the island without him but brought back his cellular phone, telling police he stayed behind to speak with a girl
- An independent autopsy listed cause and manner of death as undetermined
- Attorney Benjamin Crump filed subpoenas to TikTok, Snap Inc., WhatsApp LLC, Meta, and Life360 seeking account records, IP addresses, GPS data, and timestamps
- Christine Wonsley told ABC's 'Good Morning America' she found missing content on her son's social media accounts, including nothing on Snapchat despite recent posts
- Jackson County Sheriff's Office says the investigation into Wells' death remains ongoing
What's Next
Each of the five companies named in the subpoenas has 21 days to respond to the legal demands. The family is expected to use any records obtained through the civil discovery process to piece together what happened during the hours before and after Nolan Wells was left on Horn Island. Investigators have not announced any suspects or described the death investigation as criminal in nature, though they continue to examine all circumstances surrounding the teenager's disappearance and subsequent death.
Crump, who has built a national profile representing families in high-profile cases involving questions of liability and accountability, indicated at a press conference that the subpoenaed records could provide crucial context for understanding Wells' final hours.