Black lawmakers have asked the FBI to look into the death of Nolan Wells.
The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) has called on new Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel to investigate the death of Nolan Wells.
The 18-year-old Black college student from Mississippi came up dead after partying with some White companions on Horn Island for the Fourth of July.
Many in the Black community, especially, believe foul play was involved in Wells’ death and have questioned some of the actions of his White “friends.”
The Congressional Black Caucus sent a letter, which reads in part, “Accordingly, the Congressional Black Caucus requests that the United States Department of Justice immediately undertake an independent federal review of the circumstances surrounding Nolan Wells’ disappearance and death, provide appropriate federal investigative assistance, and determine whether there is a basis for a federal investigation, including under applicable federal civil rights laws.”
Their press release adds, “In the letter, the Congressional Black Caucus raised concerns regarding the lack of transparency and unanswered questions surrounding the circumstances of Nolan Wells’ disappearance and death more than one month later. The CBC emphasized that while local authorities in Mississippi have an ongoing investigation, the continued absence of answers warrants additional federal resources and an independent assessment of whether federal involvement is appropriate.”
The letter adds, “More than 30 days after his disappearance and death, significant questions remain unanswered about the events of July 4, 2026, and the circumstances that led to his death. The Wells family has been forced to grieve while also seeking basic information about what happened to their son…
“The Wells family deserves to understand what happened to their son. They deserve answers. They deserve transparency. And they deserve confidence that every available resource has been brought to bear in determining the truth.”
The CBC wants the Department of Justice (DOJ) to immediately review Wells’ death and submit a written response within seven days detailing their involvement in the investigation.
Bonnie Bolden of The Mississippi Clarion Ledger reported, “The Rev. Al Sharpton, founder and president of the National Action Network (NAN), said there’s a history of similar deaths not being investigated thoroughly enough during the news conference at the 2026 National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Convention & Career Fair in Atlanta.
“In this case, Sharpton said, they’re asking for answers and have not come to conclusions on their own. They have not decided that the answers about what happened to Wells are racial, he said, but the discussion around the case has been divided…
“Caucus chair U.S. Rep. Yvette D. Clarke (D-N.Y.) and other members urged the U.S. Department of Justice to determine whether a civil rights investigation and/or a separate federal investigation are needed. They wrote that Wells’ family has not received answers from local law enforcement more than a month after his death.
“(Civil rights attorney Ben) Crump said they want to be sure the investigation is fairly assessed and gets the same access to federal resources as any other case.”
Crump is calling for a national day of prayer on Aug. 19, which would have been Wells’ 19th birthday.
The attorney wants people to pray that the truth comes out about Well’s death.
Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsely, said, “Our lives have forever changed. This new normal is not something I would wish on anyone.”
Crump added that they will host a prayer vigil on Aug. 19 in Ocean Springs, Miss.
While race is not necessarily believed to have played a role in Wells’ death, some believe that White privilege could result in a cover-up if something criminal occurred last month.
Some have even compared Wells to Emmett Till, who was lynched by a group of vicious White men in 1995 when a White woman in Money, Miss., lied on him by saying that he whistled at her in a convenience store.
Till, a Chicago native, was in Mississippi to spend time with relatives.
His murderers were exonerated for the crime, later admitting to their crimes in a magazine interview.
In 1963, civil rights leader Medgar Evers was assassinated by Byron De La Beckwith.
It took decades for De La Beckwith to face legal consequences for his crime.
In fact, Evers’ widow, Myrlie Evers, knew that justice would be hard to find when the Mississippi governor at the time shook De La Beckwith’s hand while she testified on the witness stand.
Other people have questioned whether Wells’ White mates were really his friends because they did not attend his funeral, deleted their social media platforms, and participated in interviews with Black podcaster Brandon Tatum, who is infamous and famous for spreading White nationalist propaganda and crying after the assassination of White nationalist Charlie Kirk.
Some of his White mates that he partied with on the Fourth of July have even blamed Wells’ parents for seeking answers about Wells’ death, claiming that their search for answers is causing divisions.
Wonsley even had people attempt to get her fired from her nursing job because of her fact-finding mission.
During the Montgomery Bus Boycott and other civil rights protests of the 1950s and 1960s, many Black people lost their jobs for not supporting segregation laws, specifically in public transportation.
Racist White bosses in Montgomery, Ala. would fire their Black employees if they stopped paying for rides on the segregated bus system.
For over one year, many Black residents of Montgomery, Ala. got to work by walking or taking car pools.
