By admin 
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is assisting the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department in the investigation into the death of Nolan Xavier Wells.
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Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said the Sheriff’s Department has worked with the FBI since the investigation began, something that shouldn’t come as a surprise because Horn Island is federal land. In addition, he said, the Sheriff’s Department often works with FBI agents in investigations.
As part of that involvement, Ledbetter said the FBI agents are assisting with the forensic examination of the digital evidence investigators have collected during the investigation.
“We have interviewed approximated 60 witnesses,” Ledbetter said. “Again, our investigation is ongoing and active.” Those interviewed in depth include the three friends Wells accompanied on the boat to Horn Island on July 4.
District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath weighed in on the case as well Tuesday, saying that her office is “offering support to law enforcement.”
In addition, McIlrath said: “This case is being treated as a priority and upon the conclusion of the investigation, the findings will go before a grand jury, which is our standard operating procedure for deaths that are not natural deaths.”
Once a death investigation is completed, the findings are presented to a grand jury to determine if any criminal wrongdoing occurred. McIlrath reiterated that the investigation remains “active and ongoing.”
In addition, the district attorney said she plans to meet with Wells’ family Wednesday.
Wells, 18, of Ocean Springs, was reported missing after he did not return home from a Fourth of July trip to Horn Island. Wells, who was Black, traveled to the island with the three white friends who have cooperated with investigators.
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His mother, Christine Wonsley, has said it was “improbable” that her son would have voluntarily remained on the island, miles from shore, without his phone. She said that once she got her son’s phone, she was concerned about the lack of saved Snapchat messages.
Wonsley is urging anyone with information about the case, including videos and pictures related to her son’s disappearance, to provide that information to the Sheriff’s Department and to her legal team.
Wells’ body was found July 6 in the waters off Horn Island. The Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy, but the results remain pending the results of toxicology tests, Jackson County Coroner Bruce Lynd Jr. said Tuesday.
After Wells’ death, his parents, Christine and Elmore Wonsley, hired civil rights attorney Ben Crump to conduct an independent investigation. An independent autopsy was also performed at the family’s request, but the results have not been released.
Crump said he planned to announce the findings during a news conference last week but said flight delays also delayed the autopsy findings. He has not announced when the results will be released.
Since Wells’ disappearance and death, speculation about the case has spread widely on social media, with investigators repeatedly urging the public not to share unverified information.
The Sheriff’s Department continues to ask eyewitnesses to call the Sheriff’s Department at 228-769-3065. In addition, the sheriff is calling for any original photographs of videos from the day Wells went missing.
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