Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he is considering a request for the FBI to investigate the death of Nolan Wells, an 18-year-old college freshman. Wells was last seen on a boating trip on July 4, 2026, before his body was discovered two days later on Horn Island, Mississippi. The cause and manner of his death are currently undetermined.
Wells's family, represented by civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, has called for a federal investigation following a Jackson county grand jury's decision not to indict anyone in the case. The grand jury concluded Wells drowned, but an independent autopsy by forensic pathologist Roger A Mitchell Jr. found no evidence of drowning and noted bruising on Wells's head, back, left shoulder, and buttocks.
Crump stated, "We do not believe Nolan drowned, and the blunt force trauma to his head cannot be ignored or explained away." Wells's parents and other figures, including California congresswoman Maxine Waters, have also urged federal agencies, including the US National Park Service, to investigate, citing that most of Horn Island is federally designated land.