MISSISSIPPI — The volunteer rescue organization United Cajun Navy has publicly clarified details surrounding the discovery of Nolan Xavier Wells, the 18-year-old football player whose case has drawn national attention since he disappeared during a Fourth of July boating trip to Horn Island, Mississippi.
The group said recent reports incorrectly stated that the teenager was found «fully clothed,» stressing that the facts should be reported accurately as the investigation continues.
The controversy emerged after civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, while presenting preliminary findings from an independent autopsy, said he had been informed that Nolan Xavier Wells was discovered fully clothed, even though photographs taken earlier that day showed him wearing only blue swim trunks.
The statement was later challenged by United Cajun Navy, which said that description did not match what its search team observed.
According to Todd Terrell, founder and president of United Cajun Navy, the confusion began during an interview on Nancy Grace’s television program.
Terrell explained that he agreed with Grace’s wording during the live interview but later acknowledged that he should have corrected the description.
He said the rescue team’s aerial observations indicated that Nolan Xavier Wells was wearing only the same blue swim trunks seen in earlier photographs from the day he disappeared.
Following the growing public debate, United Cajun Navy released an official statement emphasizing that Nolan Xavier Wells was found face down wearing only swim trunks and not fully clothed.
The organization said it had never told the family otherwise and added that misinformation surrounding the case only makes the search for answers more difficult. Its statement concluded by saying, «Facts matter. Families deserve the truth.»
Meanwhile, the investigation into the teenager’s d34th remains ongoing. A preliminary independent autopsy listed the c4us3 and manner of d34th as undetermined, noting that advanced decomposition limited several forensic findings.
Investigators also reported discoloration on the back of the head that requires additional evaluation, while officials have not ruled out any possibility and continue awaiting the results of the official state autopsy and toxicology testing.
Nolan Xavier Wells disappeared during a boating trip with friends on July 4 near Horn Island and was located two days later after an extensive search involving the United States Coast Guard, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, the National Park Service, and United Cajun Navy.
As investigators continue reviewing evidence, his family, represented by Benjamin Crump, has repeatedly called for transparency and a complete accounting of what happened during the teenager’s final hours.