Nolan Xavier Wells would have turned 19 on Wednesday, Aug. 19. Instead, nearly 40 days after the Black Filipino American college student was found dead near Horn Island off Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, his family and a growing coalition of Asian American, Pacific Islander, Black and civil rights organizations are demanding answers about how he died.
Wells, an 18-year-old student and football player at Southwest Mississippi Community College, went missing July 4 during a boat outing to Horn Island. His body was recovered July 6 in waters near the island. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has said the investigation remains active and ongoing.
The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, or NAPAWF, issued a statement Wednesday calling on the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office to pursue what it described as a thorough and urgent investigation. The group said it stands with Wells’ mother, Christine Wells-Wonsley, who has continued to seek public information about her son’s death while facing online harassment and attacks.
“Nolan, like every other kid in this country, deserves a fair and transparent investigation into his tragic death,” Christina Baal-Owens, NAPAWF’s executive director, said in the statement. “We stand with Christine and defend her right to seek justice for Nolan and grieve his death without baseless attacks on her safety and character.”
Wells’ death has drawn national attention not only because questions remain unresolved, but also because of the broader history that informs the public response. His mother is Filipino American and his father is Black American. Advocacy groups said his identity as a Black Filipino American young man has prompted solidarity across communities that have long raised concerns about unequal treatment, racial bias and the lack of accountability in death investigations involving people of color.
“Nolan was a Black and Filipino American young man, and his family’s fight for the truth belongs to all of us,” said Cynthia Choi, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate. “On what would have been Nolan’s 19th birthday, we stand with Christine and the Wells family and their demands for a transparent and thorough investigation.”
The family’s independent autopsy, conducted by forensic pathologist Dr. Roger A. Mitchell Jr., listed Wells’ cause and manner of death as “undetermined pending investigation.” The preliminary report did not identify clear evidence of fatal trauma but said limitations, including decomposition and the absence of some information and testing at the time of the examination, prevented a definitive determination. The pathologist said he could not rule out nonaccidental factors.
Mississippi authorities have not publicly released the findings of the state medical examiner’s autopsy. The Jackson County District Attorney’s Office said the state examination is complete but that the results, along with other evidence, will remain sealed until a grand jury reviews the case. The district attorney has said the office is restricted in what it can disclose while the investigation continues.
The NAACP recently joined the Wells family’s legal team, according to local reports. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump represents the family.
NAPAWF’s statement was joined by Stop AAPI Hate, OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates, the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, the National Federation of Filipino American Associations, the Japanese American Citizens League, Asian Americans Advancing Justice-AAJC, the Filipino American National Historical Society, LEAD Filipino, Little Manila Rising and other organizations.
The Japanese American Citizens League called for the U.S. Department of Justice to launch an independent federal review. In its statement, the organization said no parent should have to fight for transparency while grieving the death of a child.
NaFFAA Executive Director Joshua Ang Price said Wells’ “life and memory will always be a part of both the Black and Filipino American communities he represented.”
“Our hearts are with his mother Christine and their entire family as they grieve Nolan and seek answers,” Price said. “Nakikiramay po kami sa inyong pagdadalamhati.”
Dr. Kevin Nadal, a distinguished professor at the City University of New York, said the histories of Asian Pacific Islander and Black Americans are connected through shared struggles against racism, colonialism, exclusion and state violence.
“We must always speak out, organize, and demand accountability whenever Black lives are threatened, harmed, or denied justice,” Nadal said.
The district attorney’s office has said the completed investigation will be presented to a Jackson County grand jury. At this stage, authorities have announced no criminal charges and have not publicly identified a cause of death.
For Wells’ family and the coalition now supporting them, his birthday has become a day of remembrance and a renewed call for accountability.
“Christine deserves better than silence,” said Reshma Saujani, founder of Girls Who Code and Moms First. “She deserves the truth.”
