The body of an 18-year-old teenager who went missing Saturday after a boat trip with friends is believed to have been recovered, according to authorities.
Discovery of the Body
The body was found Monday morning in the water off Horn Island, Mississippi, which is about 10 miles from the Gulf Coast. Jackson County Coroner Bruce Lynd told WLOX that there is no reason to believe it is not Nolan Xavier Wells, but DNA tests will be used for confirmation.
Circumstances of Disappearance
Wells went missing Saturday after spending the day on a boat with friends near Horn Island. His friends left the island that afternoon, but Wells decided to stay behind, Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter told ABC News. The sheriff does not suspect foul play and said there is no indication of drug or alcohol use. “There’s no information that we have right now that would lead us to believe that a crime has occurred,” Ledbetter said.
Mother's Plea and Grief
Wells' mother, Christine Wonsley, reported her son missing Saturday night and pleaded for help on Facebook. “We have so many questions,” she wrote Monday morning before the body was found. “Our hearts are breaking, we keep waiting for Nolan to walk through that door with his beautiful smile and a joke of course. We just pray our son is alive & safe.” Later on Monday, she posted again, saying she and her family and friends are “absolutely devastated.” “My heart is broken for our sweet son who was always willing to cheer and uplift others,” she wrote. “Nolan was a special soul, God took his time creating our son.”
