Sharpton offers $50K for Nolan Wells case arrest with lawyer to release autopsy at NAACP
Rev. Al Sharpton is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the death of Mississippi teenager Nolan Wells as attorney Ben Crump prepares to reveal preliminary findings Wednesday from an independent autopsy that could provide the first public medical insight into the 18-year-old's mysterious death.
Crump is expected to announce the findings during a news conference at the 117th NAACP National Convention in Chicago, where he will appear alongside Wells' parents, Christine and Elmore Wonsley. The family's legal team plans to release the first public findings from the independent examination.
The announcement comes days after the NAACP adopted a resolution urging local, state and federal authorities, including the U.S. Department of Justice, to conduct what it described as an in-depth and transparent investigation into Wells' death.
SEARCH CALLED OFF AFTER BODY MATCHING MISSING TEEN NOLAN WELLS FOUND OFF MISSISSIPPI COAST
The renewed attention comes as TMZ released previously unseen video it said was recorded during the July 4 gathering on Horn Island. The footage pans across dozens of boats and people in the water before briefly focusing on an individual TMZ identified as Wells, though Fox News Digital has not independently verified the video's authenticity, when it was recorded or the identity of the person shown.
Wells disappeared July 4 after traveling by boat with friends to Horn Island, a barrier island off Mississippi's Gulf Coast, to celebrate Independence Day. Search crews spent two days looking for the teenager before a National Park Service ranger found his body near the island's northwestern tip on July 6. Authorities have not announced a cause or manner of death, and the investigation remains ongoing.
The official autopsy has not yet been released, making Wednesday's announcement the first independent medical findings expected to be shared publicly.
SEARCH CALLED OFF AFTER BODY MATCHING MISSING TEEN NOLAN WELLS FOUND OFF MISSISSIPPI COAST
The case has drawn growing national attention, with prominent civil rights leaders and public figures rallying behind Wells' family, including Crump, Sharpton, former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick and filmmaker Tyler Perry.
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Along with Crump, Sharpton has repeatedly called for a thorough investigation, though he has cautioned against drawing premature conclusions.
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"We cannot say it was racist, but we cannot say it was not racist," Sharpton said during Wells' funeral. "So let's not judge either way until all the evidence is in."
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Sharpton also questioned why Wells' cellphone and keys were found with his friends, why they did not immediately contact law enforcement after realizing he was missing and why local officials appeared quick to dismiss the possibility of foul play.
During Wells' funeral Monday, Sharpton announced a $50,000 reward through the National Action Network for information leading to an arrest and conviction, saying someone at the July 4 gathering knows what happened.
"He was not on that island by himself," Sharpton said. "Somebody saw something and knows something. So I didn't come to make money. I came to give money. Stand up and tell the truth."
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The Associated Press reported that Perry later pledged to help fund the reward in addition to paying for Wells' funeral. Crump has also said the local prosecutor agreed to present the completed investigation to a grand jury once it is finished and that the family was still awaiting the results of the independent autopsy following Monday's funeral.
As the family continues pressing for answers, Fox News Digital has filed public records requests with the Jackson County Sheriff's Office and the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources' Marine Patrol seeking 911 calls, dispatch records, body-camera footage, incident reports, radio communications, vessel logs and other records related to the response to Wells' disappearance and death.
Fox News Digital has also reached out to Crump's office and the National Action Network for additional information regarding Wednesday's announcement and the reward.