Eric Benet, MC Lyte and More Join Calls For Justice For Black Teen Found Dead in Mississippi

The death of Nolan Wells has left several unanswered questions and many are calling for justice. The 18-year-old did not return from a Fourth of July trip with friends to an island off Mississippi’s Gulf Coast. According to CNN, Wells’ body was found two days later along the shore of Horn Island, about 7 miles off the Mississippi coast, more than a day after he was last seen alive. 

The roughly 11-mile-long spit of land is near the Alabama state line. The island is uninhabited and accessible only by boat. About 200 people were there on July 4, the family’s lawyers said.

“We just want to know what happened and why our baby didn’t come home,” Christine Wonsley said at a news conference Friday, July 10, in New York City, as she stood alongside her lawyer, Ben Crump, and the Rev. Al Sharpton, who will officiate Wells’ funeral.

Wells was reportedly the only Black person in the group of three friends that he traveled with. At a July 10 press conference, Crump said that, based on videos the family had reviewed, Wells was one of, if not the only, Black person on the island.

Jackson County Sheriff’s Office officials have told reporters that investigators have found no evidence of foul play at this time, and Wells’ friends are cooperating and have not been named as suspects or charged with any crimes. The investigation is ongoing and the official autopsy results are still pending. 

However, Crump said that Wells’ parents hired him to conduct an independent investigation into their son’s death, citing the state’s fraught history with racial prejudice in law enforcement. 

Tyler Perry is helping pay for the teen’s funeral, former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick is helping pay for his independent autopsy, and filmmaker Spike Lee was at the news conference to show support for Wells’ family. Celebrities like Eric Benet, MC Lyte and others have shared their thoughts about the tragedy on social media. 

“Everybody’s under-reacting,” Benet posted. “To all this sh*t. All of it.”

MC Lyte posted a somber video after her performance at Essence Fest, calling for justice and reminding everyone that despite summer festivities like the BET Awards and the Essence Festival, this troubling issue remains unresolved. 

“I just wanted to say that after BET, after the step show, ‘K.A.O.S. with an Iota of D.A.Z.S.,” Lyte said, recalling some of the events of the past two weeks. “After the E-Suite, after the VanVan performance, after Essence Music Fest and rocking on stage with Brandy and Yo-Yo and then with Doug E. [Fresh] and Scarface and Too $hort and a whole bunch of folks, I just want you to know that although we were in a moment of relief and we gave performances that hopefully gave the audience a moment of relief. We are with Nolan and his family, and we want the truth.”

“I think where it draws suspicion is, all of them have cut off their social media. All of them have decided to be silent,” said D.L. Hughley on his podcast. “The one thing I know: A lot of white people ain’t got a lot of Black friends. How the f**k can you lose the one Black dude that came with you? Like, how don’t you know where he is?”

Veteran actress Jenifer Lewis shared a spoken word piece that she wrote about the tragedy. Lil Rel Howery posted a lengthy video calling for more information. 

“Let’s make it about the truth,” said Lil Rel in an Instagram video. “Because right now based on all of the details and all the new information we’ve got, hearing from the parents… it’s so many questions circling this.”

You can see some posts about Nolan Wells below. 

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