A black teen's mysterious death during July 4 celebrations in the United States has become shrouded in rampant speculation and an air of racial division, rocking a bayside town in the Deep South.
Nolan Wells travelled by boat with high school friends who, in photographs, all appeared to be white, to an unserviced island off the Mississippi coast for a party that one of the group described as a "final hurrah" before returning to college and work.
His friends later made it home, while Mr Wells did not.
His body was found washed up on the island two days later.
Nolan Wells's death has attracted the attention of notable US civil rights figures and politicians who have suggested his race may have been a factor in his death. (Reuters: David 'Dee' Delgado)
The 18-year-old had elite college football aspirations, and his mother says he wanted to become a dad to daughters he had already picked names for.
His family's search for answers has attracted the attention of notable US civil rights figures, celebrities and politicians demanding transparency in a police investigation into what caused his death.
But in a state notorious for its fraught racial history and distrust of law enforcement, the family's lawyer says they refuse to let authorities "sweep [the case] under the rug".
Beach party turned tragic in hours
The town of Ocean Springs is located about 10 nautical miles from the remote Horn Island, across a patch of mostly flat seawater in the Gulf of Mexico.
On July 4, Mr Wells was seen in now-widely circulated photos smiling with his arms around three friends while sitting on the edge of a dinghy.
One of the teen's best friends, Jayvon Williams, told local media he last saw him about 4pm.
Another friend, Tracestin Shepherd, told Good Morning America (GMA) partygoers were drunk, and Mr Wells met a girl he wanted to stay with on the island rather than returning home with his group.
Images widely shared online showed Nolan Wells was with white friends during a trip believed to have taken place on July 4. (Supplied: Christine Wonsley/Facebook)
"I've never known Nolan to stay back," Mr Williams, who arrived on the island separately from Mr Wells, told CNN.
"He's always been a guy where, if he rode with you, he's gonna come back with you."
Social media videos later showed dozens of people in knee-deep water near boats moored at the island.
The remote Horn Island is located off the southern coast of Mississippi in the Gulf of Mexico. (Supplied: US National Park Service)
One video, widely shared by people theorising online what may have happened to Mr Wells, showed an apparent altercation on the beach, with a person yelling at someone to return their mobile phone.
Mr Shepherd later told GMA the voice was his.
After 11pm the same day, Mr Wells's mother, Christine Wonsley, received a call from one of the teen's friends alerting her to the situation.
She says she then used a mobile app to track his mobile phone's location. It was later found on the mainland at a house with his friends, and Ms Wonsley claims several Snapchat and text messages appeared to have been deleted.
The 18-year-old, who played as a wide receiver for the Southwest Mississippi Community College football team, had aspirations of becoming an elite player. (Supplied: Christine Wonsley/Facebook)
Mr Wells's father, Elmore Wonsley, also found his son's car keys at a property he stayed at with his friends on the night before the party.
After Mr Wells's family reported him missing, a search found his body face-down off the island's western tip two days after he disappeared.
Two autopsies, unanswered questions and a $US125k reward
In the following days, his family voiced concerns about the investigation in Mississippi.
They retained civil rights lawyer Ben Crump and transported Mr Wells's body to Washington DC for a second autopsy away from the southern state.
Mr Crump announced on Wednesday, local time, at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)'s annual convention that the preliminary results were "inconclusive".
The post-mortem found no evidence of fractures or deep tissue injuries, and revealed Mr Wells's body had a 30-by-20-centimetre patch of "red discolouration" on the back of the head.
Forensic pathologist Roger A Mitchell Jr said he was unable to determine the discolouration's cause, and could not rule out that neck injuries contributed to his death because the Mississippi Medical Examiner retained bones from Mr Wells's throat.
The preliminary findings of an independent autopsy of Nolan Wells's body were unable to rule out that foul play may have contributed to his death. (Reuters: Jim Vdruska)
He also said after Mr Wells's body had undergone the first autopsy, which included the removal of organs, and started decomposing, it was not possible to determine if water entered the teen's lungs.
"This forensic pathologist does not know the condition of Nolan Wells (i.e. conscious or unconscious, forced or unforced) before entering the water," Mr Mitchell Jr said in his report.
"This pathologist cannot rule out if any intervening non-accidental factors contributed to or caused the death of Nolan Wells."
Initially, the local sheriff's office said foul play was not suspected, but Mr Crump continued pushing for greater transparency.
"The history of Mississippi is something that they don't just read about in books," Mr Crump said earlier this month.
"It's a lived experience for many black Americans that oftentimes, when our children are killed in highly questionable situations, there is this notion that, 'Oh, there was nothing wrong, no foul play.'
"What teenager would leave their phone behind if they're going to stay on this island? … It's not adding up at all."
Nolan Wells's parents were supported by civil rights advocates, including Reverend Al Sharpton (far right), at a funeral service held for him in Ocean Springs. (AP: Gerald Herbert)
NAACP president Derrick Johnson told the convention the organisation accused Mississippi authorities of "being derelict in their duties".
"We cannot allow another individual, particularly a young black man's death, [to] go uninvestigated," he said.
"In Nolan Wells's situation, the narrative should not be 'it was an accident', before there was an investigation."
The preliminary autopsy results were read to a crowd of people at the annual NAACP convention in Chicago, where a prayer was held in Nolan Wells's honour. (AP: Laura Bargfeld)
Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic Party leader in the US House of Representatives, echoed that message and called for "a complete and thorough criminal investigation".
District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath for Jackson County, where Ocean Springs is located, released a statement this week explaining authorities had not released investigation details in accordance with regulations aimed at maintaining the integrity of Mississippi's judicial process.
"Nolan's case is being handled the same way, with the same care and the same commitment to the truth that we handle all death investigations," she said on Thursday.
"I understand the public's urgency to understand what happened to Nolan … The pressure for answers does not change what the work requires.
"Our responsibility to Nolan and our community is to complete this investigation thoroughly, carefully, without compromise, supported by the evidence and worthy of the confidence of the people we serve."
On Sunday, Mr Crump said he was working with Mississippi prosecutors to jointly examine Mr Wells's phone to present the evidence to a grand jury.
The lawyer said the death attracted the attention of high-profile black celebrities such as comedian Dave Chappell, former NFL star Colin Kaepernick and Beyonce's mother, Tina Knowles.
"They all say: 'But, by the grace of God, Nolan could've been my child and that's why it's so important to get to the truth of the matter,'" Mr Crump said.
"People need something to believe that we don't repeat the sins of the past."
Black actor and filmmaker Tyler Perry paid for Mr Wells's funeral this month, while civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton — known for his advocacy of the exonerated "Central Park Five" and condemnation of Donald Trump's calls for their execution — has publicly supported the teen's family.
In a fiery eulogy, Reverend Sharpton declared he and Perry would offer a $US100,000 ($142,838) reward for new evidence that leads to a conviction over Mr Wells's death.
Some of Nolan Wells's friends and his community college football teammates attended his funeral. (AP: Gerald Herbert)
The reward was later raised to $US125,000 after NFL player Terrell Owens vowed to contribute.
"He was not on that island by himself. Somebody saw something and knows something," the reverend said.
"Stand up and tell the truth, whatever it is, good or bad."
Mourning family loses beloved son
At the centre of the storm surrounding Mr Wells's death is a grieving family.
Ms Wonsley remembered her son at his funeral as someone who "had a way of making people feel seen, welcome and valued".
"He was both protective and nurturing. He often told us that one day he wanted to have three daughters, that he would name Sophia, Charlotte and Olivia," she said.
"Your absence has left an emptiness that can never truly be filled. A piece of our hearts will always be missing."
Christine Wonsley encouraged her son's friends, family and community members to "be like Nolan" and to spread kindness. (AP: Yuki Iwamura)
A wide receiver on the Southwest Mississippi Community College football team, Mr Wells was remembered by his father as "Mr Cool Hands" because of his talent.
"Our son meant a lot to a lot of people … Today shows us how much he meant to the community, the country and the world," he said.
The parents also told funeral-goers they taught Mr Wells about history and talked to him about navigating racial tensions.
They said they considered him a peacemaker who did not like division, and he once broke into a dance while still in diapers to ease tensions while his parents were arguing.
His mother urged his friends and family to "be like Nolan".
"Be the light that brightens the lives of those around you. Be the warmth for those who may be feeling the coldness of the world, love deeply, protect fiercely and welcome others with kindness,"
she said.
ABC/AP
