Nolan Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley, is now laying the legal groundwork to potentially sue over her son’s death. She has asked a Mississippi court to put her in charge of his estate, TMZ reported.
New legal docs obtained by the outlet showed that Wonsley filed a petition Monday to open her son’s estate and appoint her as its administrator, stating that the estate’s assets would consist “solely of claims for damages resulting from the circumstances surrounding his death.” The appointment would give Wonsley the authority to file a lawsuit on behalf of her son’s estate if anyone is eventually legally found for his death.
Wonsley signed the petition in Jackson County Chancery Court on the day of Wells’ funeral. According to the filing, the teen did not have a will, was never married and did not have children, which leaves his mother as his sole heir.
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The Ocean Springs, Mississippi, teen was found dead in the water on the northwest end of Horn Island on Monday morning, July 6. Wells went missing on July 4 after taking a boat to the island with friends. The search for the teen was called off after a body was found by a park ranger on Monday, July 6.
Who is Christine Wonsley?
Wonsley has been vocal about her son’s death and the investigation on social media, referring to Wells as her “sonshine” in several posts. She has vowed to “keep his story alive” and promised not to stop “advocating for” her son, using the hashtag #JusticeForNolanWells in her posts. However, no official report states that anyone is legally responsible for Wells’ death.
Wonsley has repeatedly demanded that any public demonstrations in her son’s name remain peaceful, according to AOL. She stressed that Nolan “would never want any type of violence.”
Wonsley is desperately seeking the public’s help to find out what happened to their son. In a recent social media post, she wrote, “Elmore Wonsley and I are desperately asking that if you have any information, videos, pictures regarding our son, Nolan Wells from July 4th please contact local authorities at 228-769-3063 but also contact my legal team at 1-800-691-7111. We need to know what happened to our baby. Please contact both with ANY INFORMATION!!”
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Two investigations are underway. On Monday, July 13, Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter told ABC News that his department is still working. Meanwhile, Crump’s team is carrying out a private investigation, including a second autopsy.
Meanwhile, attorney Ben Crump, who has been hired by Wells’ family, revealed in a July 21 X post his plans to announce the findings of the independent autopsy.
“Tomorrow, I will join the family of Nolan Xavier Wells at the 117th NAACP National Convention to announce the preliminary findings of the independent autopsy conducted on their behalf. As this family continues to seek answers, we remain committed to pursuing the truth and demanding a full and transparent investigation into Nolan’s death,” wrote Crump.
