Nolan Wells should be preparing for his golden birthday next week. The promising young college athlete would have turned 19-years-old on August 19, 2026. He would likely be doing this while gearing up for the upcoming football season at Southwest Mississippi Community College where he was a wide receiver and business major. Instead, his parents, Christine and Elmore Wonsley, are traveling the country carrying the unbearable weight of a grieving mother and father demanding answers.

As we have previously reported, Nolan Wells was an 18-year-old from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, was found dead two days after traveling to Horn Island with peers he seemed to think were his friends on July 4. Local authorities initially indicated they did not suspect foul play. An independent autopsy revealed inconclusive results on July 22 about the cause of death. Roughly six weeks following his mysterious passing, and enduring the excruciating pain of having to bury their child, Nolan’s parents still yearn for answers.

Taking their fight before dozens of members of the Black press in Atlanta at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) annual convention, the Wonsleys—alongside prominent attorney Benjamin Crump and civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton—issued a powerful demand for a federal investigation, refusing to rest until the full truth of their son’s death is brought to light. Georgia U.S. Representative Lucy McBath was in attendance as well.

During an emotional panel discussion on August 13, Christine and her husband Elmore, opened up to reporters who had traveled to Atlanta from cities across the country for the NABJ convention. The loving parents spoke extensively about the inconsistencies surrounding their son’s death following the July 4th boating trip to Horn Island, calling on federal officials to take over the independent review of the case.

“That realization is really sinking in, that we don’t have our son physically here anymore,” she said with tear filled eyes. “Our lives have forever changed. This new normal is something I would never wish on anyone, not even my worst enemy.”

She continued with an appeal to other parents:“The only thing we want to know is what happened. That’s all we want to know… Because many parents out there, you still have your children. You still can hug them… And we do not have that anymore.”

During the panel discussion, which was moderated by journalist and ESSENCE Festival of Culture speaker Tiffany Cross, attorney Crump spoke out as well while questioning the seemingly lack of urgency from local law enforcement. “We want the truth. We want transparency,” Crump said. Crump emphasized that the Wonsleys, got him involved because they had serious “concerns about whether they were going to get a fair and impartial investigation” from area authorities.

An experienced nurse practitioner, Christine revealed that she has been subjected to severe online harassment for simply speaking out about her son’s case. This included an anonymous misconduct complaint filed against her with the Mississippi Board of Nursing, which was ultimately dismissed as unfounded.

“There has been a big smear campaign, not only professionally but personally for me,”she explained.“It started out with one-star reviews of people saying they saw me… Then it went to someone [contacting] the board of nursing, then that opened the investigation into professional misconduct. There was no evidence for that claim.”

Despite the cruelty of this inhumane behavior, Christine is not deterred. “These attacks are not going to… it’s not gonna break me. We’ve never blamed anyone. We’ve never smeared anyone.”

Rev. Al Sharpton, who has been a trusted support to the family during the last few weeks, echoed Christine’s heartfelt sentiments. Sharpton blasted critics who have targeted the family for seeking answers, stating: “Imagine this, you lose your child and you are being attacked for asking what happened… Why are they under attack for asking for the truth?”

Many celebrities and public figures across races, such as Tyler Perry, Byron Allen, Nancy Grace, Rachel “Ms. Rachel” Accurso and Colin Kaepernick, have spoken up about this case with many donating thousands of dollars in an effort to help the family of Nolan Wells get answers. There is even a vigil on Martha’s Vineyard next week ahead of Nolan’s birthday to honor his life and support the fight for justice.

As communities to galvanize for this case, Christine’s core mission remains the same: “We have to find out what happened to Nolan. That is the only question we’ve ever asked.”

Author: Bridgette Bartlett Royall

Read the original article on Essence.