UPDATE (July 6, 12:00 pm ET): A body was discovered on the northwest end of Horn Island Monday morning (July 6) around 8:45 a.m. by a park ranger, according to Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter, per WLOX. The identity has not yet been officially confirmed, but authorities have been actively searching the island for Wells since his disappearance on July 4.
Authorities are searching for an 18-year-old Mississippi college football player who went missing on the Fourth of July while visiting a remote barrier island off the state's Gulf Coast.
Nolan Xavier Wells, of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, was last seen around 3 p.m. Saturday (July 4) on the western tip of the north side of Horn Island — a popular but largely uninhabited barrier island roughly 10 miles south of Ocean Springs — according to Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter, per WLOX.
Wells traveled to the island by boat with friends for the holiday, but his friends returned to the mainland without him, according to his mother, Christine Wonsley. He has not been located since.
Wells is described as a Black male, 6-foot-1, 180 pounds. He was last seen wearing blue swim trunks, no shirt, and sunglasses, per an updated press release from the Jackson County Sheriff's Department, which corrected an initial description that said black shorts.
His phone was separated from him at some point and has since been returned to his parents, per Wonsley, who posted on social media asking for the public's help.
"Please, if you're a praying person, please pray he is found alive, safe, and unharmed," Wonsley wrote.
Wells is a former Ocean Springs High School football standout and a wide receiver on the freshman football roster at Southwest Mississippi Community College.
The team released a statement asking the community to pray for his safe return.
The Jackson County Sheriff's Department is leading the search with support from the Harrison County Sheriff's Department, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, the Gulf Islands National Seashore, and the United Cajun Navy, according to WLOX.
Although Wells was last seen on the western tip of the island's north shore, search teams have expanded their efforts and are currently concentrating on the island's east end, according to United Cajun Navy Incident Commander Josh Gill, per WLOX. The Jackson County Sheriff's Department said it has not verified if Wells is currently on the island.
Searchers told Magnolia State Live that the island's dense cactus and thorny brush make it unlikely Wells traveled far from his last known location without footwear.
Gautier Mayor Casey Vaughan issued a public plea for anyone who was on the island or boating in the area on July 4 to come forward. "If you were on Horn Island on July 4, traveled by boat in the area, or believe you may have seen Nolan or even given him a ride from the island, please contact authorities immediately," Vaughan said. "Even the smallest detail could make a difference."
Anyone with information about Wells' whereabouts is urged to contact the Jackson County Sheriff's Department at (228) 769-3063.
Additional contact information for the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and the United Cajun Navy has also been made available to the public.
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