By admin 
The same day Nolan Xavier Wells was laid to rest, attorneys representing his estate sent a notice of intent to pursue litigation on behalf of his estate to Wells’ friends, their families and others connected to the investigation into the 18-year-old’s death.
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The move came after a Jackson County Chancery Court judge appointed Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley administrator of her son’s estate. She signed the paperwork the same day as the funeral.
Nationally known civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is not licensed to practice law in Mississippi, is working with the Ridgeland law firm Carroll Bufkin PLLC. Attorney Gary Bufkin signed the notices.
Bufkin has represented several high-profile clients, including defendants in the Jackson welfare probe and the unrelated Jackson bribery case involving Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens.
Copies of the letters obtained by attorneys representing some recipients notify them of potential litigation related to Wells’ death after he disappeared during a Fourth of July trip to Horn Island.
Wells, who was Black, traveled to the island by boat with a group of white friends. The friends returned to the mainland without him, telling authorities Wells stayed behind to talk with a girl and other friends.
Two days later a National Park Service ranger found Wells’ body on the northwest tip of Horn Island.
Wonsley, who was appointed administrator of her son’s estate, retained Crump to investigate the circumstances surrounding Wells’ death. The preservation notices were sent by a Mississippi attorney working with Crump.
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Although many of the letters were sent to the parents of Wells’ friends, similar notices also were sent to entitles involved in the ongoing investigation.
The letters instruct recipients to immediately preserve all evidence in their possession, custody or control in its original, unaltered form. They also direct recipients to suspend any automatic deletion or overwrite functions that could destroy evidence.
Specifically, recipients are instructed to stop automatic deletion or overwriting on cellphones, computers, video cameras and any other electronic devices capable of storing data. The notices also direct recipients to prevent electronic devices and systems from automatically deleting or overwriting information after a set period.
The preservation notices demand that recipients retain evidence across numerous categories.
That includes: the following electronic communications:
- Text messages
- iMessage
- Multimedia messages
- WhatsApp communication
- Signal communications
- Telegram communications
- Snapchat communications
- Instagram direct messages
- Facebook Messengers communications
- Emails
- All draft emails and messages
- Group chats
- Deleted or archived communications capable of recovery
Under the category, cellular telephone and electronic devices, the following is sought:
- Cellular telephones
- tablets
- Laptop computers
- Desktop computers
- Smartwatches
- Cameras
- External hard drives
- USB storage devices
- SD cards
- Any other electronic storage device
- For each device, preserve the complete contents.
In addition, the following is listed under the title, Metadata:
- Documents
- Emails
- Text messages
- Photographs
- Videos
- Audio recordings
- GPS records
- Social media content
- Electronic files
- Deleted information
- Modified information
- Edited material
- Archived information
- Hidden information
- Replaced information
- Information scheduled for automatic deletion or otherwise altered.
Under surveillance and security, the following is requested
- Marine surveillance
- Dock surveillance
- Parking lot surveillance
- Nearby business surveillance
- Residential surveillance
- Traffic cameras
- Law enforcement surveillance
- Communications of all kinds
The following is sought from prosecutors:
- Investigative files
- Communications of all kinds with law enforcement, including text messages, instant messages and emails
- Witness interviews
- Recorded statements
- Photographs
- Videos
- Grand jury material to the extent preservation is required by law
- Digital evidence received from any source.
- Correspondence concerning his investigation
Information sought from the state medical examiner
- Autopsy reports
- Preliminary findings
- Finals reports
- Toxicology reports
- Histology
- X-rays
- CT scans
- Photographs
- Scene photographs
- Evidence logs
- Chain of custody
- Biological specimens
- Tissue samples
- Blood samples
- DNA evidence
- Internal notes
- Communications of all kinds concerning the examination, including text messages, instant messages and emails
Physical evidence sought:
- clothings
- footwear
- jewelry
- Life jackets
- Personal flotation devices
- Cellular telephones
- watches
- eyewear
- backpacks
- bags
- rope
- coolers
- Any items recovered during the investigation
Cloud storage and backups:
- Apple iCloud data
- Google Drive
- Google photos
- Microsoft One Drive
- Dropbox
- Amazon photos
- Carrier cloud backups
- Automatic device backups
- Internet and search history
- Browser history
- Internet searches
Internet and search history:
- Downloaded history
- Deleted browsing data
- Images, videos and audio
- Upload history
- Cached internet data
Images, video, audio and other evidence sought:
- Raw images files,
- Original image files
- Metadata associated with every image and video
- Voice recordings
- Voice memos
- Telephone recordings
- Recorded interviews
- Recorded witness statements
- Dispatch recordings
- Voice recordings
- Radio traffic recordings
- Location information
- GPS history
- Cellular location history
- Google timeline data
- Apple Significant locations.
- Find My Phone locations history
- Navigation app history
- Geofence information
- Marina docking records
- Vessel tracking information
In addition, the letters request preservation of the following:
- Vessel registration records
- Ownership records
- Rental agreements
- Marina records
- Dock assignment records
- Slip records
- Fuel purchase records
- Security recordings
- Private security camera footage
- Any other surveillance recordings related to the investigation
The letters demand preservation of all communications related to Nolan Wells to include:
- Any witnesses
- Other occupants on the boat
- The facts and circumstances surrounding Wells’ death and events occurred between July 2-6, 2026.
- Communication with all law enforcement about the incident and investigation
- Communications with medical providers concerning wells
- Communication with Wells’ family
- Communications with news media
- Communication with insurance representatives
- Social media posts, messages and discussions concerning Wells or the incident
- Boat records
- Electronic chart plotter data
- Engine data
- Safety equipment inventories
- Passenger manifests
- Law enforcement records
- Incident reports
- Supplemental reports
- Field notes
- Detective notes
- Officer notes
- Body-worn camera footage
- Dash cam footage
- Marine patrol footage
- Dispatch records
- Computer-aided dispatch records
- 911 recordings
- Radio communications
- Evidence logs
- Chain-of-custody documentation
- Affidavits
- Digital forensic extraction
This story was originally published July 27, 2026 at 11:45 AM with the headline “Parents of Nolan Wells’ friends, and local officials, told to expect lawsuit.”
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