The push for answers in the death of Nolan Wells continues more than three months after the 18-year-old disappeared during a Fourth of July trip to Horn Island, Mississippi.
Pastor Jamal Bryant and members of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in metro Atlanta recently gathered to mark 100 days since Nolan’s death.
The church released 1,000 white balloons while participants chanted Nolan’s name and renewed their calls for justice, transparency and additional investigation into what happened to him.
Pastor Bryant wrote that a “shut door doesn’t mean a shut case,” as Nolan’s family continues calling for a federal investigation.
The support has also spread across Atlanta’s HBCU community.
Hundreds of students from Spelman College, Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College and other schools recently marched through the Atlanta University Center in solidarity with Nolan’s family.
Students carried signs and chanted messages including “Justice for Nolan Wells,” “Black boys deserve to grow old” and “No water in his lungs.”
The latter refers to findings highlighted by Nolan’s family from the independent autopsy. Both the state medical examiner and the family’s independent pathologist ultimately listed Nolan’s cause and manner of death as undetermined.
A Mississippi grand jury declined to bring criminal charges, saying it found insufficient evidence of criminal conduct. Nolan’s family maintains that important questions remain unanswered and continues pushing for outside review of the case.
For the students who marched, the case feels personal.
Their message is simple: Nolan’s name will not be forgotten.