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OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (WJTV) – Civil rights attorney Ben Crump said the Mississippi Board of Nursing closed the anonymous professional misconduct complaint that was filed against the mother of Nolan Wells.
According to the attorney, the investigation into Wonsley was opened based on a complaint filed by an anonymous person.
“The complaint against Christine Wells Wonsley has been closed, and it should never have been filed in the first place. It was frivolous, it was unfounded, and it was never about patient care,” Crump said. “It was an attempt to distract a grieving mother and intimidate her into silence, filed by someone who would not put their name on it. That effort failed.”
The attorney added, “Christine is not going to spend her energy on whoever did this. She is focused on getting her questions answered, the same questions she has had since the day she lost her son. Those questions did not go away when this complaint was filed, and they do not go away now that it has been closed. What Christine still does not have is the truth about her son. We intend to get it.”
Wells disappeared from Mississippi’s Horn Island on July 4, and his body was found two days later. Wells had traveled to the island with friends, but stayed behind when the group left.
“Christine Wells Wonsley was robbed of her son one month ago, almost to the day. She has spent every moment since asking one question: what happened to Nolan? Now, someone is going after her nursing license, anonymously, without the courage to put a name on it,” Crump continued. “This is a warning shot at a grieving mother, meant to pressure and scare her into staying quiet. It is a distraction, it is intimidation, and we will not let it stand.”
He continued, “Christine had part of her identity stolen from her the day Nolan died. Now, someone is trying to take another piece of it. This cruelty knows no bounds.”
According to a preliminary independent autopsy, the manner and cause of death for Wells are undetermined, pending investigation.
The state autopsy of Wells has been completed, according to reports, but the results are not yet public. The results are expected to be sealed until the autopsy is presented to a grand jury, which will determine whether a crime occurred.
The still-unknown circumstances around the death have touched off rampant online speculation and prompted calls from Black leaders for transparency from local authorities. Wells, who was Black, had traveled to the island with a group of high school friends, all of whom are white.
Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said initial interviews suggested Wells chose to stay on the island and that his friends believed he would get a ride with someone else. He has said the friends were cooperating with the investigation, which remains ongoing.
Investigators have continued to seek information on what happened in the hours leading up to Wells’ disappearance and death, including examining audio footage from the day and working to determine who was last seen with Wells.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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