The mother of Nolan Wells, an 18-year-old Black man whose body was found on Horn Island, Mississippi, after a Fourth of July trip with three white friends, held a tearful press conference Friday begging for information. "We just want to know what happened and why our baby didn't come home," Christine Wonsley said, her grief as raw as the questions surrounding the case.

Wells' body was discovered July 6 on the northwestern tip of Horn Island, a barrier beach along the Gulf coast. He had gone missing on Independence Day after visiting the island with friends from Ocean Springs High School. Now, his family's lawyer, Ben Crump, is leading an independent investigation including a private autopsy, because the official story has more holes than a fishing net.

The key discrepancy: the three friends claim Wells said he wanted to stay on the island with a young woman when they left on July 4. The young woman says Wells got on the boat with the boys. Crump also noted that Wells' phone was found not with his body but in the possession of one of the friends - tracked down by his mother via Life360. Several social media messages had been deleted from the phone, which is either a coincidence or a clue, depending on your level of trust.

Videos circulating online allegedly show Wells in a heated argument with his friends, though Reuters couldn't verify them. The Jackson County Sheriff's Office says the investigation is ongoing and active, but has offered no details beyond suspecting drowning. They've asked the public for eyewitness accounts and video from Horn Island on July 4. Civil rights leaders, including the Rev. Al Sharpton, have joined the family in demanding transparency, pointing to a long history of disparities in attention to missing persons cases involving Black victims.