A day after the Mississippi Coast Coliseum & Convention Center Commission approved plans for the region’s largest facility to host services for Nolan Wells, coliseum officials said Tuesday the funeral will no longer be there.
Sam Voisin, executive director of the Mississippi Coast Coliseum & Convention Center, said in a statement to SuperTalk Mississippi News that the Wells family decided against holding services at the facility.
“On behalf of the Mississippi Coast Coliseum & Convention Center, we extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and all those mourning the loss of Nolan Wells,” Voisin said. “After meeting with representatives of the Wells family, we support their decision not to hold Nolan Wells’ funeral services at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum & Convention Center, Monday, July 20, as previously discussed.
“We appreciate the opportunity to have worked with the family during this process and remain committed to supporting them and our community during this difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family as they continue making arrangements to celebrate his life.”
It was not immediately clear what prompted the family’s decision, and no updated funeral arrangements have been announced.
Wells, an 18-year-old from Ocean Springs, went to Horn Island with friends on July 4 and was reported missing after he was said to have not made it back to the mainland. On the morning of July 6, his body was found by a park ranger after a multiagency search of the barrier island.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, which is leading the investigation, is still searching for any information that could break the case open. While law enforcement has said that drowning could be the cause of death and no foul play is suspected at this time, nothing has been confirmed.
Results from both the state-ordered and independent autopsies remained pending as of Tuesday afternoon.
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“Even if you may think it might be insignificant. Every little bit helps, and that may be a bigger contribution than you think to this case,” Sheriff John Ledbetter told ABC News on Monday when trying to encourage people to come forward with information.
Wells’ family retained famed civil rights attorney Ben Crump shortly after his death to ensure a “thorough and transparent investigation” amid an onset of public debate over how the teen died. While Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell said July 8 there is “no indication” that race played a role in Wells’ death, the possibility that race was a factor has been raised by Crump and others.
Wells, who was Black, was seen pictured on a boat with three white friends hours before being reported missing.
Crump said during a press conference last week that filmmaker Tyler Perry had agreed to pay for the funeral, and it would be officiated by civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton.
