Tracestin Shepherd, one of Nolan Wells‘ close friends, is attempting to debunk a theory behind the viral photo that shows Wells partying with friends in a pool. According to Shepherd, the party happened a week before the Horn Island boat trip, where Wells was last seen in public. Shepherd also appears to contradict Wells’ family who believes their son was seen in a viral video in a “confrontation.”
RELATED: Sheriff Addresses Nolan Wells’ Death Investigation As Authorities Find No Evidence Of Foul Play
Nolan Wells’ Parents And Attorney Ben Crump Speculate Foul Play Despite Police Insisting Otherwise
As we previously shared, a Mississippi family has been demanding justice as they mourn their 18-year-old son, Nolan Xavier Wells. His body was found after disappearing during a Fourth of July trip to Horn Island. The Black teen was on the trip with a group of all-White teenage boys.
Wells was last seen around 3 p.m. on July 4 and his group of “friends” returned home without him, with only his cellphone. The “friends” claimed Wells chose to “stay back.” When Wells failed to return home, his mother reported him missing. Two days later, investigators found his body in the water off of Horn Island.
Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter claims investigators do not suspect any foul play and believe he drowned. However, Wells’ parents said he is an avid swimmer. Additionally, social media sleuths also speculate Wells didn’t drown because his body wasn’t “water-logged.” There was no water in his lungs according to the initial reported autopsy.
Wells’ parents, Christine and Elmore Wonsley, have since retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump to help get answers and justice. Recently, Crump reposted a video pushing the theory that Wells was in a confrontation before going missing. Crump also reposted a photo showing Wells at a pool party — with the theory that he made it back on land before his body was found on Horn Island.
Nolan Wells’ Friend Tracestin Shepherd Debunks Parents And Ben Crump’s Theories Around Viral Photos And Videos
However, Tracestin Shepherd, who claims to be Wells’ best friend, told ABC News it was his voice in the video of people arguing. He also said the pool photo was not from 1 a.m. on July 5 as rumored, but from a party that took place a week earlier on June 27 at 11:58 p.m. in nearby Pass Christian, Mississippi. He said the friend who posted the photo, Evan Noel, only just then shared it on July 5.
Speaking on Crump’s posts, Shepherd said:
“They’re trying to spin a narrative that’s not there. He’s wrong. I understand [Wells’] parents are grieving and I really think he’s taken a little bit of advantage of that. And I don’t like that. I really don’t because they’re vulnerable… [I want] everybody just to relax and let everybody mourn the loss of Nolan. And let us remember him as the sweet guy he was and not something we’re scared of because of the trauma we’ve had. If Ben Crump is doing his own investigation, let him do it. And then let the sheriff’s office conclude with their investigation and figure out what the facts are on their end. Let us all just know the truth instead of jumping to two conclusions about things. We all cared and loved Nolan, and nobody wanted to see Nolan die. Nobody wanted his life taken so short. He had everything going for him.”
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