Months after 18-year-old Nolan Wells was found dead near Horn Island, Mississippi, his family is still waiting for a clear explanation of what happened. Legal commentator Nancy Grace recently brought attention back to the case, questioning why the official autopsy findings have not been released publicly and why there have been so few updates.

Wells, a student and football player at Southwest Mississippi Community College, traveled to Horn Island with friends during the Fourth of July weekend. According to his family, his friends returned to the mainland without him, and his mother reported him missing. His body was found near the island on July 6.

The original explanation offered was that Wells decided to stay on the island after meeting a woman and planned to find another ride home. His family has questioned that account, saying it was unlike him to leave his friends without a clear plan. Wells also left his phone on the boat, leaving him with no way to contact anyone.

An independent autopsy requested by the family listed his cause and manner of death as undetermined, while findings from the state’s autopsy have still not been made public.

The case was also expected to go before a Mississippi grand jury, though there have been few updates on where that process stands. Wells’ family has since hired civil rights attorney Ben Crump to help them get answers, but months later, they say they’re still asking many of the same questions they had when the investigation began.

Grace is not the first person to question how the investigation has been handled. Wells’ family has asked for the official autopsy findings, a clearer timeline of his final hours, and an explanation of what happened to their son since the beginning. Advocates for the family argue that continued silence from officials only fuels speculation and prolongs their pain.

Cases involving Black victims who die under unusual circumstances have often followed a similar pattern: public attention fades while the people closest to them are left fighting to keep the case from being forgotten. That history is part of what has fueled concern over the extended silence surrounding Wells’ death, and why his family’s calls for transparency have resonated beyond their immediate community.

Wells’ family maintains that greater transparency from officials, releasing what can be released and providing a clear update on where the investigation stands, would go a long way toward addressing the rumors and speculation that have filled the information gap.

At the center of the case is a family that lost an 18-year-old son and says it still does not fully understand why. Grace’s renewed attention may help keep the case from fading from public view, but the family has said that attention alone won’t answer the questions that remain. They continue to press officials for the official findings, a clear update on the investigation, and an honest explanation of what happened to Nolan Wells.