Nolan Xavier Wells was 18 years old.

On July 4, 2026, Nolan disappeared during a trip to Horn Island off the Mississippi Gulf Coast. His body was found in the water near the island on July 6.

More than a month later, fundamental questions about what happened to Nolan remained unanswered.

That is not a reason to speculate. It is a reason to investigate.

A family-commissioned independent autopsy found Nolan's cause and manner of death undetermined, pending further investigation. Mississippi's official autopsy has been completed, but its results have not been publicly released. Local authorities say the investigation remains ongoing and that the case will be presented to a grand jury.

Meanwhile, Nolan's family is still seeking basic answers about how their 18-year-old son died.

The call for federal involvement is no longer hypothetical.

On August 12, 2026, members of the Congressional Black Caucus formally urged U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel to launch an independent federal review of the circumstances surrounding Nolan's disappearance and death. Their request asked the Department of Justice to provide appropriate federal investigative assistance and determine whether there is a basis for a federal investigation, including under applicable federal civil-rights laws.

DOJ has confirmed that it received the request and is reviewing it.

But receiving a letter is not the same as delivering answers.

We are demanding that the U.S. Department of Justice take action now:

1. Launch an independent federal review of the circumstances surrounding Nolan Wells' disappearance and death.

2. Determine whether federal jurisdiction exists and whether a full federal investigation, including a civil-rights investigation where legally appropriate, is warranted.

3. Ensure that relevant evidence and investigative leads are properly preserved, examined and followed.

4. Provide Nolan's family with meaningful transparency about the federal government's decision, including whether federal resources will be deployed and why.

This petition does not ask DOJ to prejudge Nolan's death or declare a cause of death that has not been established.

It asks for the opposite: an independent, evidence-based investigation capable of finding the truth.

Nolan's family should not have to choose between grieving their son and fighting to understand what happened to him.

Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel have now been formally asked to review this case. The question is whether they will act.

Sign this petition and demand that the Department of Justice conduct a serious federal review of Nolan Wells' disappearance and death — and give his family the answers they deserve.

Justice requires facts. Nolan deserves the truth.