Chancery Judge Ashlee Cole of Mississippi’s 16th District released a lengthy statement Wednesday addressing swirling online speculation tied to the death of 18-year-old Nolan Wells, whose body was found Monday on Horn Island off the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Cole’s son, Warren, was among the friends with Wells on a July 4th boat trip, and online rumors had linked her family to the case after she deactivated her Facebook account. In her statement, Cole denies any wrongdoing, says her son cooperated fully with investigators, and asks the public to redirect its focus and support toward the Wells family.
Wells, a 2025 graduate of Ocean Springs High School and a wide receiver at Southwest Mississippi Community College, disappeared during a Fourth of July boat outing to Horn Island, a remote barrier island reachable only by boat. He was last seen around 3 p.m. near the island’s northwest end, wearing blue swim trunks and sunglasses, before his friends reportedly left without him. Search crews scoured the island and surrounding waters for two days before a National Park Service ranger discovered a body on the northwest end of the island Monday morning, later confirmed through dental records to be Wells.
The case has drawn national attention, with activists questioning whether justice is being pursued fairly for a Black teen who disappeared after a boating trip with white peers in the Deep South. The Wells family has retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump ,who has said the family deserves answers and full transparency from investigators. Online speculation intensified after reports surfaced of an unverified claim that one of the young men with Wells had a family connection to a local judge — a reference to Cole, whose son Warren was on the trip.
Cole, who holds a position as a judge in the 16th Chancery Court District of Mississippi, addressed the speculation directly in her statement, released Wednesday, explaining her reasons for deactivating her social media and laying out a timeline of her son’s last contact with Wells. Her full statement follows, unedited:
Our family, along with the community, grieves the loss of Nolan Wells. Our thoughts and prayers are with Nolan’s family. Our son, Warren, loved Nolan dearly. Unfortunately, I feel that it is appropriate for our family to dispel some rumors with facts based upon the social media attention that is being diverted away from the Wells family and their loss.
Yes, I deactivated my Facebook. Given the very heightened emotional state of social media right now, I fear for the safety of my child and my children. My husband and I have six children and we covet their privacy. We do not believe it is appropriate for our minor children’s photographs to be circulated throughout the Internet, presenting potential threats to their safety.
I graduated high school with Christine Wells-Wonsley. We are from the same community. I have the utmost respect for her and all of the Wells family. We mourn the loss of Nolan with them. Our prayers have been and will continue to be with them.
My husband and I were not at Horn Island at any point on 4th of July.
No one in our family is trying in any way to impede with the investigation by law enforcement or to otherwise hamper the family and law enforcement’s quest for answers. Warren was interviewed by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department and cooperated fully. He saw Nolan last at around 3 pm on July 4th. They left around 4:30 pm when the boat was taking on water and they had an issue with the bilge pump. Nolan made a decision to stay on the island and return inland later with another group of friends.
Yes, I am a judge. I also value transparency. I apologize if anyone was offended that I deleted my social media. There were no nefarious motivations in my deleting my social media. Social media has a lot of positives, but a whole lot of negatives.
We live in a world of click-baiting. Sad, but true.
My family is hopeful that this information will help to redirect the attention to the Wells family, their grief, and their need for our community’s support.
— Judge Ashlee Cole
The investigation into Wells’s death remains active. A coroner said dental records had identified the body, with an autopsy scheduled and DNA results still pending final confirmation.
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