An 18-year-old American football player, Nolan Xavier Wells, was found dead on Horn Island off the coast of Mississippi on Monday, having stayed behind on the island while his friends returned to the mainland by boat during a Fourth of July trip. His family has since retained prominent civil rights lawyer Ben Crump — known for representing George Floyd's family — and his body is being flown roughly 800 miles to Washington DC for an independent autopsy, reflecting the family's doubts about the official account of his death.

Wells was reported missing by his mother on Sunday night and his body was discovered the following day. Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said authorities do not suspect foul play and believe Wells chose to remain on the island, with an initial belief that he drowned, though no official cause of death has been released. Crump has questioned these conclusions, demanding a thorough and urgent investigation, and has noted that Wells' friends had his phone when they left him behind, which he alleged contained video footage of the teenager.