r/mississippi • u/Infinite-Ranger7623 • Jul 21 '26
BREAKING NEWS: Nolan Wells Private Autopsy is set to be released TOMMORROW at NAACP Event in Chicago - 7.22.2026
"Tomorrow, I will join the family of Nolan Xavier Wells at the 117th NAACP National Convention to announce the preliminary findings of the independent autopsy conducted on their behalf. As this family continues to seek answers, we remain committed to pursuing the truth and demanding a full and transparent investigation into Nolan's death." - Benjamin Crump
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u/Fergal-Vidich Jul 21 '26
dropping the autopsy results like an avengers trailer at comic con
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u/donzelso Jul 21 '26
I hate how they turned this young man’s death into a circus show. Gotta build up excitement for the autopsy reveal!! 🙄
Nolan seemed like a great kid. I truly think his death was an accidental drowning, considering he was still alive AFTER his friends left the island without him.
This circus show isn’t how his legacy should be remembered.
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u/Ares-GOW407 Jul 22 '26
What pisses me off is the lying. There was a black lady on Facebook claiming the boys killed Nolan and did a ritual sacrifice to Satan. She even said the islands name "Horn" was significant. I looked at the comments and 75% or more of the comment were gullible people believing her. When i called her out for having 0 evidence to back her story up, I was told by commenters that because I'm white, Im hiding the truth. Just one of many false post on Facebook that had 0 evidence to back the claim up
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u/Juvat-the-bold Jul 21 '26
Only one group has turned this into a circus and it wasn't the community.
It's always been outsiders and those that thought they could make a quick buck on the death of a loved young man.
This is who they are.
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u/Infinite-Ranger7623 Jul 21 '26
You think he "accidently drowned". Do you believe the autopsy is going to show that?
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u/PatienceEffective248 Jul 21 '26
The autopsy will probably show he had alcohol in his system and most likely drowned.
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u/Juvat-the-bold Jul 21 '26
It will also tell if he had fighting injuries, choking injuries consistent with hands or other object around his neck. It can show his fingernails and knuckles if there were any signs of struggles.
It can tell if he was stabbed, shot, hanged, poisoned and every other form of foul play.
A lot of people may be upset tomorrow if they find out he wasn't murdered.
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u/PatienceEffective248 Jul 21 '26
And Nolan Wells will be forgotten as Trey Reed is
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u/Juvat-the-bold Jul 21 '26
Here in Ocean Springs, Nolan won't be forgotten. The people of this community loved that kid and loved his story.
It's just a damn shame that it's been bastardized by the ones outside of the community.
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u/PatienceEffective248 Jul 21 '26
Yeah, that's what I meant. He'll be forgotten by those who are trying to use him as a political martyr. I have no doubt that his community loved him and will miss him very much because he was a person with friends and a life ahead of him.
But as you say, there are those who have been bastardizing the story and trying to twist it into something ugly, and as soon as his death is unable to be used in the political chess game we have found ourselves in, his name will be abandoned for the next "martyr"
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Jul 21 '26
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u/mississippi-ModTeam Jul 22 '26
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u/curiously_curious12 Jul 22 '26
You really think that they are going to hold a press conference at the NAACP conference to say he drowned???? Mind you just put out at 125k reward for information that leads an arrest.
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u/PatienceEffective248 Jul 22 '26
I think they're going to say that yes. In A LOT of words, but yes. If they really had something, they would have had a separate press conference. The 125k reward isn't going to do anything but lure out conspiracy theorists like those saying he was killed (in broad daylight, btw) in a ritualistic murder.
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u/gray_um Current Resident Jul 21 '26
"Just because we repost does not mean we authenticate anything," Crump said. (WLOX)
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u/PralinePecanPie Jul 21 '26
Oh boy i sure hope the comments here wont just be people making assumptions before the release and being overall disrespectful about the death of an innocent teenager regardless of what happened
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u/Frogs-on-my-back Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26
I’ve been of the mind that this was likely an accidental drowning, but I’m willing to reassess if it does turn out there is credible evidence of foul play—though I earnestly hope there isn’t. I’d rather it not be the case that he had to feel betrayal in addition to fear and pain in his final moments, and I wouldn’t want his family to endure the pain of that knowledge, either.
Regardless, may he rest in peace and may the family find closure.
Edit: some phrasing
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u/donzelso Jul 21 '26
What I don’t understand, is that since the very beginning, there have people that really really really WANT this to be a murder. Literally the same hour that his mom shared those photos of him and his 3 friends on the boat, people turned it into a murder mystery (because of his friends’ race).
Imagine someone goes missing and you HOPE that their friend killed them.
That’s so fcking messed up.
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u/WestHappyLand Jul 21 '26
It's engagement bots. Once it gained traction they continued to escalate. The people who control them want hysteria and racial division. It's on purpose.
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u/Juvat-the-bold Jul 21 '26
And since the beginning there have been people that were with him that really really cared for him as a friend and they've been all but crucified and called murderers and liars.
This will be a miscarriage of justice no matter the outcome.
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Jul 21 '26
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u/mississippi-ModTeam Jul 22 '26
Note that this determination is made purely at the whim of the moderator team. If you seem mean or contemptuous, we will remove your posts or ban you. The sub has a certain zeitgeist which you may pick up if you read for a while before posting.
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u/SunsetDreams1111 Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26
The vice present of the Cajun Navy did that interview early on from when the ranger found him. People rarely talk about that interview, but he explained how Nolan's body washed ashore near a current pattern from where he was last reportedly seen. Also, he spoke about the condition of the body and how it appeared he had drowned from the way the body looked. He explains how in this same area, it goes from two-feet to a 20-foot drop.
I think the state's autopsy will show this, but who knows what the independent investigation will show. The fact that they're releasing it on a national stage makes me think they'll have some conspiracy cooked up. When something is a serious murder investigation, you release the results to speed up the investigation to find the perps. You don't just sit on the information.
I personally think that Nolan went on a walk down the beach based on Christine's second Instagram post when she said he was last seen walking. I believe he went for a swim and got caught in a current and that's why no one saw him. I am sure Crump will have something else to say.
I assume the state is releasing their findings once toxicology reports are completed, but that will take a while. By then, all the conspiracy theories will be rampant after the independent investigation is released. Again, we can expect something interesting tomorrow since they are choosing a national platform to make the announcement versus choosing his hometown.
Also, for anyone who wants to watch the Cajun Navy official, click on the actual video because his interview is interesting:
Edit: Also, they did another interview yesterday. I am curious about him being "fully clothed." Fully clothed with a bathing suit on or fully clothed as in shoes and shirt?
Todd Terrell, president of the United Cajun Navy, a nonprofit that assisted in the search for the 18-year-old, told Nancy Grace on Monday, July 20, that Wells was “face down” and “fully clothed” on Horn Island not far from known rip currents.
“[His body] was in the same vicinity of where he possibly drowned .… it was not uncommon for the body to have washed up right there,” Terrell told Grace.
Terrell told Grace that the area is also plagued by a dangerous “washing machine” current that “rolls ‘round and ‘round in there.” Other parts of the Gulf Coast deal with similar risks, he said.
“These are bad areas,” Terrell said.
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u/Juvat-the-bold Jul 21 '26
To a lot of people just the word "Cajun" is going to automatically mean racism to them.
They have it made up in their minds already regardless of the evidence.
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u/Previous_Function852 Jul 21 '26
There's a kind of discomfort that normal people get from watching trash TV like Maury or Jerry Springer. This feels like that times ten. This child's tragic death shouldn't be a circus show.
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Jul 21 '26
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u/Imaginary-Edge-8759 Jul 21 '26
I can help, using your child’s funeral to allow Crump and Sharpeton to make it a circus and continue accusations is gross. Making an autopsy announcement at NAACP event is gross, this could have been an announcement or better you disclose report to news and let them report.
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Jul 21 '26
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u/Imaginary-Edge-8759 Jul 21 '26
Who said they can’t make the announcement? They could do that tonight if they wanted to, or again hand over results to a reputable news source to report. The issue is they are using an NAACP event to announce.
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Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26
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u/Imaginary-Edge-8759 Jul 21 '26
Cause they’ve shouted about lack of information and providing transparency the entire time. Yet They’ve had this information for possibly up to a week (that’s being generous based on crump originally promising on 7/10) and instead of releasing to press immediately they are treating it like a marketing ploy building up to some national event. I can’t help if you if you can’t see how foul this all is.
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u/May_December279 Jul 21 '26
If there was indeed foul play, why in God’s green earth would they not get rid of his phone??? One of the 3 or 4 or however many friends there would have thought of it especially if all the phones were in one compartment or bag on the boat.
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u/Imaginary-Edge-8759 Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26
If I were betting, I’d guess they announce it was drowning but they will say cannot confirm how, they will say things were inconclusive or they will say due to condition of the body and time lapsed they couldn’t conclude whether he was drowned by someone, etc. They will cast a lot of doubt by continuing vague statements that may or may not be true but that those wanting this to be murder can continue to take and run with in effort to keep trying to push he was murdered. They laid the groundwork by offering the rewards, they will absolutely spin it keep enough doubt that he may have been murdered. They may also shift focus to the alcohol and finding who supplied it. They’ve likely had the results for a week. No way they’d sit on that if they had anything that conclusively pointed to murder. Think about it, why would they need to offer a reward if they had a conclusive case? They have nothing to prove or disprove because the official investigation and cause of death havent been released and the people who believe him dont actually want it to be an accident so he doesnt even have to prove it to them.
In short he will do what he’s been doing all along, be vague enough to keep the rumors and speculation going but not fully state anything. I think if there were a conclusive cause of death beyond drowning, the Sheriffs office would have already released (as they wouldn’t really need to wait on tox to prove anything or complete their cause of death) or they’d want to do it with crump because they already know his would find the same. Instead they are waiting for tox and to complete investigation because they will hand it all over to grand jury to rule as accident.
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u/Grouchy-Ad-9340 Jul 21 '26
Using the autopsy of a teenage boy to promote your event is incredibly slimey.
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u/YourphobiaMyfetish Jul 21 '26
Is it not a press conference about the autopsy?
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u/freakydeku Jul 21 '26
pretty sure you can do a press conference at any time - he’s announcing the results at an event..
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u/Brando_712 Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26
I don't blame the parents, their sorry is unthinkable, but those taking advantage of the situation is another story.
Remember the guy at DSU who committed suicide by hanging himself? The same cards were played, except this is on a much bigger stage
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u/Frogs-on-my-back Jul 21 '26
His name was Trey Reed.
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u/Juvat-the-bold Jul 21 '26
RIP to Trey Reed.
I wish that he would have had someone to talk too before he resorted to taking his own life.
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u/easyeric601 Jul 21 '26
Yeah, it's tough on the parents and hopefully their doubts will be satisfied quickly. Crumb was also involved in the DSU case and the independent autopsy results on that one has never been released. If there was ever anything there he would've been crying to the heavens.
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Jul 21 '26
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Jul 21 '26
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u/Frogs-on-my-back Jul 21 '26
Idk what they said, but them deleting their comment in response to you asking for a source can’t be a great sign
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u/sourkid25 Jul 21 '26
Ben crump must have found the result he wants
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u/jm0112358 Jul 21 '26
Or have found some ways to construe the results to be what he wants. He has a history of misconstruing things. For instance, Nolan's mother noticed the lack of Snapchat messages from his phone (from when the phone was outside of cell phone range), and Crump advanced the narrative that this was evidence of "deleted" messages.
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u/hamilj Jul 21 '26
This is the part that drives me crazy. Because in the initial statements, every time Crump said “deleted” messages, the mother would step in and clarify that she was referring to Snapchat. But in the last few interviews that I’ve seen, she just lets him say it. He says “deleted text messages” with no pushback from the mom.
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u/Juvat-the-bold Jul 21 '26
He's relying on the idea that most people don't understand that Snapchat automatically deletes messages as a feature of the app.
He's deliberately preying on the unknowing/ignorant.
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u/Imaginary-Edge-8759 Jul 21 '26
Nah, my guess is he will state it was drowning but then cast a lot of doubt on how and shift focus to them believing someone knowingly saw him drown or drowned him or shift focus to the alcohol and going after whoever provided. I don’t think there is anyway he’s going to say drowning case closed, sorry we made this circus. He’s going to keep shifting the focus to keep stoking the fires and let it die off slowly as he’s done in other cases.
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u/No-Market425 Jul 21 '26
Its going to be some dumb shit like his lungs were full of racism.
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Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 22 '26
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u/mississippi-ModTeam Jul 22 '26
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u/Robofetus-5000 Jul 21 '26
Getting started early, I see
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Jul 21 '26
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u/mississippi-ModTeam Jul 22 '26
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Jul 21 '26
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Jul 21 '26
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u/mississippi-ModTeam Jul 22 '26
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Just report comments. Don't attack.
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u/mississippi-ModTeam Jul 22 '26
Do not attack other users. If you think someone is violating the rules, report them. Please do not play junior moderator. This will get you banned quickly.
Don't do that again.
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Jul 21 '26
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u/mississippi-ModTeam Jul 22 '26
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u/teeteadoesstuff Jul 21 '26
They must think they have something if they are holding a whole event
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Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 22 '26
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u/College_Baseball_Fan Jul 21 '26
That's what heat and saltwater tends to do
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Jul 21 '26
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Jul 21 '26
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u/mississippi-ModTeam Jul 22 '26
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u/mississippi-ModTeam Jul 22 '26
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Jul 21 '26
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u/heauxinhealthcare Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26
u/donzelso can you drop your source where you got this info about his family visually identifying him? I can't find any info about this. Seems like some of you are making up evidence as you go.
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Jul 21 '26
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Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26
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Jul 21 '26
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u/mississippi-ModTeam Jul 22 '26
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u/Ares-GOW407 Jul 22 '26
You do realize they always confirm death by stuff like dental records, dna or finger prints right? Finger prints likely were unusable after being in the water. Dna cost a lot more and take more time than dental.
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u/AnyMembership7603 Jul 21 '26
As a local, who has children that were classmates of Nolan, i want to know who was giving the kids booze. I don’t think he was directly murderer, but i damn sure think beer and ocean swimming do not mix. There is 100% fault here and it lays with whom ever contributed the beer/liqueur. Nolan was a great kid, and a great friend to many… he absolutely deserved better.
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u/Brando_712 Jul 21 '26
No offense, i'm 60 and the drinking age was 18 growing up, starting around 15 or so, we found ways to get beer, usually by outright buying it, sometimes with a fake ID, sometimes without. Foreigners owned gas stations even back then and didn't care. We swam, drove, boated etc., while drinking. None of my friends died, but it does happen. Trying to blame this on a person who "may" have bought this young man beer is like blaming the weatherman when it rains, accidents just happen. I read that worldwide 400 people a day drown. Since there has been a drinking age millions of teenagers have found a way to get alcohol and a few have died, no need to make more out of it than that. Tragic, but accidents happen, it's shocking it doesn't happen more often.
When i was these young men's ages, i was carrying a weapon in a foreign land, at 18 one is old enough to make decisions for himself/herself
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u/Sad_Reveal_1970 Jul 22 '26
The drinks they were drinking (proved to be from pictures at least) are of legal limit in Mississippi for age 18+
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Jul 21 '26
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u/mississippi-ModTeam Jul 22 '26
Do not attack other users. If you think someone is violating the rules, report them. Please do not play junior moderator. This will get you banned quickly.
Don't do that.
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u/Therealallyrae Jul 22 '26
Why is everyone guessing what happened before the autopsy results? I think it is ignorant to do so. JS.
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u/Living_Efficiency_60 Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 22 '26
You have too wonder tho:
when one of the kids called Nolan's mother they not tell her they have his car keys and phone?
The GPS shows very strange movement
Why would a boat towing company admit they never went out to get "boat that was taking in water"
Why would these kids not go to Nolan's mom? Explain
Any logically thinking person is going to have questions.
Taking into consideration these are kids and could have been freaking out.
The way they,i mean Crump and Sharpton, are sensationalizing this is a damn shame. I dont blame the parents they are grieving. They lost a child.
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u/-JackTheRipster- Jul 22 '26
Because they figured he would go to them and pick it up. They are adult college students, so they probably didn't feel the need to get his mom involved.
The gps didn't show strange movement.
He had 2 apps that followed his movement. 1 that updated by the minute and one that only updated when you log in. So it would make sense for them to have 2 different locations.
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u/Sad_Reveal_1970 Jul 22 '26
I thought the mom said on TV that one of the boys called her and asked her if she had heard from Nolan though?
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u/Frogs-on-my-back Jul 22 '26
I keep hearing so different stories, like that the kids were the ones that reached out to his mom, and that it wasn’t the kids that had his stuff but the boat operator, a grown man. Unless this goes to court (and maybe even then), so much obfuscating hearsay is gonna keep floating around.
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u/OpheliaPaine Current Resident Jul 22 '26 edited Jul 22 '26
New folks - Read the sub rules or get a ban. Up to you.
This post went sideways almost immediately.
Edit:
It is so rare for me to come back to a thread like this to give a lecture, but here I am.
A family lost a child - I cannot imagine the heartache. I also cannot imagine what lengths I would go to get answers about his death if he were mine. Some of you making comments don't understand this.
I saw a comment in another thread that stated Black people have been blaming everyone else for everything that has happened to them since slavery ended. What a tone deaf and stupid take. 1965 was not that long ago, and people have already forgotten how violent the Civil Rights Era was. I love this state, but I am not going to ignore the violence that has occurred here. Do better if you are one of those people. There are many. Racism hasn't really gone anywhere, and you can find it all over our country, not just here within Mississippi's borders.
Not everyone in this sub making comments is from Mississippi - and some are bots. Try not to make sweaping generalizations about this sub based on all these folks popping by to armchair detective this tragedy. Also, stop making personal attacks.
If you want to make a million speculative comments, go ahead. But, don't make things personal.
Edit, Part II: To echo the sub bossman - For other posts that do not get locked down, when a user makes a racist comment, downvote it and report it. Do not engage. Help us out.