Dr. Benjamin Hudson, the father of Nolan Wells’ best friend Warren Hudson, announced a $50,000 reward for anyone who can provide information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for Nolan’s death.
Hudson made clear his family isn’t pointing any fingers, telling us, “We don’t know that anyone had any involvement, but we care about Nolan and want to find out what happened.”
The reward was announced Tuesday, July 29, for information leading to an arrest and conviction in connection with the 18-year-old’s death.
Hudson told the Sun Herald he offered the reward money on behalf of himself and his son to get justice for the Wells family as rumors and online speculation spread.
He said his family has received thousands of death threats in the last three weeks.
Dr. Hudson firmly defended the teenagers who were with Nolan that day, saying he believes the boys on the three boats had no involvement in Nolan’s death and plainly puts it as “we still don’t know what happened.”
Warren Hudson, who described himself as Wells’ best friend, previously addressed online accusations that he or the group had something to do with Wells’ death, calling the rumors baseless and hurtful.
The reward boost came amid growing public scrutiny and internet theories about what happened to the 18-year-old athlete.
The Hudson family’s $50,000 offer brings the total reward to $175,000, matching an earlier offer from Rev. Al Sharpton while Tyler Perry and Terrell Owens also contributed funds.
Warren told the New York Post: “It’s a sick world we’re living in. It’s terrible. Nolan was my best friend.”
Warren said: “There’s no facts out, just a lot of rumors. That’s just how the internet is today. That’s really it, it’s horrible.”
Brandon Tatum, a conservative commentator, asked Warren Hudson point-blank if he was responsible for the teen’s death, and he said no.
Hudson told YouTuber The Officer Tatum: “There was no reason for us to get on Nolan’s phone, no one touched Nolan’s phone… If none of us had touched Nolan’s phone, then y’know there’s no reason for anything to be deleted.”
Hudson continued: “No one even was in contact with his phone until it was moved from the boat to the truck, and none of us have access to Nolan’s password to get on his phone and delete anything. We had no reason to delete anything… There’s nothing to hide here.”
The defense came in response to Wells’ parents’ concerns about deleted messages and images from their son’s phone.
Christine Wonsley said: “When we finally got his phone, me and my sister went through the phone. We went in his Snapchat. He had two accounts. Absolutely nothing.”
“It wasn’t even 24 hours, which is how long videos and pictures stay in Snapchat … even my sister was like ‘Yeah, that’s suspicious,'” she added.
Ashlee Cole is a Mississippi Chancery Court judge and the stepmother of Warren Hudson.
Cole wrote on Facebook: “We have decided that we will not be speaking to the press at this time. The Media is not the appropriate forum to further elaborate on the facts of July 4. We realize that the truth will not stop the calls for the death of our small children. We have not had the opportunity to speak to the Wells-Wonsley family or their attorney. However, we are willing to directly communicate with attorney Ben Crump and the Wells-Wonsley family.”
Cole continued: “We will provide them with all the information known to us so their family can rest and properly mourn.”
The family’s statement contrasted sharply with the approach of Wells’ parents, who have pursued an aggressive public investigation.
Christine Wonsley told Good Morning America: “We just want honesty and transparency. We want a thorough investigation. We want that same respect that would be given to anybody else, and that’s it. We just want answers.”
The Wonsleys expressed the need to shed light on unanswered questions, including what they allege are deleted messages from their son’s phone, that have led them to become “suspicious” about his death.
When asked why Wells would stay behind, Christine Wonsley said: “That we cannot answer. I just, I can’t — I can’t fathom why he would.” Elmore Wonsley said that would have gone against the advice they gave Wells. “We always told him, if you go with a group, you stay with a group,” he said.
In the viral moment that sparked the latest controversy, Wells disappeared on July 4 after a boat trip to Horn Island off Ocean Springs, Mississippi, with a group of high school friends.
Nolan was found dead after going missing on July 4, after a boat day with friends on Horn Island. The 18-year-old’s friends told investigators Nolan did not leave the island with them and claimed Nolan planned to stay behind with a girl.
His body was recovered from the island on July 6.
A preliminary independent autopsy preliminarily found that Wells’ cause and manner of death are “undetermined,” with the independent pathologist acknowledging multiple limitations in the report.
The case drew national attention partly due to photos showing Wells, who was Black, with White friends on the boats that day, sparking widespread online speculation and conspiracy theories about what happened.
The case is expected to eventually go before a grand jury.