On October 25, 2026, students and Oxford, Mississippi residents marched at the University of Mississippi for answers about the death of 18-year-old Nolan Wells. The march was the latest in a series of student actions across several campuses calling for further investigation into Wells' death.
Freshmen Christopher Burnett and Avah Trevino organized the Oxford event, reported by The Daily Mississippian. They walked from Fulton Chapel past the Walk of Champions, the Circle and James Meredith's statue before returning. Burnett said: "We just want, simply, for the family's questions to be answered in further investigation."
The demand also reached Rider University, where its NAACP college chapter held an October 22 walk, reported by The Rider News. President E'miija Eccles organized it, and participants made at least three laps around Centennial Lake. Founding chapter president Naa'san S.J. Carr, a 2024 graduate, returned to speak: "We gather because remembrance matters, but so does the pursuit of truth and repair." Read the Rider News report here: Walk for Wells.
At Mississippi State, students rallied on the Drill Field on October 16, reported by The Reflector. After about an hour, participants held a moment of silence for Wells and Richard E. Holmes, MSU's first Black student.
Wells, 18, went to Horn Island, Mississippi with friends on July 4, 2026. His body was found July 6. A Jackson County grand jury on September 22 declined to bring criminal charges, finding insufficient evidence. District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath said there was no evidence the death was racially motivated. Through defense attorney Edward Paltzik, Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo and Morgan Seymour maintained their innocence.
The state autopsy left the cause and manner of death undetermined, while grand jurors described the circumstances as consistent with drowning. The Wells family hired civil rights attorney Ben Crump and sought a second autopsy, and relatives say they still want answers about Wells' last hours on the island.
Why it matters: months after the grand-jury decision, students at multiple campuses are keeping public pressure on for further investigation, and the family continues to seek a federal review.
Read the AllHipHop report here: Nolan Wells March Brings Oxford Students Out For Answers.
Official GoFundMe, In Loving Memory of Nolan Xavier Wells: https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-loving-memory-of-nolan-xavier-wells