Wells Death Investigation Deepens

Friends Lawyer Up as Cooperation Questions Grow

Authorities have said the three friends are cooperating with the investigation. But Crump pushed back on that claim. He said the family does not know how much the friends are actually helping. The decision to hire attorneys raises new questions about what the friends may know, according to Globe Magazine.

Wells was a college football player from Mississippi. He disappeared during a Fourth of July trip. His body was recovered from the water near Horn Island two days later. No cause of death has been publicly confirmed.

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Family Disputes Claims Wells Chose to Stay Behind

Reports have suggested that Wells voluntarily stayed on the island while his friends left. His family has firmly rejected that account. They say they do not believe he chose to remain alone, according to Globe Magazine. The family hired Crump to run a parallel, independent investigation into his death.

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Crump Raises Race as a Factor in How Case Is Handled

Benjamin Crump made a pointed argument about race and how the case has been handled. He said investigators would have treated the situation differently if Wells had been white and had disappeared while with three Black men. Crump is a well-known civil rights attorney who has represented families in other high-profile cases.

A former FBI official weighed in on the case alongside other major investigations, according to ABC News 4. The official broke down key details of the Wells case in a broader discussion of ongoing criminal matters. It is not clear if federal authorities have formally joined the investigation.

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What Investigators Know — and Still Don't — About Wells' Death

Wells disappeared on July 4 during a trip to Horn Island, off the Mississippi Gulf Coast. His body was found in the water two days later. Investigators have not publicly named any suspects. No official cause of death has been released. The case remains active, according to Globe Magazine.

The family's decision to bring in Crump signals they are not satisfied with the pace or direction of the official investigation. Crump's team is conducting its own review of the facts. The case has drawn national attention as more details emerge, according to WWMT Newschannel 3.

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