Christine Wonsley says she believes God answered one of the darkest prayers of her life.
The mother of 18-year-old college football player Nolan Wells became emotional during a press conference in New York City on Friday as she shared how a desperate prayer after her son's death led her to renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump, whom she believes was placed in her path by God.
"I had said a prayer," Wonsley recalled. "Lord, this isn't what we wanted, but I just asked Him to help us get through this. Put the right people in our path that could potentially help us."
At the time, she said, the family had no idea where to turn.
"We hadn't reached out to anybody. We didn't know where to start," she explained.
Wonsley said that through conversations with a cousin and a friend, she was unexpectedly connected with Crump. Looking back, she believes the sequence of events was more than coincidence.
"This has to be God helping us along the way," she said. "I'm not religious, but I am spiritual. And for that, I was grateful because I felt like things were being set up."
Despite investigators indicating that no foul play is suspected in Wells' death, his parents remain unconvinced and say they are simply asking for transparency.
"We just want to know what happened," Wonsley said. "We don't care, black, white, purple ... we just want to know what happened."
Wells, a standout football player at Southwest Mississippi Community College, was found dead near Horn Island off Mississippi's Gulf Coast after disappearing during a July 4 boating trip with three longtime friends. Authorities have suggested the death appears consistent with an accidental drowning, but the family says key details continue to raise troubling questions.
Among the family's concerns are conflicting accounts about Wells' final moments. According to Crump, the three friends claim Wells chose to remain on the island with a young woman, while the woman has reportedly said Wells actually left her and returned to the boat with his friends.
"That doesn't add up," Crump told reporters, questioning why an 18-year-old would voluntarily remain behind without his cellphone or belongings.
Additional questions surround Wells' personal property. Wonsley said her son's cellphone was later recovered from the parent of one of the friends, though it remains unclear how the device ended up there. His father, Elmore Wonsley, also described an emotional encounter while trying to retrieve his son's car keys, saying a friend initially claimed not to know where they were before producing them several minutes later.
The three friends who accompanied Wells on the trip have reportedly retained attorneys.
Standing alongside the family, Rev. Al Sharpton argued that the investigation should remain open, saying too many unanswered questions remain about the circumstances surrounding the teenager's death.
Meanwhile, Crump confirmed that Wells' body has been transported to Washington, D.C., where an independent autopsy is being conducted. The results are expected to be released publicly once completed.
For the Wells family, the legal fight is about more than challenging an official narrative. They say it is about honoring Nolan's life by ensuring every question is answered.
And as they continue searching for those answers, Christine Wonsley says she remains convinced that the path unfolding before them began with a simple prayer asking God to send help.
