{"id":21713,"date":"2026-07-30T05:59:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T00:59:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=21713"},"modified":"2026-07-30T05:59:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T00:59:21","slug":"nolan-wells-mother-subpoenas-social-media-tech-companies-seeking-answers-in-her-sons-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=21713","title":{"rendered":"Nolan Wells&#8217; mother subpoenas social media, tech companies seeking answers in her son&#8217;s death"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" data-testid=\"prism-article-body\">\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao MvWXB TjIXL aGjvy ebVHC \">The legal team for<!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->Nolan Wells&#8217; mother, Christine Wonsley, issued subpoenas to several major social media and technology companies in an effort to obtain records of her son&#8217;s accounts amid questions over <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/US\/body-found-believed-missing-mississippi-18-year-absolutely\/story?id=134544120&amp;cb=1jt0qi9dp\" dir=\"ltr\">the 18-year-old&#8217;s death<\/a>, court records show.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The court documents, which were obtained by ABC News, were filed last week in the Mississippi State Chancery Court and are seeking information from Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp &#8212; three platforms owned by Meta &#8212; as well as Snapchat, TikTok and the GPS location tracking and family safety application Life360.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">According to the petition, they seek the messages, photos and videos that were sent and received through Wells&#8217; accounts, as well as his<!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->GPS data location and timestamps that could provide answers to the family as they seek answers in his death.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Each company has 21 days from the receipt from the subpoena &#8220;to produce and permit inspection and copying of all documents, electronically stored information, records, and tangible things designated below, and to deliver, mail, transmit, or make available for inspection said materials to counsel for Petitioner Christine Wonsley,&#8221; the court documents state.<\/p>\n<div class=\"oLzSq QrHMO fnRUo pvsTF EhJPu vPlOC zNYgW OsTsW RMeqy daRVX ISNQ sKyCY eRftA acPPc MENS nFwaT MCnQE mEeeY SmBjI xegrY rPLsU iulOd NIuqO zzscu lzDCc aHUBM IEgzD OjMNy eQqcx SVqKB GQmdz jaoD VWDdR ONJdw vrZxD OnRTz gbbfF roDbV GPGwb oMlSS gfNzt oJhud eXZcf zhVlX \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"InlineImage GpQCA lZur asrEW \" data-testid=\"prism-inline-image\">\n<figure class=\"kzIjN GNmeK pYrtp dSqFO \" data-testid=\"prism-figure\">\n<div class=\"GpQCA lZur \" style=\"padding-bottom:67.86265432098766%\" data-testid=\"prism-ratio-frame\">\n<div class=\"FvQLF iLTd NqeUA UzzHi iWsMV \"><picture data-testid=\"prism-picture\"><source media=\"(max-width: 414px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/ed8eec42-2ea2-4bb3-9923-8bf3959210f8\/nolan-wells-10-gty-gmh-260722_1784739145389_hpMain.jpg?w=375, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/ed8eec42-2ea2-4bb3-9923-8bf3959210f8\/nolan-wells-10-gty-gmh-260722_1784739145389_hpMain.jpg?w=750 2x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 415px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/ed8eec42-2ea2-4bb3-9923-8bf3959210f8\/nolan-wells-10-gty-gmh-260722_1784739145389_hpMain.jpg?w=750, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/ed8eec42-2ea2-4bb3-9923-8bf3959210f8\/nolan-wells-10-gty-gmh-260722_1784739145389_hpMain.jpg?w=1500 2x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"hsDdd NDJZt sJeUN IJwXl vBqtr KrDt itslR SjwtZ hakZw HlUVI \" data-testid=\"prism-image\" draggable=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/ed8eec42-2ea2-4bb3-9923-8bf3959210f8\/nolan-wells-10-gty-gmh-260722_1784739145389_hpMain.jpg\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<div class=\"nMMea bNYiy Mjgpa dGwha DDmxa jgKNG RGHCC aBIU PriDW aiQHS lZur \" data-testid=\"prism-caption\">\n<p><span class=\"hsDdd OOSI GpQCA lZur VlFaz \" data-testid=\"prism-truncate\"><span><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ \">A photo of Nolan Wells is displayed on stage where Ben Crump, a lawyer for the family of Nolan Wells announces the results of an independent autopsy as they investigate the death of Wells, July 22, 2026 in Chicago.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ YNujN JGtjI aZFDu rkKLh \">Scott Olson\/Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">ABC News has reached out to each of these companies, but requests for comment have not yet been returned.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Wells, who played football at Southwest Mississippi Community College, went missing during a Fourth of July celebration with high school friends on Horn Island, a popular undeveloped island just south of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, officials said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The 18-year-old&#8217;s body was recovered on July 6. Authorities said they suspect Wells drowned, but are still investigating.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The subpoenas come after Wonsley <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/US\/parents-nolan-wells-call-investigation-seek-answers-mysterious\/story?id=134627407\" dir=\"ltr\">alleged in an interview with ABC News&#8217; Good Morning America on July 10<\/a> that his family tracked his phone, but when she went to pick it up from Wells&#8217; friends, she said it appeared that some texts and SnapChat messages had been deleted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">It is unclear who had Wells&#8217; phone in the days between July 4 and July 10.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;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,&#8221; Christine Wonsley said. &#8220;It wasn&#8217;t even 24 hours, which is how long videos and pictures stay in Snapchat &#8230; even my sister was like &#8216;Yeah, that&#8217;s suspicious.'&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/US\/witnesses-told-authorities-nolan-wells-heavy-alcohol-intake\/story?id=135133934\" dir=\"ltr\">said there was no initial indication of a crime<\/a>, but he stressed that investigators were &#8220;working diligently to determine exactly what occurred.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Ledbetter also said the sheriff&#8217;s office welcomed the family&#8217;s independent investigation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The official autopsy report from the state Medical Examiner&#8217;s Office and the toxicology tests are still pending. A private autopsy commissioned by Wells&#8217; family preliminarily <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/US\/nolan-wells-family-announce-independent-autopsy-findings-wednesday\/story?id=134954878\" dir=\"ltr\">ruled his cause and manner of death as &#8220;undetermined pending investigation.&#8221;<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;This has been a difficult journey. Losing a child, it truly breaks your heart. It is a pain that is just you can&#8217;t measure it. Especially someone like Nolan, who brought so much joy and light and life to everyone,&#8221; Wonsley said during a press conference on July 22.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;You don&#8217;t find too many genuine people like him. So to lose that light at such a young age, under these circumstances, has been absolutely difficult. Which is why we&#8217;ve gone this route. There&#8217;s so many people out in the public asking all of these questions, but the only question that we have is what happened to our son,&#8221; she added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC eTIW sUzSN \"><em class=\" \">ABC News&#8217; Jeana Fermi and Emily Shapiro contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The legal team for\u00a0Nolan Wells&#8217; mother, Christine Wonsley, issued subpoenas to several major social media and technology companies in an effort to obtain records of her son&#8217;s accounts amid questions over the 18-year-old&#8217;s death, court records show. The court documents, which were obtained by ABC News, were filed last week in the Mississippi State Chancery&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21714,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/ed8eec42-2ea2-4bb3-9923-8bf3959210f8\/nolan-wells-10-gty-gmh-260722_1784739145389_hpMain_16x9.jpg?w=1600","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abc-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21713","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21713"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21713\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/21714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}