Christine Wonsley, the mother of Nolan Xavier Wells, has taken legal steps to protect her son’s estate as questions continue surrounding his unexplained death.

Wonsley filed a petition in Jackson County Chancery Court requesting to become the administratrix of Nolan’s estate. The filing states that the estate’s assets would consist “solely of claims for damages resulting from the circumstances surrounding his death.”

The petition was submitted on the same day as Nolan’s funeral, which was attended by hundreds of mourners. If approved, the request would give Wonsley the legal authority to pursue a wrongful death claim on behalf of her son’s estate if another party is later found responsible.

Nolan Wells, 18, disappeared after traveling by boat with friends to Horn Island, Mississippi, on July 4. His phone and keys were reportedly left on the boat, while Wells did not return to the mainland with the group. His body was discovered along the island’s shoreline two days later.

According to the court filing, Wells was unmarried and had no children. He was a well known student athlete who played football for Ocean Springs High School and was attending Southwest Mississippi Community College. He was expected to return for football camp on the same day his body was found.

The legal move comes as Wells’ parents, Christine and Elmore Wonsley, continue seeking answers about their son’s death. The family has hired civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is leading an independent investigation into the case.

During Nolan’s funeral service, Crump addressed mourners and led a chant of “Justice for Nolan Wells.” He acknowledged that the exact circumstances of Nolan’s death remain unknown.

Crump had previously expected the results of an independent autopsy to be available earlier, but he later explained that the process had faced delays.

The official state autopsy was performed on July 7, shortly after Wells’ body was recovered. The body was then released to a funeral home before being transported to Washington, D.C., for a separate examination requested by the family.

The independent autopsy was conducted by forensic pathologist Dr. Roger A. Mitchell Jr., who has worked on several high profile cases involving deaths under investigation.

Crump explained that the timing of the second examination created challenges because the body was examined several days after the initial state autopsy.

“You want information from the first autopsy because they had the body closer to the time of death,” Crump said. “We got the body almost six days later, so there are limitations as to what he could do. You do the best you can, but there are unanswered questions.”

A public relations firm representing Crump later announced that he would join the Wells family at a news conference during the 117th NAACP National Convention in Chicago to release preliminary findings from the independent autopsy. The announcement is scheduled for Wednesday morning.