United Cajun Navy Says Ben Crump Never Spoke to Them, Disputes 'Fully Clothed' Claim in Nolan Wells Case

Since Nolan Wells' body was recovered on Horn Island on Monday, July 6, the fight over what actually happened to the 18-year-old Ocean Springs, Mississippi college football player has shifted from the water to a public credibility dispute between his family's attorney and the volunteer group that helped find him.

The United Cajun Navy says it has never spoken with Ben Crump, the civil rights attorney representing Wells' family, despite Crump telling reporters at a Wednesday press conference that the group informed him Wells was found "fully clothed."

"He [Crump] said UCN told us Nolan was fully clothed-not true. We have never spoken with Crump, and we certainly didn't tell the parents anything like that," the organization wrote on X, according to the New York Post.

What Crump Actually Said

At the Wednesday press conference, where Crump also disclosed results of a family-commissioned independent autopsy, Crump raised questions about Wells' clothing as a potential clue to what happened before his death. Video from July 4, hours before Wells disappeared, shows him in swim trunks with no shirt.

"That's significant to us because the last time we saw him on the videos, he was without a shirt," Crump said, according to the Post. "So at what point did he put on a shirt? Somebody saw something. Somebody knows something."

Crump attributed the "fully clothed" detail to the United Cajun Navy. The group flatly denies it ever gave him or the family that information, telling followers on X, according to Hindustan Times: "At no time did we ever discuss what we witnessed during the recovery with his family."

Where the Confusion Started

The dispute traces back to an appearance by United Cajun Navy founder and president Todd Terrell on the "Nancy Grace Show" on Monday, July 20. Grace asked Terrell whether Wells was found face down and fully clothed. Terrell said yes, then moved on to describe the body's location and position without clarifying what Wells was wearing, according to Hindustan Times.

Terrell later said he misspoke, or at least was misunderstood. He said he'd meant Wells was clothed in the sense of wearing swim trunks, not naked, not that he was found in additional clothing like a shirt or shoes.

The United Cajun Navy has stood by that clarification in its statements, insisting the substantive fact never changed. Wells, the group says, was found wearing only the swim trunks he was photographed in on July 4, the day he went missing.

The Group's Pushback

TMZ reported the United Cajun Navy is now arguing the entire "fully clothed" debate is a distraction from what it called Terrell's "press conference blunder," not from any new evidence about Wells' death.

"The fact that some people misinterpreted what 'fully clothed' means is irrelevant," the group wrote, according to Hindustan Times. "The real issue is that @AttorneyCrump falsely stated during his press conference that the @Unitedcajunnavy told Nolan's family that he was found fully clothed, and then went on further to invent a story about him wearing a shirt. None of this is true."

The group added: "We understand that controversy drives likes and clicks, but people need to keep their eye on the ball. Misinformation has harmed this investigation and the community of Ocean Springs, Mississippi."

Crump, for his part, issued a statement Saturday saying the dispute was never about attacking anyone, and that his only goal is determining what happened to Wells on Horn Island on July 4, according to TMZ. He said he would stand by the truth "no matter whom it implicates or exonerates" and renewed his call for full transparency from investigators.

What's Still Unresolved

Authorities have said Wells drowned. His family and Crump have publicly rejected that conclusion. The independent autopsy the family commissioned, revealed by Crump at the Wednesday press conference, came back inconclusive on cause of death, though Crump has pointed to a possible head injury flagged in preliminary findings, according to TMZ.

No official agency has disputed the drowning determination on the record, and no charges or new findings have been announced. The clothing dispute itself does not change the forensic picture.

The question Crump raised remains unanswered: whether Wells was seen wearing a shirt at any point after the July 4 video showing him shirtless in swim trunks, and if so, by whom. Neither the United Cajun Navy nor Crump has produced a witness who claims to have seen that happen. Until someone does, that detail stays an open question rather than an established fact for either side.