Nolan Wells laid to rest in closed-casket funeral as mourners including Spike Lee and Terrell Owens pay respects — and teen’s mom vows to fight for truth

Tragic Mississippi teen Nolan Wells was laid to rest in a closed casket Monday at a packed hometown funeral that included famed director Spike Lee and former NFL star Terrell Owens.

Wells’ mother openly wept as she made her way into Center Pointe Church in Ocean Springs, Miss. — fewer than two weeks after her 18-year-old college-athlete son mysteriously died on a July 4 boating trip with pals.

“I ask that each of you keep Nolan’s memory alive, hold him close in your hearts, share the stories and never stop saying his name,” grieving mom Christine Wonsley said through tears as she stood at the altar before hundreds of mourners, including her son’s stricken football teammates.

“As long as we continue to remember him, his light will continue to shine through us all.

“Nolan we love you, we’ll continue to fight for you, and until we meet again.”

Wells’ body was brought to the church in a blue coffin with silver trim by a white hearse — then placed at the front of the altar between frames with the promising wide receiver’s high-school and college football jerseys inside.

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“We thank you Lord for the beautiful 18 years that you blessed us with him,” Wonsley said.

“We will miss everything about him and his quiet nature, the corny jokes, his gentle smile and the way he made everyone around feel loved, comfortable and at ease.”

Wells’ body was found in the water off Horn Island in Mississippi’s Gulf Coast on July 6, two days after he did not return with friends from a boat trip there. His corpse had to be identified through dental records.

Police have said nothing points to foul play, at least yet, and that they suspect Wells likely drowned. They are awaiting official autopsy results.

But Wells’ family is conducting their own investigation amid what they claim are inconsistencies in Wells’ friends account of the day.

They have expressed concerns over why Wells — who was a student at Southwest Mississippi Community College — supposedly accidentally left his phone with his pals before they went back to shore and whether Snapchat content had been deleted before the device was returned to his family.

Wells’ parents and well-known civil-rights lawyer Benjamin Crump — who accompanied them to Monday’s service — met with Jackson County District Attorney Angel McIlrath on Wednesday to discuss the case.

Crump on Monday led mourners in chants of “Justice for Nolan Wells!” and “Nolan’s life matters!”

“We are on a ferocious search for the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God,” he said at the service.

The Rev. Al Sharpton of the National Action Network got loud cheers as he announced a combined $100,000 reward that he said he and Tyler Perry were offering for any information that leads to a conviction in the case.

“We’re not going to pre-judge it, but we cannot end this until we know all the facts,” he said.

“So all you got to do is reach out to attorney Crump’s office and National Action Network, and we’re going to do that if it leads to an arrest and conviction.

“And I guarantee you’ll have it before the sun goes down.”

Wells’ former Ocean Springs High School teammates and the current college grid athletes who played with him were among the first to file past the casket for the visitation.

“Your absence has left an emptiness that can never be filled,” Wonsley told the crowd of her son.

“We’ll continue to fight for you.”