Randy Shropshire / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

Terrell Owens Just Put in $25,000, Pushing the Reward for Answers in Nolan Wells’ Death to $125,000

Updated 4 days ago, August 14, 2026

Terrell Owens, Rev. Al Sharpton and Tyler Perry have now put real money behind one question: what happened to an 18-year-old on a Mississippi island. With Owens’ latest donation, the reward fund for information in Nolan Wells’ death has climbed to $125,000, and his family says the answers still aren’t there.

Nolan Wells was 18, a college football player, when he vanished from Mississippi’s Horn Island during a Fourth of July celebration. His body was found on the northwest end of the barrier island two days later.

Owens, the Pro Football Hall of Famer, donated $25,000 to a reward fund for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case, according to Benjamin Crump, the attorney representing Wells’ family. That brings the fund to $125,000.

Terrell Owens laughing and holding a pickleball paddle on an outdoor court, wearing a black Centerline shirt and khaki shorts. — Terrell Owens smiles on the court during Mookie Betts’ Smash For Good Pickleball Challenge at Griffin Club Los Angeles on June 18, 2026. Photo by Randy Shropshire / Getty Images.

Owens joins Rev. Al Sharpton and filmmaker Tyler Perry, who each gave $50,000. Sharpton announced his donation while delivering the eulogy at Wells’ funeral on Monday, July 20, at Center Pointe Church in Ocean Springs. Perry, who helped pay for the memorial, immediately matched it.

Four shirtless young men in swim trunks sitting on the edge of a boat on open water; three have pixelated faces and one smiles wearing sunglasses and a red beaded necklace. — Nolan Wells, center, poses with friends on a boat on the water in a photo released by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department. Credit: Nolan Wells / Jackson County Sheriff’s Department.

“Someone knows what happened to Nolan on Horn Island,” Crump said in a statement Tuesday. “We urge anyone with information, no matter how small it may seem, to come forward. This reward is being offered for information that leads to an arrest and conviction because Nolan’s family deserves the truth, and those responsible must be held accountable.”

Wells was reported missing hours after he traveled to the island with a group of friends. Much about his final hours remains unknown, and accounts conflict over whether he chose to stay behind after his friends left because of a problem with their boat. He didn’t have his phone with him.

His parents, Christine and Elmore Wonsley, say it would be out of character for him to separate from his group. Authorities have said he could have drowned, but the family has disputed that until more is known. An official autopsy is pending, and results of an independent autopsy are expected Wednesday.

Enjoyed this story? Give us a follow on Facebook, and find plenty more on the Thought Catalog website.