‘History Always Repeats Itself’: Internet Sleuths Draw Comparisons Between Tamla Horsford, Nolan Wells Cases as New Details About Teen’s Death Emerge
The family of a Mississippi teenager says they just want to know what happened to their loved one. But now, the internet is pointing out similarities between this and another mysterious case.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that authorities recovered a body in Horn Island, Mississippi. It comes just days after 18-year-old Nolan Xavier Wells disappeared while celebrating Independence Day.
WLOX-TV reported that the body recovered allegedly matches the description of Wells. The body has not officially been identified.
A picture circulating online of Wells also features several of his friends. Wells is Black, and most of the other people were white.
Some people online claim that several of Wells’ friends have scrubbed their social media accounts and set them to private.
Atlanta Black Star confirmed Eli Jax Pitalo, Erick Alcantara, Wyatt Pyron, Warren Hudson, and Morgan Seymour switched their accounts to private. ABS reached out to all of them for comment.
The picture bears a striking resemblance to another photo taken in 2018 before Tamla Horsford was found dead in a backyard. The picture shows her at an “adult sleepover,” surrounded by white women. Horsford was Black.
The 40-year-old mother of five gathered with seven other women that night.
Tamla Horsford’s Family Disputes Investigators’ Assessment of Her 2018 Death at Sleepover Party: ‘Never Ever Ever Have I Seen My Sister Sloppy Drunk’
Body Found After Mississippi Black Teen Nolan Wells Disappeared While Celebrating July Fourth with White Friends
The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office reported Horsford fell off the balcony. They said it was likely because she was drunk. But an independent autopsy ordered by her family discovered abrasions on her body.
The family’s attorney also stated that the lack of evidence, the type of injuries discovered, and mismatched witness accounts strongly suggested homicide.
After public outcry, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation reopened the case in 2020, but eventually ruled that no one would be charged.
Atlanta Black Star previously reported that at least three men were also in attendance at the party. One of them was Jose Barrera, the homeowner’s boyfriend. He reportedly called 911.
“She’s laying in the yard, basically on the patio downstairs,” Barrera is heard saying in 911 audio obtained by WSB-TV. “She’s not moving one bit. She’s not breathing.” Barrera also makes mention of a small cut on her right wrist, stating, “I don’t know if this cut was self-inflicted.”
The coroner also noted “acute ethanol intoxication” or alcohol poisoning as a significant factor contributing to Horsford’s death. The drug Xanax was allegedly also found in her bloodstream.
Many people online reacted to the comparisons between the cases.
“We are such a broken country and some days I wonder if we will ever stop hating,” @haddanuff wrote on Threads.
“Teach your Black children that it is not a badge of honor to be the token,” @smiley_keonna added.
“I’m honestly floored the parents even let him go on that type of trip without an adult,” @sunsettspice commented.
“History always repeats itself. Never be the only Black person with a group full of white people; the same s—t keeps happening,” @liknem said.