JACKSON COUNTY — The death of 18-year-old Nolan Wells on the Fourth of July has drawn national attention as his family pushes for answers and transparency from investigators.

According to investigators and his family, Wells visited Horn Island in Mississippi with friends from high school. When those friends returned to land, Wells did not.

Investigators say his body was found in the water days later. They suspected drowning, but his family is not sure.

Sheriff John Ledbetter of Jackson County urged anyone with information to come forward. "I would urge anyone who had any information or was on the island to let us interview you and get as much information as we can to try and piece together and figure out what happened," Ledbetter said.

The United Cajun Navy joined the search effort in coastal Mississippi.

"One of the concerned friends spoke to the mother, and we just jumped into action really quickly," Josh Gill of the United Cajun Navy said.

Wells' parents said they are asking local authorities to conduct a thorough investigation.

"Transparency is important, since we started this, that is all we asked for, and it's just a lot of things with this case that are going on that are not clear," his parents said.

Gill said the goal is simple. "We just want the information. We just want the family to have the closure that they need," he said.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump is representing the Wells family, according to CNN.