Updated: 15:17 02 September 2026

Published: 14:02 02 September 2026

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A major cause of death update has emerged after teenager Nolan Wells was found dead following an island boat trip with friends.

The 18-year-old disappeared during a Fourth of July outing to Horn Island, an uninhabited barrier island off the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Wells traveled to the island with a group of friends but did not return to the mainland with them.

His body was discovered two days later, on July 6, prompting an investigation into what happened during his final hours.

Newly obtained documents have revealed further information provided to authorities shortly after Wells disappeared.

Fourth of July trip ends in tragedy

Wells traveled to Horn Island on the morning of July 4 alongside several friends.

According to GPS data obtained by ABC News, the boat carrying Wells departed for the island at 9:56 a.m. and arrived at approximately 11:14 a.m.

The vessel remained stationary until around 4:30 p.m., when the group began traveling back toward the mainland.

However, the boat reportedly moved at no more than 4.2 knots for nearly three miles before returning to its usual speed at approximately 5:25 p.m.

It arrived back on shore around 20 minutes later.

Wells was not on board.

His mother reported him missing that evening, triggering a search of the island and its surrounding waters.

Wells’ body was eventually found near the shoreline on July 6.

Friends reveal what happened before they left

Several of Wells’ friends have since spoken publicly about the final time they saw him.

Warren Hudson, who described Wells as his best friend and like a brother, said the group had traveled to Horn Island in several boats before joining a large Fourth of July celebration.

He maintained that Wells chose to remain on the island after meeting a woman and intended to return to the mainland aboard another boat.

Hudson said the group wanted Wells to leave with them, but their boat had begun taking on water and they needed to depart quickly.

Another friend, Jax Pitalo, later claimed that Wells was repeatedly urged to get back on the boat but said he wanted to remain with the woman and had arranged another ride.

“We got to get the boat out of there before it goes under,” Pitalo said while recounting the group’s decision to leave.

The friends also explained that Wells’ cellphone had been left aboard the boat to protect it from the water, describing this as common among people attending the island celebration.

Hudson said he later contacted Wells’ mother after realizing his friend was missing.

The friends have insisted they did not abandon Wells and have denied knowing what happened to him after they left the island.

“Nolan was like a brother to us,” Pitalo said during an interview reported by People.

However, Wells’ parents have questioned this version of events, saying it would have been out of character for their son to separate from the group without his cellphone or car keys.

The cellphone has since become a potential focus of the investigation. Wells’ family and the district attorney reportedly agreed that it would undergo a joint forensic examination, but the family’s attorneys said in August that the analysis had not yet taken place because of unresolved logistical arrangements, People reports.

His father, Elmore Wonsley, said he had always taught his son that if he traveled somewhere with a group, he should return with that same group.

Family refuses to stop searching for answers

Wells’ family has disputed any attempt to determine what happened before the necessary forensic examinations and wider investigation have been completed.

They subsequently retained prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump and commissioned an independent autopsy.

The examination was carried out by forensic pathologist Dr. Roger Mitchell, a former chief medical examiner for Washington, D.C.

Its preliminary findings listed both Wells’ cause and manner of death as ‘undetermined pending investigation.’

The examination found no fractures or deep-tissue injuries but documented an area of red discoloration in the soft tissue at the back of Wells’ head.

Dr. Mitchell could not conclusively determine the significance of the discoloration based on the evidence available to him.

The pathologist also faced several limitations because Wells’ organs and internal neck structures, including his trachea, had been retained following the state’s initial examination.

As a result, he was unable to independently examine Wells’ airway, lungs and other structures that could have helped establish whether he drowned or suffered an injury before entering the water.

Crump said the independent findings meant non-accidental factors could not be ruled out, but the examination did not determine that another person was involved.

Major development in official investigation

A further development emerged when officials confirmed that the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office had completed its official autopsy.

However, its findings have not been released publicly.

The report and other evidence collected during the investigation are expected to be presented to a grand jury, which will consider whether Wells’ death involved a crime.

Jackson County District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath stressed that presenting the case to a grand jury does not necessarily indicate that criminal activity is suspected.

She explained that most deaths in the county, aside from those caused naturally or in non-criminal vehicle accidents, are presented to a grand jury as part of the normal process.

The family’s independent investigators are also working with oceanic engineering experts to examine how Wells’ body came to be found near the location where he was last seen, according to WLBT.

No one has been charged in connection with Wells’ disappearance or death.

New details emerge about Wells’ final hours

Newly obtained preliminary information has now provided further insight into what authorities were told after Wells disappeared.

According to documents obtained by ABC News, witnesses told investigators that Wells had been drinking heavily with friends while on Horn Island.

The information appeared in a preliminary document sent by the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources as authorities searched for Wells following his disappearance.

However, the information does not establish whether alcohol contributed to his death, and his official cause and manner of death have not been made public.

Authorities have not publicly released the results of toxicology testing.

In a separate development, an Illinois man was indicted in late August after allegedly threatening a witness connected to the investigation and members of his family, according to People.

However, the charge relates to alleged threats surrounding the case and not to Wells’ disappearance or death.

No one has been charged in connection with Wells’ death.

Related Article: Nolan Wells’ Friends Explain Why They Weren’t Worried When He Went Missing

Related Article: Nolan Wells’ Best Friend Explains Why He Skipped Funeral After Leaving Him On Island