It should have been a fun break there Nolan Wells he went on a Fourth of July trip with his friends to Mississippi's Horn Island. However, there was sadness when it was reported that the 18-year-old suspect was missing and his body was found two days later.
While authorities have said they believe Wells may have accidentally drowned, his parents are not convinced and are launching their own separate investigation with the Jackson County Sheriff's Department to find out what really happened.
Everything you need to know about what's happening in Wells, below.
Nolan Wells Gets Lost During A Boat Trip With Friends
Wells went missing while on a boat trip with friends to Horn Island on July 4, 2026. The group took the trip as a “last call” before Wells plans to return to football camp at Southwest Mississippi Community College.
One of his friends on the boat reported Wells missing to the US Coast Guard around 11:00 a.m. Shortly thereafter, Wells' mother filed a missing persons report with the Jackson County Sheriff's Department around midnight.
Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter told the Associated Press that Wells' friends said he chose to stay on Horn Island while the rest of the group left.
“From the people we talked to, it sounds like he chose to stay on the island thinking he's going to get back to the mainland with someone,” said Ledbetter.
Nolan Wells' Body Found 2 Days After Reported Missing
Wells' body was found in the water northwest of Horn Island on July 6, 2026.
Jackson County Coroner Bruce Lynd he said authorities determined the body was Wells' through dental records, although he did not reveal a possible cause of death.
Ledbetter told ABC News that investigators do not believe there was foul play and have found no evidence that “a crime was committed.”
United Cajun Navy vice president and spokesman Brian Trascher he told People those pictures showed “guys drinking beer and stuff.” However, “Wells' alcohol level was not at the level of intoxication.”
After his disappearance, a video went viral that allegedly included the boy's voice when he was arguing with his friend. Ledbetter told the Sun Herald that they are in the process of verifying the content of the video.
“Many people are calling to report what they have seen or read on social media, and it is not information that just appears,” he told the media. “All we have to do in the investigation is original documents and real information.”
Ledbetter added, “Another hurdle we have is social media. We're in the process of recording, verifying, and verifying all that information.”
Tracestin Shepherdone of the guys on the boat, insisted that the group did nothing wrong when they appeared on the July 13, 2026 episode, Good Morning America.
“We didn't do anything wrong here and we don't understand how we get so much hate behind us,” he said. “We all cared and loved Nolan, and no one wanted to see Nolan die. No one wanted to see his life cut short like that.”
Nolan Wells' Family Launches Independent Investigation into His Death
After police said they believed her death was an accident, Wells' family launched an investigation into her death.
Wells' parents, Christine Wonsley again Elmore Wonsleyand their attorney, Ben Crumpaired on July 10, 2025, episode of GMA to explain that they were in the process of conducting a private autopsy in Washington, DC
Crump also said they wanted an analysis of the teenager's phone after Christine said the device's location history was different from what her friends saw on Snapchat. She also said there were no posts on her two Snapchat accounts on the day she went missing, which was unusual for her son.
“It's not even 24 hours, which is how long videos and photos last on Snapchat,” Christine said. GMA when he got his phone. “I see Nolan whenever he's filming. When he's traveling and having fun, he's making videos. There was nothing.”
Both Christine and Elmore also admitted that they would not “understand” Wells leaving the group.
“We always taught him that if you go with the team, you stay with the team,” said Elmore. “If you go with five, you come back with five, don't leave the group because I always said that security comes in numbers. So he knew how to stay with this group, so why would he leave the group? I don't know.”
