Why Did Nolan Wells’ Friends Leave Him on Horn Island?

Authorities say the 18-year-old chose to remain behind to speak with a girl and other friends, but major questions about his final hours remain unanswered.

The discovery of Nolan Xavier Wells’ body off Mississippi’s Horn Island has left his family and the public asking a very important question: Why did the friends who brought him to the island return to the mainland without him?

According to the explanation currently being given by investigators, Wells was not deliberately abandoned by companions who knew he had no way home. Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said witnesses reported that the 18-year-old chose to remain on the island because he believed he could return with another group.

“From the people we’ve talked to, it sounds like he chose to stay on the island with the assumption that he was going to ride back to the mainland with someone else,” Ledbetter told the Associated Press. He said the friends who accompanied Wells to Horn Island have been cooperating with investigators.

Witnesses told authorities that the original group left at approximately 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 4, because Wells wanted to stay behind and speak with a girl and other friends who were on the island. Another friend reportedly believed he saw Wells at around 4 p.m., after the original boat had already departed.

That timeline suggests Wells was still among other holiday visitors when the people who transported him to Horn Island left. However, authorities have not publicly explained who was expected to give Wells a ride back, whether that person had agreed to do so or how clearly the plan was communicated.

Wells traveled to Horn Island by private boat with a group of friends to celebrate Independence Day. The barrier island is located roughly 10 miles off Mississippi’s Gulf Coast and is accessible only by boat.

When the group prepared to return to the mainland, Wells did not leave on the same boat.

“They left and went back without Nolan,” Ledbetter told ABC News, adding, “From what we understand, he chose to stay there.”

Investigators are continuing to interview the people who were with Wells, and the sheriff said some individuals may be questioned more than once as authorities attempt to establish a reliable timeline.

Wells’ mother contacted the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department around midnight after her son failed to return home. By then, several hours had passed since he was last publicly accounted for on Horn Island.

A multiagency search began Sunday with assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard, National Park Service, Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, local fire and sheriff’s departments and the United Cajun Navy.

At approximately 8:45 a.m. Monday, July 6, a National Park Service ranger found a body in the water near the northwestern tip of Horn Island. The Jackson County coroner later identified the remains as Wells through dental records.

Wells was a student and wide receiver at Southwest Mississippi Community College. He would have turned 19 the following month.

Investigators have said they suspect Wells drowned, but his official cause and manner of death have not been released. An autopsy was performed on July 7, and authorities said the complete findings, including toxicology results, could take several weeks.

Ledbetter tsaid investigators had not received information indicating that a crime occurred and did not, at that stage, suspect foul play. He also said there was no current indication of drug or alcohol use, though the toxicology report would provide more definitive information.

Those preliminary statements have not ended public speculation. The sheriff’s department has asked people who were on Horn Island to provide original photos, videos, audio recordings and firsthand witness accounts. Ledbetter warned that social-media rumors and reposted material were making it more difficult for investigators to separate verified information from speculation.

Wells’ family has retained civil-rights attorney Ben Crump, whose office announced plans to conduct an independent review of the circumstances surrounding the teenager’s death.

Crump said the family is seeking the timely release of witness accounts, official records and autopsy findings and wants every fact about Wells’ final hours brought to light.

Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley, described her son as someone who was always willing to encourage and uplift others. His former coaches and school officials remembered him as kind, hardworking, humble and deeply loved by his teammates.