Crime
Nolan Wells Update: New Audio Reveals Late Teen’s Friends Calling for Help the Day He Disappeared
New details have emerged in the case of Nolan Wells, who was found dead after a night out with friends over the Fourth of July weekend.
According to audio obtained by NBC News on Wednesday, July 15, Wells’ friends were heard calling for help after their boat malfunctioned and began to take on water. The incident happened around 4 p.m. the day the 18-year-old went missing.
“Hey, we’re at the west tip of Horn, and our bilge pump stopped working. We’re going. We’re sinking. Can you all please come?” the person operating the boat said. “I want to get this boat unsank and towed back.”
According to GPS data obtained by the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and shared with the network, the boat was towed for about three miles before returning to its normal speed less than an hour later.
Around 5:44 p.m. the boat returned to the location it originally departed from.
The mom of one of Wells’ friends, Jackson County Chancery Judge Ashlee Cole, shared that her son last saw Nolan around 3 p.m.
“He saw Nolan last at around 3 pm on July 4th,” Cole wrote in a message shared via Facebook on July 7. “They left around 4:30 pm when the boat was taking on water and they had an issue with the bilge pump. Nolan made a decision to stay on the island and return inland later with another group of friends.”
Wells disappeared after traveling with a group of friends to Horn Island, located off Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, on July 4. Authorities said the group became separated before an extensive search ended with Wells being found dead near the island.
