Body of Nolan Wells (18) found after friends left him while on boat trip on 7/4/2026

[Bewitchingstorm]

Family and friends are grieving the loss of a Mississippi teen after a body believed to be his was found Monday near where he went missing July 4.

The Ocean Springs School District confirmed the body found on Horn Island, a barrier island off the Gulf Coast, was 18-year-old Nolan Wells, NewsNation local affiliate WJTV reported.

Wells was last seen on the northwest tip of Horn Island on the afternoon of July 4. Officials said he was on a boat trip with friends when they left without him.

“From what we understand, he chose to stay there,” Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter told ABC, adding he doesn’t suspect foul play. Authorities believe he drowned but are continuing their investigation, according to the outlet.

Wells was a 2025 graduate of Ocean Springs High School who played multiple sports, including football.

He went on to play wide receiver at Southwest Mississippi Community College, according to the team’s website.

https://www.newsnationnow.com/missin...ls-body-found/

The family of Nolan Wells has retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump as investigators continue looking into the circumstances surrounding the 18-year-old's death.

Crump, who has represented the families of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, said Wells' family is seeking a thorough and transparent investigation.

He says the Wells family is calling for a thorough and transparent investigation into how he died.

"We've been retained by the family of Nolan Wells — a beloved son, teammate and friend who went out to celebrate the Fourth of July and never came home," Crump said in a statement. "His family deserves answers. They deserve the truth. We will not rest until every fact about what happened to Nolan on Horn Island is brought into the light."

https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/n...5-bf9967302fac

[Nic B]

This doesn't make sense. Why would he want everyone to leave him there?? Something isn't right...glad his family is looking into it.

[Bewitchingstorm]

This doesn't make sense. Why would he want everyone to leave him there?? Something isn't right...glad his family is looking into it.

It is suspicious. There is a video somewhere that shows some sort of altercation was going on around the time he was left/last seen.

[Nic B]

It is suspicious. There is a video somewhere that shows some sort of altercation was going on around the time he was left/last seen.

So they probably left him there out of anger, would be my guess.

[Bewitchingstorm]

It’s been nearly two weeks since an Independence Day celebration on an island off the coast of Mississippi ended in tragedy, mystery and outcry with the disappearance and death of Nolan Wells.

The 18-year-old’s family has said they believe race is a factor in how authorities are handling the case and are calling for transparency and thoroughness.

Wells' parents strongly dispute the claim that he would willingly separate from his group, calling it completely uncharacteristic.

They also find it highly suspicious that his phone was left on the boat with zero photos, videos, or Snapchat activity from the day, despite his habit of constantly documenting his outings.

Law enforcement, for their part, has asked for time in order to be “diligent in gathering all the facts.” They have said they haven’t found signs of foul play and think Wells could have drowned.

Both an independent and official autopsy are pending.

https://people.com/nolan-wells-death...-know-12020349

[Boston Babe 73]

https://people.com/nolan-wells-death...-know-12020349

Yeah, that is more than suspicious. His phone was wiped clean. I hope they are able to come to some kind of determination on this because I'm with the family on this one.

[Bewitchingstorm]

An independent autopsy commissioned by the legal team representing the family of Nolan Wells determined that the cause of death of the 18-year-old, who was found dead on Horn Island, remained undetermined pending further investigation.

High-profile civil rights attorney Ben Crump released the autopsy findings Wednesday at the NAACP National Convention in Chicago, where he said a 12-by-8-inch area of discoloration had been identified on the back of Wells' head.

The Jackson County Coroner’s Office on the Mississippi Gulf Coast also conducted an autopsy of the beloved teen and former high school athlete, but has not yet released its report.

https://www.nola.com/news/gulf_coast...555dcd2c5.html

[Bewitchingstorm]

Investigators determined Nolan Wells went missing after he spent July 4 drinking heavily with friends on Horn Island, according to a document obtained by ABC News pursuant to a public records request.

The document said it was "unknown" what Wells had eaten that day but described his alcohol intake as "heavy."

The report said that "several friends traveled to the island on the vessel with Nolan," and "when they left, (Nolan) was in the company of an unknown female and that he chose to remain at the island."

https://www.wapt.com/article/nolan-w...eport/73283274

[Bewitchingstorm]

A friend of Nolan Wells is lawyering up amid a wave of online speculation ... denying a viral photo shows him with a woman some social media users are attempting to link to Nolan's death.

Attorney Russell Latino says the old high school photo does show Bart Edmiston Jr. with a young woman -- but insists she is not Katie McCormick, a woman social media users have attempted to romantically link to both Bart and Nolan.

Latino says Bart has never dated Katie and did not even know who she was before Nolan’s death.

Latino also flatly denies the notion that Bart killed Nolan or contributed to his death in any way.

In addition, Latino said Bart received a "credible death threat yesterday" because of the "made-up speculation."

He said the FBI, state and local law enforcement have all been notified.

https://www.tmz.com/2026/07/29/nolan...yer/#continued

[Angiebla]

Yeah, that is more than suspicious. His phone was wiped clean. I hope they are able to come to some kind of determination on this because I'm with the family on this one.

I thought the same thing BUT that doesnt explain why he didnt post on social media prior to the altercation. Unless they planned on killing him the whole time?

I think they left him behind on purpose, or accidently. Im leaning towards on purpose, because he didnt take his phone. If he didnt drown, I suspect he fell and hit his head.

All of this is probaby over a girl.

[raisedbywolves]

https://abcnews.com/US/man-charged-t...y?id=135268364

A California man has been charged with threatening a Mississippi judge whose son is tied to the Nolan Wells case, according to a recently unsealed federal complaint.

Joseph Alfredo Vasquez Dumarce, 27, allegedly messaged Jackson County Chancery Court Judge Ashlee Cole on social media, threatening to send a bomb to her office that will "blow you away when you see it."

"Once that package is opened, the timer will start. And then you have maybe 10 seconds or less to ask God for forgiveness," the message said, according to a court document filed in federal court. "So much blood everywhere. Hard to clean. Especially from a boat."

The messages to Cole were sent on Facebook messenger days after Wells' body was recovered under the name yaeyae962, which an FBI agent traced to Dumarce, according to the complaint. He also allegedly called her court's office on July 11, according to the complaint.

Dumarce has been charged with sending a threat to injure another person. Online court records do not list any attorney information for him.

Cole posted a screenshot of the messages contained in the complaint to her own Facebook account on July 9, days before Dumarce was charged.

[Bewitchingstorm]

https://abcnews.com/US/man-charged-t...y?id=135268364

What a moron.

[Nic B]

Did this guy even know the victim? Or did he decide to fuck up his life for a total stranger?

[Bewitchingstorm]

Did this guy even know the victim? Or did he decide to fuck up his life for a total stranger?

I believe he did not know him.

[Bewitchingstorm]

An Ohio woman is facing federal charges after she allegedly made bomb threats targeted at Mississippi government offices, making her the second person arrested for sending threatening messages to officials in the state amid Nolan Wells’ death investigation.

Michelle Francine Edwards of Cincinnati was charged on Thursday, July 30, with transmitting in interstate commerce a threatening communication to kill or injure another person and to damage or destroy a building.

Investigators allege that Edwards made multiple threatening phone calls on July 23 to the George County Chancery Clerk’s Office and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, which is investigating Wells’ death.

Edwards allegedly began calling the George County Chancery Clerk’s Office at about 1:34 p.m. local time while using *67, which blocks a number’s caller ID.

She placed 21 total calls over an eight-minute period, during which she allegedly threatened employees, making statements referencing a bomb.

The JCSO conducted a complete bomb sweep and locked down the property. No explosive devices were found.

Investigators submitted an emergency disclosure request to C-Spire and Verizon, which provided them with the phone number used on the calls.

They found the phone number registered to a Cash App account using an open-source search, and found that the account was associated with the name Michelle Edwards.

https://people.com/woman-charged-aft...ation-12032318

[Nic B]

*67 is still a thing?

[Bewitchingstorm]

*67 is still a thing?

Apparently so and clearly it is not going to keep one from getting caught doing something nefarious.