Best friend of Nolan Wells: “We begged him multiple times to get on the boat before he vanished”

OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi – The closest friend of 18-year-old Nolan Xavier Wells has publicly detailed the final moments before the teenager disappeared on Horn Island during a Fourth of July boat trip.

Warren Hudson, who grew up with Wells since middle school and called him a “brother,” said the group repeatedly urged Wells to board the boat after it developed a bilge pump problem.

“My buddy asked Nolan multiple times to get on the boat: ‘Nolan, get on the boat, get on the boat, we’re leaving. If you’re coming, you gotta come now,’” Hudson recounted on The Officer Tatum Show. Another friend shouted: “Nolan, get the F on the boat, we’re leaving, the boat’s having issues.”

According to Hudson, Wells chose to stay on the island and planned to return later with another group. He then vanished.

Timeline of events

Nolan Wells, a promising football player and college freshman, joined friends for a boat trip to Horn Island — a barrier island about 10 miles off Mississippi’s Gulf Coast — on July 4, 2026. He was last seen around 3 p.m. The boat left the island at 4:31 p.m. That night, his mother, Christine Wonsley, reported him missing.

On the morning of July 6, a U.S. park ranger found Wells’ body in the water near the western end of the island. The cause and manner of death remain undetermined.

An independent autopsy performed by Dr. Roger A. Mitchell Jr. listed both cause and manner of death as undetermined due to decomposition and missing structures from the initial state examination. Toxicology results are still pending.

Unresolved questions

Wells’ parents and online observers have raised questions about why the group left him behind and why friends allegedly had possession of his phone and keys. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump and Rev. Al Sharpton have been supporting the family.

Hudson has denied any wrongdoing and said the online speculation has been painful. “It’s a sick world we’re living in. Nolan was my best friend. There’s no facts out there yet — just a lot of rumors,” he said.

Local authorities and the FBI continue to investigate. A funeral for Wells was held on July 20 in his hometown, attended by a large crowd including family, friends, and supporters.

Nearly three weeks after the body was recovered, many details surrounding the disappearance of the young athlete remain unanswered.