The investigation into the death of 18-year-old Nolan Wells has taken a new turn with reports that witnesses described his alcohol intake as "heavy" before he went missing on Mississippi’s Horn Island over the Fourth of July weekend. The latest development comes from a Mississippi Department of Marine Resources Marine Patrol email obtained by Fox News Digital, which was sent to the U.S. Coast Guard during the search for Wells. The email listed Wells' alcohol intake as "heavy" but did not identify the source of that information.
Wells, an Ole Miss freshman from Jackson, Mississippi, disappeared while on a boating trip with friends. His body was found on July 6 near the island’s northwest shoreline, close to where he was last seen alive. Authorities have not yet determined the cause or manner of his death, and the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s autopsy and toxicology results remain pending.
An independent autopsy commissioned by Wells’ family also concluded that the cause and manner of death were "undetermined pending investigation." Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing the Wells family, revealed that the autopsy report showed a "red discoloration" on the back of Wells’ head, but forensic pathologist Dr. Roger Mitchell could not determine a cause of death. Crump suggested that the investigation would have been handled differently if Wells were white and his friends were Black, a claim that has sparked controversy.
Friends who were with Wells that day have previously stated that they were drinking together on the island and that Wells decided to stay behind when their boat left because it had started taking on water. Authorities have not linked the reported alcohol consumption to Wells’ death, and the investigation remains ongoing.