Nolan Wells Attorney Says New Photo Possibly Shows Teen Made It Back to Mainland

Ben Crump, the attorney for Nolan Wells' family, is following every lead in the teen's tragic death ... including a photo that suggests he may have made it back to the Mississippi mainland before he died.

Crump shared a snap circulating on social media that shows a group of teens at a "land-based pool party" ... and people think one of the kids in the photo is Nolan.

The internet believes the snap was taken before 1 a.m. on July 5 ... and Crump reposted the photo from an account called Shannel Tarot TV.

Crump said in his caption, "Now listen, I don't know if these are facts or rumors because no official statements have been confirmed. We sometimes have to follow all clues until the truth is found."

However, Nolan's friend, Tracestin Shepherd, told Rolling Stone that picture isn't actually from July 5. He says it's actually from a pool party from June 27 ... and was just posted on the 5th.

Rolling Stone allegedly obtained the metadata from another person, as well as other group photos supposedly from that same night.

Tracestin -- who didn't actually go to the pool party -- identified people in the picture to the mag ... and pointed out Nolan.

He told Rolling Stone the pool party theory is nothing more than misinformation, calling it "unbelievable" and "heartbreaking."

As you know, Nolan disappeared on a July 4 trip with friends to Horn Island ... after his friends made it home, but he didn't. His body was eventually found in the water off Horn Island.

His family hired Crump and is conducting an independent investigation because they believe something isn't adding up.