Nolan Wells Friend Returns To Beach Where He Was Found Dead

One of the guys who was with Nolan Wells on Horn Island is going back to the Mississippi beach where he was last seen alive -- and where his body washed up -- and video sets the scene.

YouTuber Brandon Tatum headed out to Horn Island with one of Nolan's best friends, Warren Hudson ... and they anchored their boat and waded ashore in the exact spot where Nolan was hanging out on Fourth of July.

They pan the camera around and show the island -- there are a few other boats there on a Monday afternoon -- and Tatum and Hudson push back on folks who think this was some "secluded" island where Nolan went to party with his friends and no one else.

Tatum sets the scene from Nolan's final hours with his friends -- rows of boats and thousands of people anchored along the shoreline having a good time celebrating America's 250th birthday.

We've shown you video from the Fourth of July gathering ... it's exactly as Tatum describes here ... and our footage could be the final image of Nolan alive.

Tatum says the boat Nolan came in on was malfunctioning and was being towed away from the island ... and his friends urged him to hop on board with them as they left ... but they say he decided to stay behind on Horn Island.

Tatum claims Nolan's friends left the island by 4:30 PM ... and there are reports Nolan was seen 2 hours later.

Folks who were part of the search and rescue mission say Nolan washed up very close to the stretch of sand where he was last seen alive.

Nolan's family says he may have suffered an injury to the back of his head according to the preliminary findings in the independent autopsy they commissioned.