Nolan Wells Death

10:09 AM PT -- TMZ obtained audio from an emergency call where one of Nolan's friends claimed their boat was sinking ... and they sounded panicked.

The viral photo suggesting Nolan Wells made it back to mainland Mississippi on the Fourth of July was actually snapped a week prior ... at least according to his best friend.

Warren Hudson sets the record straight on the viral photo in his interview on "The Officer Tatum Show" ... saying the photo showing Nolan in a pool with a large group of people was taken exactly one week earlier on June 27.

The photo was posted on social media on July 5 ... after Nolan was reported missing ... and before his body washed up on Horn Island, near where he was last seen alive.

Warren says the pool party went down at a friend's house in Pass Christian.

Nolan Wells' friends say he hung back on Horn Island with a girl when they left in their boat ... but the girl is apparently telling a different story.

19-year-old Katie McCormack spent time with Nolan on the island before his disappearance and death, according to the Daily Mail ... and Nolan's friend, Warren Hudson, says their group was frantically rushing off the island as their vessel took on water ... claiming Nolan refused to leave Katie and join them on their journey back to the Mississippi mainland.

Thing is ... Katie's sister, Gracie, told the Daily Mail ... "Katie had a conversation and assumed that Nolan was getting ready to get on the boat he came out on."

Katie's sister added ... "Katie assumed the 'friends' telling him to get on the boat wouldn't have left him."

Nolan Wells' best friend says Horn Island is a fun place to anchor with friends, but it's also a "very, very dangerous" place ... and he knows other people who died there before Nolan.

Warren Hudson sat down with YouTuber Brandon Tatum this week and explained why he alerted the Coast Guard after realizing Nolan never made it back from Horn Island.

Warren says it was late at night on July 4 and he hadn't heard from Nolan, so he called up Nolan's mom, Christine, who confirmed she hadn't heard from her son either. He says he then called the Coast Guard.

He says he's known other people who have died on boat trips ... and he worried something bad might have happened to Nolan.

Nolan Wells repeatedly refused to leave Horn Island on his buddy's boat ... at least according to his best friend.

Warren Hudson went on "The Officer Tatum Show," where he told Brandon Tatum that Nolan was repeatedly asked to get on their boat before they took off.

The way Warren tells it, it's not uncommon to go to Horn Island on one boat and come back to the mainland on a completely different one.

Nolan Wells' mother wants to see photos of his body taken during the search and rescue effort ... and she wants to see them in person.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Christine Wonsley has taken the United Cajun Navy up on its offer to view the photos of his body lying face down on the Horn Island shoreline.

As you know ... United Cajun Navy vice president Brian Trascher told our own Charlie Neff he has photos of Nolan snapped from 400 feet in the air ... showing the body and the police response.

Brian was in a helicopter searching for Nolan on July 6 when he snapped the photos. He says he didn't know Nolan's body was in the photos at the time.

Nolan Wells' self-described best friend is sharing footage of a large group of young people gathering on his boat dock, preparing for their fateful trip to Horn Island ... the morning before Nolan vanished.

Nolan's friend, Warren Hudson, invited YouTuber Brandon Tatum over to his Mississippi house ... where Nolan allegedly boarded a boat and headed out to Horn Island on the Fourth of July.

Tatum pans the camera around the dock ... and later shows surveillance footage from the morning of July 4 ... showing nearly two dozen folks milling around three boats, preparing to head out to the island.

Nolan is not specifically pointed out in the video, but Tatum says he was amongst the group of young folks who boarded the three boats.

7/24/2026 10:09 AM PT -- TMZ obtained audio from an emergency call where one of Nolan's friends claimed their boat was sinking ... and they sounded panicked.

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.

The man who photographed the scene as Nolan Wells' body was found is ready and willing to turn over those images to his family ... he tells TMZ, they just have to ask.

Brian Trascher -- the United Cajun Navy vice president -- talked to our Charlie Neff about joining the search, and described the photos he took as he was flying over Horn Island on the morning of July 6, when authorities found Nolan dead on the shoreline.

Brian explains why he didn't immediately notify Nolan's parents about the images, but he says he's not trying to hide anything ... and if they want to see them, he's an open book.

The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources says it mistakenly released records tied to Nolan Wells' death investigation ... and now prosecutors are telling the agency to keep the rest under wraps.

In a letter responding to a TMZ public records request, the MDMR acknowledged it had "inadvertently released records" related to Nolan's case. The agency did not identify which records were disclosed or to whom they were released.

The MDMR says it was later notified by Jackson County District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath that Nolan's death remains under investigation and will be presented to a grand jury.

Ben Crump says Nolan Wells' independent autopsy left major questions unanswered ... and the family's independent medical examiner still needs to inspect key parts of Nolan's body before determining how he died.

The powerhouse civil rights attorney, who is repping Nolan's family, joined "TMZ Live" Wednesday ... explaining why Nolan's throat, lungs, and the original autopsy photos could help answer the biggest questions surrounding his death.

Crump says the central question is whether Nolan was conscious or unconscious when he entered the water ... and he's demanding transparency from officials who promised to provide it.

The family hasn't heard from the Sheriff or Medical Examiner about when official results out of Mississippi will be released ... and Nolan's throat had been removed by the time his body was examined in the independent autopsy.

11:15 AM PT -- Ben Crump joined "TMZ Live" Wednesday ... explaining why Nolan's throat, lungs, and the original autopsy photos could help answer the biggest questions surrounding his death.

10:19 AM PT -- The Mississippi medical examiner tells TMZ ... the autopsy they performed on July 7 was "in accordance with the standard procedures and protocols followed for all autopsies conducted by the Office of the State Medical Examiner."

They added, "This case remains an active and ongoing investigation. We will not comment on the investigation or the independent autopsy that was conducted."

Nolan Wells may have suffered an injury to the back of his head, this according to the preliminary findings of the independent autopsy commissioned by Nolan's family.

The family's attorney, Ben Crump, described the "focal area of red discoloration in the soft tissue in the back of the head." It was 12 by 8 inches in length in the lower part of the skull.

There was significant decomposition such that it was impossible to know if there was bruising on Nolan's skin.

WebMD says discoloration in the back of the head can sometimes be caused by blood pooling while the body is positioned on a slab for examination.

The self-described best friend of Nolan Wells says Nolan seemed "completely fine" while they were hanging out on Horn Island ... with nothing appearing out of the ordinary.

Warren Hudson sat down with YouTuber Brandon Tatum on the "Officer Tatum Show" and gave his account of what happened on Horn Island in Mississippi on the Fourth of July.

Warren said he was hanging out on the island with friends from high school and college, including Nolan. He said most folks in the group were regular visitors on the island.

In his conversations and interactions with Nolan, Warren said Nolan seemed fine and was laughing, joking and generally having a good time.

A key person who was among the last to see Nolan Wells alive has broken his silence ... and he's gutted by the entire situation, including the blame.

Warren Hudson, Wells’ self-described “best friend,” who was among those on the fateful Fourth of July boat trip before the teen went missing ... says the rumors he was involved with Wells' death are crushing.

“It’s a sick world we’re living in,” he told the New York Post. “It’s terrible. Nolan was my best friend."

Nolan Wells' mom is laying the legal groundwork to potentially sue over her son's mysterious death ... asking a Mississippi court to put her in charge of his estate.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Christine Wonsley filed a petition Monday to open Nolan's estate and appoint her as its administrator ... saying the estate's assets would consist "solely of claims for damages resulting from the circumstances surrounding his death."

Put simply ... the appointment would give Christine the authority to file a lawsuit on behalf of Nolan's estate if anyone is ultimately found legally responsible for his death.

This new video from the day Nolan Wells went missing might reveal the first clues about who he was with during the last hours of the Horn Island 4th of July party.

TMZ obtained the video recorded that fateful day ... as the camera pans around to show multiple boats and tons of people partying, you can see a Black man standing on the back deck of a boat, apparently bending over to get a drink.

Check the video ... the man is wearing trunks matching the color of the ones Nolan was wearing in the infamous July 4 pic with his friends on a boat.