Nolan Wells' best friend says he didn't understand the initial panic of others searching for him ... because he just assumed he'd passed out on someone's couch.
Warren Hudson laid out the hours after Nolan's disappearance during an interview on "The Officer Tatum Show" ... revealing one of his pals with whom he had returned from Horn Island got an agitated phone call around 12:30 AM on July 5 -- hours after they'd last seen Nolan.
About 30 minutes later, Warren says a group of 10 people or so slammed open the door to the house where they were staying ... clearly freaking out after not having heard from Nolan.
Nolan Wells' best friend says he skipped his pal's funeral for multiple reasons ... including multiple threats he says he's received in recent days.
Warren Hudson opened up about the difficult decision to stay away from Nolan's service during an interview on "The Officer Tatum Show" ... revealing he chose to skip it first and foremost to not distract from the event's focus on Nolan and his grieving family.
He then adds that he worried about going to such a public gathering, too ... saying he's received thousands of death threats -- and he didn't want to put himself or his family in danger.
The mystery of Nolan Wells' death is drawing wildly different opinions ... meanwhile, LeBron James chooses Philadelphia freedom, Diddy throws down in prison, and Tom Brady might be ramping up for a WWE throwdown! So, we gotta ask ...
Nolan Wells' best friend stresses that he, unquestionably, didn't kill the teen ... or have anything to do with his death.
Brandon Tatum asked Nolan's buddy Warren Hudson point-blank if he was responsible for the teen's tragic, mysterious death ... and he said no. Full stop.
Warren also denied deleting anything off Nolan's phone, after his parents raised concerns that messages had been wiped.
Nolan Wells' friend seemed panicked when the boat they were on started taking on water ... struggling to answer a tow service dispatcher's basic questions in newly released audio.
The call -- which was placed to Sea Tow, not 911 -- begins with the dispatcher asking what the issue is. The boat's operator says the boat is sinking and the bilge pump isn't working.
The dispatcher asks for membership information, which the boat's operator doesn't seem to have or know ... before he gives the dispatcher GPS coordinates.
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."
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' 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.
Rep. Jonathan Jacksonsays the Nolan Wells death investigation down in Mississippi has all the makings of a potential cover-up ... and he thinks race is playing a factor.
Jacobcaught up with the Congressman from Illinois Thursday on Capital Hill ... and Rep. Jackson raised a bunch of issues with Nolan's death and the police response.
Rep. Jackson believes there is a pattern of deception, denial and cover-up ... and says the blame starts with local law enforcement.
The way Rep. Jackson sees it ... Mississippi authorities are bungling the investigation and failing to press the young people who were with Nolan for answers ... and he wants the feds to take over the probe.
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 withNolan 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 Neffabout 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 Crumpsays 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.
