Updated
Updated · WAPT Jackson · Aug 7
United Cajun Navy Releases 22-Page Nolan Wells Report as Key Evidence Still Needs Verification
Updated
Updated · WAPT Jackson · Aug 7

United Cajun Navy Releases 22-Page Nolan Wells Report as Key Evidence Still Needs Verification

3 articles · Updated · WAPT Jackson · Aug 7

Summary

  • A 22-page United Cajun Navy report reconstructs 18-year-old Nolan Wells’ disappearance on Horn Island and his death after his body was found two days later near Ocean Springs.
  • The report uses photos, videos and social media comments to map the day Wells vanished, but it also says nearly every source still requires additional verification.
  • Conflicting witness accounts leave major gaps: one commenter said Wells was seen with a group nearly involved in a fight, while another said she did not see him near the boats when leaving the island.
  • Mississippi law professor Matt Steffey said the material lacks the authenticated testimony and documentation needed for court, especially as questions remain over who created the images and whether they are reliable.
  • The biggest unresolved issue is what happened before the boat Wells arrived on left the island; Steffey said the report does not bring investigators closer to a cause of death or to criminal or civil liability.

Insights

Why did a boat claiming to be sinking suddenly cancel its distress call and leave Horn Island without 18-year-old Nolan Wells?
Did Nolan Wells voluntarily stay behind, or do the unverified videos of a near-fight reveal a much darker truth about his final hours?
With the official autopsy sealed and an independent examiner unable to rule out foul play, what secret is the grand jury hiding?