Witnesses told authorities Nolan Wells had 'heavy' alcohol intake: Preliminary info

Wells' cause of death is not known.

July 27, 2026, 7:05 PM

Witnesses told investigators that 18-year-old Nolan Wells had been drinking heavily with friends on Horn Island in Mississippi, according to a document with preliminary information from the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources.

The document -- a description sent on July 5 by the Marine patrol as part of attempts to find Wells after he went missing -- was an email that listed basic information for Wells, including his physical description, as searchers scanned the island for signs of him after he went missing on July 4.

A photo of Nolan Wells is displayed on stage where Ben Crump, a lawyer for the family of Nolan Wells announces the results of an independent autopsy as they investigate the death of Wells, July 22, 2026 in Chicago.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Wells was found dead on July 6 and his cause of death is not known.

The official autopsy report from the state Medical Examiner's Office and the toxicology tests are still pending. A private autopsy commissioned by Wells' family preliminarily ruled his cause and manner of death as "undetermined pending investigation."

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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