Nolan Wells’ family has released a phone report containing messages from his friends after the 18-year-old disappeared from Horn Island and later died in circumstances described as mysterious.
The nearly 300-page analysis, compiled by Garrett Discovery and verified by People, covers 29 group chats involving Wells, as well as private Snapchat messages. It records friends discussing his disappearance, the search for information about his movements and the aftermath of his death.
Phone report details friends’ messages after Nolan Wells disappeared
Messages recorded at about 12.45am on July 5 show friends trying to establish where Wells was and who he had left the island with.
One message sent the following morning said he appeared to have been heading back to his boat at about 6pm. It read: “he came and was hanging out with us and around us, he never disappeared with [redacted] when it was time to leave around like 6 he got off our boat with this other guy and thy started walking back to their boat.”
Other messages expressed concern about the circumstances. One person wrote: “There is def some sus s*** going on.” Another asked whether an unnamed individual had also been “acting weird”.
Friends also questioned why Wells had not returned to the mainland with the group he had travelled to the island with. One message said: “if he was gone ride with somebody else why would he leave his phone on the boat”.
The messages later turned to police questioning. One participant advised others to request a lawyer, writing: “the smart move is to ask for an attorney and that doesn’t mean we’re guilty it just smart so we don’t get played by some potential bias cop.”
Other messages urged people not to speculate, including: “Don’t speculate about s*** yall”. A further message said officers “can try to get your ass”, while another advised: “just stick to what you know happened.”
By July 14, the group was discussing Wells’ funeral and the scrutiny faced by his friends on social media, including accusations of a cover-up. One person wrote: “We need to go to Nolan’s funeral and get with all our other black friends to prove a statement for the media.” Another later suggested asking Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley, whether they could attend the service.
Wells’ family has called for a federal investigation into his death. A grand jury declined to prosecute anyone in the case, issuing a “no true bill”, while his cause of death was determined to be consistent with drowning.
