Messages pulled from Nolan Wells' phone show what his friends said before and after the 18-year-old disappeared in early July following a boat outing with friends.
Group chats pulled from Nolan Wells' cellphone show what his friends said before and after the Mississippi teen vanished in early July following a boat outing with friends.
Wells disappeared after he and a group of friends celebrated the Fourth of July holiday off the Gulf Coast. They say he left his phone on their boat but didn't return with them.
A nearly 300-page report analyzing the late teen's phone and recently uploaded on the Justice for Nolan Wells website reveals his friends' reactions to his disappearance and speculation about his death in dozens of group chats.
On July 5, one group chat discusses when Wells was last seen, saying, "He got off our boat with this other guy and they started walking back to their boat." Minutes later, one friend calls it suspicious, saying, "There is def some sus s*** going on."
At one point, they talked about trying to find Wells, asking everyone to check their camera rolls. Another user added, "See if he was talking to anyone we don't know."
Another message read: "That's not like Nolan bro just to get left."
Someone else writes, "Hes gotta be shlumped somewhere rn hopefully." Another answers: "It's already noon though," followed by, "He might've got drugged or something."
Wells' body was recovered in the waters off Horn Island two days later. Once news broke of his death, one friend messaged: "Nolan was the most nice and caring guy we knew."
The day after his disappearance, the group appeared frustrated with the national headlines, writing: "All i keep seeing is white folk made it home and the one black kid didn't." Another answered: "It ain't ever been like that with us bro."
Last month, Jackson County's district attorney announced a Mississippi grand jury found no criminal wrongdoing in Wells' death.
Legal analyst Jessica Levinson told CBS News there is nothing in the recently released report that would change the DA's conclusion that there is no evidence of a crime.
Wells' parents spoke to CBS News in July, with his father Elmore Wonsley saying he didn't believe his son decided to stay on the island by himself. "It just doesn't — that's not his character," he said.