Overview
- Eighteen-year-old Nolan Xavier Wells was last seen on Horn Island during a Fourth of July outing on Saturday, July 4, after going to the island with three friends and reportedly talking to an unidentified woman.
- A coordinated search by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, Gulf Islands National Seashore rangers, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and volunteer teams continued through the weekend.
- On Monday morning a park ranger recovered a body just offshore on the northwest end of Horn Island that officials say matches Wells’ description, and organized search operations were called off.
- Wells’ family publicly confirmed his death on social media but the county coroner said DNA testing will be used for formal identification and that autopsy and toxicology results are pending.
- Investigators are continuing to question witnesses and review phone and video leads to clarify Wells’ final movements and the timeline of events, and the case may hinge on the forthcoming forensic findings.