Warren Hudson, a friend who attended a July 4 gathering on Horn Island, says Nolan Wells left his phone on a boat and that the device was handed to another attendee's mother intact and without anyone accessing it. Hudson told interviewer Brandon Tatum he informed Wells' mother the group had the phone and later contacted the Coast Guard when the teen could not be reached. Wells, 18, disappeared from the party and was found dead two days later; his family questions the official conclusion and some suspect a cover-up. An independent and official investigation is underway.
Friend Says Nolan Wells' Phone Was Handed Over Intact After Horn Island July 4 Gathering
Nolan Wells; Warren Hudson during his interview with Officer TatumCredit: GoFundMe; Brandon Tatum/X
Friends and family of 18-year-old Nolan Wells have focused on his phone as a potential clue after he disappeared from a July 4 gathering on Mississippi's Horn Island and was found dead two days later. In a July 24 interview released online, friend Warren Hudson described how the device was handled and insisted neither he nor his group accessed or deleted any content from the phone.
What Hudson Says Happened
Hudson, speaking in the fourth installment of a multi-part interview with commentator Brandon Tatum, said it was common that day for attendees to leave phones on boats to avoid water damage. He said multiple phones were left on the boat and that several devices' owners were unknown to his group.
Nolan Wells with his parentsCredit: Go Fund Me
"Nolan wasn't the only person that left a phone on the boat. There were a lot of people that left phones on the boat," Hudson told Tatum.
Hudson said that after the island gathering he and a few friends returned to the mainland and went to a friend's home around 12:30 a.m. on July 5. He recalled that Jayvon Williams' mother arrived with others and demanded Nolan's phone. According to Hudson, the device was handed over from a truck without resistance or any attempt to access it.
"My buddy went out to his truck and handed the phone over. No complications, no issue," Hudson said. "We had no reason ever to get on Nolan's phone and look at anything. I didn't even touch Nolan's phone."
Follow-Up Actions
Hudson said he informed Nolan's mother, Christine, that the group had the phone while it remained on the boat, and later called the Coast Guard when the group could not reach Nolan. He strongly denied any suggestion that anyone in his group deleted material from the device: "Absolutely not. We have had no reason to delete anything, and we never did."
Nolan WellsCredit: Jackson County Sheriff's Department
Family Concerns And Investigation
Wells' parents, Christine and Elmore Wonsley, say they expected the phone to contain more footage or messages from the day and view the apparent lack of such content as concerning. Their attorney, Ben Crump, has publicly questioned why a teenager would leave his phone if he intended to remain on the island. The family also expressed concerns that race may have affected initial investigative conclusions.
Authorities initially reported no clear signs of foul play and suggested drowning as a possible cause; an official and independent investigation is ongoing. Photographs connected to the case have been credited to the Jackson County Sheriff's Department and a GoFundMe campaign supporting the family has been created.
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