The friends of Nolan Wells, who were present on Horn Island during the Fourth of July celebration where the 18-year-old college football star vanished, are scheduled to return to the island. Their attorneys stated that the purpose of the Friday visit is to gain a firsthand understanding of the island's layout and dynamics.
Warren Hudson, described as Wells' "best friend," along with friends Jax Pitalo and Morgan Seymour, will accompany their legal counsel, J. Tyler Cox and Edward Andrew Paltzik, to the island. The attorneys stressed that no evidence will be gathered or collected during this inspection.
Paltzik, who has previously represented former President Trump in legal matters, expressed a personal need to "lay eyes on the island himself." The legal team, which includes Mississippi-based attorney Cox and Paltzik, stated their commitment to defending the three young men, whom they describe as "innocent."
"Starting today, those who wish to continue trafficking in lies about these Good Ocean Springs People will be held accountable to the maximum extent of the law," Cox and Paltzik said in a statement. "We, on the other hand, will be focused solely on the truth, which is that these innocent young men had nothing whatsoever to do with the tragic death of Nolan Wells."
Wells disappeared on July 4 following a boating excursion with friends to Horn Island, located approximately 10 miles off the Mississippi Gulf Coast. His body was discovered two days later near the island. While official autopsy results have not been publicly released, investigators currently believe the teen drowned. Authorities have indicated that no evidence of foul play has been found thus far.
Nolan Wells' family has retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is reportedly investigating the possibility of murder.
The attorneys for Hudson, Pitalo, and Seymour also indicated they would be examining mainstream and social media coverage for any allegedly defamatory statements made against their clients, vowing to pursue legal action against those responsible for libel or slander.