Nolan Wells’ friends did not immediately panic when he went missing because they assumed he had simply passed out on someone's couch, according to his best friend, Warren Hudson.
Hudson revealed in an interview on "The Officer Tatum Show" that a friend of Wells was called around 12:30 a.m. on July 5, a few hours after they had last seen the 18-year-old on Horn Island. Wells was later found dead on July 6.
Hudson described Wells as appearing "completely fine" on the day of his disappearance. He noted that Wells had been drinking alcohol with the group, but that conversations with Wells were not constant throughout the day.
The lack of immediate panic was attributed to the common practice of being out of cell phone service range on the island, especially during holidays like the Fourth of July. "People come out here, especially on the Fourth [of July] and Memorial Day… they come out here to celebrate, and people get on the water to be off their phones, first off," Hudson explained. "We honestly thought Nolan was passed out at someone’s house or was still hanging out with other people."
Hudson also addressed speculation about his friendship with Wells, stating that they had been friends since middle school and remained close.
