Preliminary information gathered by Mississippi authorities indicates that 18-year-old Nolan Wells had consumed a significant amount of alcohol prior to his disappearance on Horn Island. Witnesses informed investigators that Wells had been drinking heavily with friends, according to a document detailing preliminary information from the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources.
The document, an email sent on July 5 by the Marine Patrol as part of the search efforts, included a basic physical description of Wells. He was reported missing on July 4.
Wells was discovered deceased on July 6. The official cause of his death remains unknown, as the final autopsy report from the state Medical Examiner's Office and toxicology test results are still pending. A private autopsy, commissioned by Wells' family, has preliminarily classified the cause and manner of death as "undetermined pending investigation."