Lawyer claims teen Nolan Wells made plea to friends during argument before found dead

Nolan Wells, a teen who went missing after a Fourth of July boat trip with friends ended with him not returning, was allegedly recorded in a heated moment prior to his death.

The 18-year-old Southwest Mississippi Community College football player, visited Horn Island on the Saturday.

But after being reported missing, his body was found the following Monday and identified via dental records on Tuesday (July 7) per the New York Post.

The teen was last seen around 3 pm that day, allegedly 'talking to a girl' at the north end of Horn Island.

However, details have been disputed by Nolan’s family.

Currently, the investigation is ongoing into the nature of his death and reason he was left behind on the island with the Jackson County Sheriff's Office stating that they will 'continue to actively investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of Nolan Wells', and are 'working diligently to determine exactly what occurred'.

Nolan Wells was last seen on the Fourth of July (Facebook)

What Nolan’s family are struggling to accept is the notion that Nolan allegedly had left his mobile phone behind, as a clip of interest seems to depict the teen arguing about the device and him pleading with his friends.

“This video, you can hear an argument going where Nolan is saying, ‘Give me my freaking phone, what are you freaking doing?’” the family’s attorney, Ben Crump , claimed.

“I mean, no young person leaves their cellphone,” he said on an appearance with Nolan’s parents on Good Morning America.

When the phone was eventually recovered, Nolan’s distraught mom, Christine Wonsley, said Nolan’s phone had no Snapchat videos, and immediately raised red flags.

“When we finally got his phone, me and my sister went through the phone. We went in his Snapchat. He had two accounts. Absolutely nothing,” she said. “It wasn’t even 24 hours, which is how long videos and pictures stay on Snapchat, and I was just like ‘that can’t be’.”

“I’ve seen Nolan whenever he Snaps – like when he goes and he’s having fun, like he does videos… there was absolutely nothing… even my sister was like… ‘that’s suspicious’,” she said.

Theories have been swirling online about why Nolan was left behind on the island, and one explanation has been given by a mother of Nolan’s friend who went to the island that day.

She claimed Nolan volunteered to stay behind while the others returned because of an apparent mechanical issue with the boat.

In a Facebook statement, Ashlee Cole, a Jackson County Judge, said: "They left around 4:30 pm when the boat was taking on water and they had an issue with the bilge pump. Nolan made a decision to stay on the island and return inland later with another group of friends."

However, Nolan’s family have since flown his remains from Mississippi to Washington DC, with Crump claiming former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick is paying for the independent post-mortem.

Crump shared on X that the family want no stone left unturned in the case of their son’s death.

“We will not rest until every fact about what happened to Nolan on Horn Island is brought into the light, and we call on investigators to pursue this case with the urgency and transparency this family deserves," he added.

UNILAD previously reached out to the Jackson County Sheriff's Department for comment.