Witnesses: Nolan Wells Opted to Stay With 'Unknown Female'

Nolan Wells' last hours on Mississippi's Horn Island reportedly involved "heavy" drinking with friends, according to a preliminary document from the state's Department of Marine Resources. That detail from witnesses appears in a July 5 email circulated to search crews after the 18-year-old was reported missing on July 4, listing basic information as authorities scoured the island, per ABC News. Wells' body was found July 6, but how he died remains unclear. A private autopsy ordered by his family listed both the cause and manner of death as "undetermined." The official autopsy and toxicology results from the state medical examiner are still in the works, as the family and their attorney, Ben Crump, continue to press for answers.

The document also cites witnesses as saying Wells was "in the company of an unknown female" when he chose to remain on the island while his friends left because of boat trouble, per the New York Post. A teen made a call to a private towing company around 4pm on July 4, stating the boat was taking on water due to a faulty bilge pump. The towing company says it later spoke with the boat's owner, who reported that the group no longer needed help, per WLOX. A friend of Nolan's says another boat owner assisted the group. He maintains Nolan wasn't left behind amid the "emergency" situation. Rather, "Nolan decided to stay on the island with the girl that he was with." The young woman has said she only had a brief encounter with Wells, per People.