Courtroom Moment: A judge reveals crucial new details about the last time her son saw Nolan Wells before the party boat reportedly s@nk and he v@nished
CHILLING new details have emerged in the case of an 18-year-old high school football star who disappeared while celebrating the Fourth of July with a group of friends.
The mother of one of Nolan Wells’ friends, who was part of the group that traveled together to Horn Island, off the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, said her son and the others left the island after experiencing issues with their boat.
Ashlee Cole, a Chancery Court judge who graduated high school with Nolan’s mother Christine Wonsley, said the group of friends left the island at around 4:30pm on Saturday.
Cole said her son Warren last saw Nolan on Horn Island at around 3pm before the group headed back to the mainland.
“They left around 4:30 pm when the boat was taking on water and they had an issue with the bilge pump,” Cole said in a statement.
Cole said Nolan “made a decision to stay on the island and return inland later with another group of friends.”
The judge broke her silence after she said she was forced to deactivate her Facebook account out of fear for the safety of her son and other children.
“Warren, loved Nolan dearly,” Cole said.
“Unfortunately, I feel that it is appropriate for our family to dispel some rumors with facts based upon the social media attention that is being diverted away from the Wells family and their loss.”
Cole said neither she nor her husband were on Horn Island at any point on July 4.
“Yes, I am a judge. I also value transparency,” she added.
“Social media has a lot of positives, but a whole lot of negatives. We live in a world of click-baiting. Sad, but true.”
The judge’s contact information on the Jackson County, Mississippi’s website has also been removed.
Cole’s comments come after friend Jayvon Williams, 17, said he saw Nolan on the island hanging out with a girl and chatting with another group of friends.
Williams said the two were supposed to travel to Horn Island together, but the boat Nolan jumped on quickly filled up.
Instead, Williams rode on a separate boat, but saw Nolan once he stepped onto the island.
“As soon as we got out there. He told me that he loved me,” Williams told Nola.com about his brief interaction with Nolan.
Trace Carter told the outlet he spoke with Nolan moments before he departed for the island and advised him to be careful.
“Just hit me up when you get back. Just be careful, bro. Watch out for yourself,” Carter said he told Nolan, who responded, “I got you. I’ll hit you up later.”
However, Nolan never made it back to the mainland as his friends said he stayed behind on the island when they departed.
Wonsley, Nolan’s mother, reported her son missing to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office later that evening when he failed to return home.
The multi-agency search operation ended on Monday when authorities said a body matching Nolan’s description was found on the island in close proximity to where the teenager was last seen.
A medical examiner has not identified the body nor a cause of death.
However, Nolan’s mother confirmed the remains were that of her son’s in a gut-wrenching statement on Facebook, saying, “His father, our family, and I are absolutely devastated.”
On Wednesday, Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said investigators have not found evidence of a crime yet.
Ledbetter told TMZ that deputies have “interviewed several of Nolan’s friends and other witnesses.”
The sheriff said detectives are continuing to interview additional witnesses while combing through digital evidence, including texts, emails, and social media tips.
Preliminary evidence suggests Nolan drowned, according to investigators.
However, Ledbetter stressed the investigation remains active and ongoing.
Ledbetter urged anyone with “original, unedited photos and videos taken on the northwest tip of Horn Island on July 4, 2026, particularly those depicting alleged altercations or containing images of, or believed to include Nolan Wells” to come forward to the sheriff’s office.
This comes after investigators said they’re reviewing a viral social media footage that allegedly showed a tense confrontation on Horn Island on the day Nolan went missing.
The video appeared to show several people arguing near the shoreline as boats lined the beach.
The individual who posted the video on Facebook claimed it was taken at 4:01pm on the north side of the west tip of Horn Island.
“We were parked right next to the boat Nolan was allegedly on,” the poster wrote.
“Hope this helps in any way. This was immediately after the big fight that broke out up on the shore.”
The person said they were unsure whether Nolan appeared in the clip, but urged people who could slow down the footage to review it.
Ledbetter, the Jackson County sheriff, also encouraged those who may have interacted with or saw Nolan on the island to come forward with information.
“Even information that may seem insignificant could prove valuable to investigators. We encourage anyone with firsthand knowledge to come forward,” Ledbetter said in a statement.
Joshua Gill, the United Cajun Navy’s incident coordinator for the search effort, previously told The U.S. Sun that as far as he knows none of Nolan’s friends stayed behind and waited for him.
Nolan’s parents have since retained the services of Ben Crump, a top national civil rights attorney who previously represented the families of Trayvon Martin, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor.
In a statement, Crump called for transparency in the case, saying, “[Nolan’s] family deserves answers. They deserve the truth.
“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.”
