Expert Opinion: A crime expert says it’s “shocking” that no one spotted Nolan Wells among the crowds on Horn Island
(NewsNation) — Crime scene investigator Sheryl McCollum says it’s hard to believe no one saw Mississippi teen Nolan Wells after he was separated from his friends on Horn Island.
McCollum, who reviewed newly released dispatch audio and GPS data, said on NewsNation’s “Jesse Weber Live” the size of the July 4 holiday crowd makes Wells’ disappearance especially puzzling.
Nolan Wells’ disappearance is surprising: Crime scene investigator
“There were hundreds of people out there. You’ve seen the video and the photographs. How somebody did not see him is pretty shocking to me, especially if he left one group that knows him to go with another group that clearly knows him,” McCollum said. “I don’t understand how he got separated from everybody that he knows.”
Wells, 18, of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, was last seen on the island around 3 p.m. on July 4 and did not return with his group. He was found dead on the island two days later.
His family has retained attorney Ben Crump, who has said the accounts given by the boys who were with Wells contained contradictions, including conflicting versions of why he stayed behind.
McCollum said investigators are still working through a large pool of potential evidence, since the island was full of people that day who may have unknowingly captured Wells on camera.
“It is early. They are actively still talking to people. They are gathering photographic evidence and video evidence from people that were there,” McCollum said. “Even if I did not know him, if I’m just taking a video of the whole crowd, I could have captured him.”
Nolan Wells GPS data shows boat left Horn Island after 911 call
Newly obtained GPS data adds another layer to the timeline: It shows the boat that brought Wells to the island did not leave until around 4:30 p.m., about 30 minutes after a dispatch call reported it was taking on water.
McCollum said data will be key to verifying the boys’ accounts, since they had already spoken to family members and investigators before the tracking records were public.
“If their story does not match completely with what that boat did, then they’re going to have a problem,” McCollum said.
