Newly enhanced audio from an emergency distress call made by friends of Nolan Wells on July 4, 2026, has revealed background conversations, raising new questions surrounding the 18-year-old college student's final hours near Horn Island, Mississippi.
The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources provided the original recording, which captured a teenager calling private towing service Sea Tow around 4 p.
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m. as their boat began taking on water near the west tip of Horn Island.
"Hey we're at the west tip of Horn, and our bilge pump stopped working. We're sinking.
Can y'all please come?" the caller said.
The vessel operator struggled with dispatcher questions before confirming about seven people were aboard and giving GPS coordinates for a tow to the Fort Bayou launch.
"It's coming up. We're just sinking.
I don't know. We're going down though," the teen said.
Subsequent audio enhancements published by media outlets revealed faint background dialogues, including phrases that sound like "Is he dead?"
, "Check his chest," and "wake up."
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The caller can also be heard yelling at individuals in the background during the chaotic situation.
"[Expletive] up," the caller yelled.
Authorities maintained that Wells was not on the vessel when the distress call was placed, as friends stated he elected to remain on the island when the boat was towed.
According to reports, group member Warren Hudson stated another friend panicked while urging Wells to board the vessel before its departure.
"Nolan, get the [Expletive] on the boat," the group member allegedly yelled.
Wells, a wide receiver at Southwest Mississippi Community College, went missing during the holiday trip, and searchers discovered his body on the island's north shore on July 6, 2026.
Although the Jackson County Sheriff's Department initially stated no foul play was suspected and suggested drowning, Wells' parents hired civil rights attorney Ben Crump to launch an independent investigation and conduct a private autopsy.
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A Mississippi grand jury will review the circumstances surrounding Wells' death before official evidence is released to the public, while several friends present that night have retained legal counsel.
