{"id":3448,"date":"2026-07-17T11:38:34","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T11:38:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hometransferguide.com\/?p=3448"},"modified":"2026-07-17T11:38:34","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T11:38:34","slug":"nolan-wells-friend-dismantles-claims-that-white-friends-caused-disappearance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hometransferguide.com\/?p=3448","title":{"rendered":"Nolan Wells\u2019 Friend Dismantles Claims That White Friends Caused Disappearance"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div><!-- \/10519169\/dailycaller_incontent_1 --> <\/p>\n<div>\n<p>One of the friends who was last with Nolan Xavier Wells before he disappeared and was later found dead is pushing back against online allegations that he and the rest of the group were responsible for the disappearance.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/hometransferguide.com\/?p=3446\">Immigrant Dead After Fleeing Arrest, DHS Says He Attempted To Use Vehicle As Weapon<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Wells, an 18-year-old football player living in Mississippi, was found dead following 4th of July celebrations on Horn Island. The Jackson County Sheriff\u2019s Department has been investigating the cause of death and has asked for the public to share any photos or videos from the day. <strong>(RELATED: Teen Goes Missing On July 4 \u2014 Commenters Blame His White Friends)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This request led to a viral video showing an altercation on the day the teen went missing. Attorney Ben Crump, who represents Wells\u2019 parents, alleged Friday that Wells appears in the video and is getting into an altercation with other men on the island, reported ABC News. According to Crump, the footage, recorded from a boat offshore, captures Wells asking for his phone to be returned.<\/p>\n<p>However, a longtime friend of Wells, Tracestin Shepherd, explained to ABC News that the footage actually shows him yelling and said that Wells is not in the video.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s me yelling. \u2026 there was no talk about a phone in that video,\u201d Shepherd told the outlet. \u201cNolan wasn\u2019t on the island.\u201d <\/p>\n<p><!-- \/10519169\/dailycaller_incontent_2 --> <\/p>\n<p>Shepherd said the altercation was between him and another man whom he did not know, alleging the stranger initiated the fight. He told ABC News that he and his group of friends, including Wells, had been drinking since late that morning after boats carrying their friends arrived at the island for what was intended to be a final celebration of the holiday weekend. Wells, according to Shepherd, was either on the boat or swimming and not present on the island at the time of the altercation. <\/p>\n<p>Later in the day, Shepherd said the group was told their boat needed to return to shore because of an electrical issue. According to Shepherd, Wells decided to stay behind after meeting a girl on the island, saying he planned to catch a ride back on another friend\u2019s boat.<\/p>\n<p>Wells did not make it off the island and his body was discovered in the water along the shore of the island on July 6. ABC News reported that the autopsy results are still pending but Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter believes the cause of death is drowning.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/10519169\/dailycaller_incontent_3 --> <\/p>\n<p>However, Wells\u2019 phone made it off the island with his friends and was returned to his parents, whose attorney is now using it as evidence to prove the \u201csuspicious\u201d behavior of Shepherd and other friends.<\/p>\n<p>Shepherd\u2019s uncle explained to the outlet that leaving a phone on the boat is common and that Wells\u2019 phone was sitting on the dash \u201cwith probably 15 other phones.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/hometransferguide.com\/?p=3444\">Socialist Governor Candidate Wants Hospitals To Give Kids Sex Changes<\/a><\/p>\n<p>According to ABC, Crump has refused to turn over the phone to investigators until the family completes its own investigation.<\/p>\n<p>Shepherd took the opportunity to speak with ABC to clarify the day\u2019s events and stop the spread of misinformation. He said he was upset by Crump\u2019s insinuation that race was a contributing factor to Wells\u2019 death, saying that he and his friends have become targets since the allegations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re trying to spin a narrative that\u2019s not there,\u201d he told the outlet. \u201cHe\u2019s wrong.\u201d <strong>(RELATED: DUKE: Tragic Death Turns Into \u2018CSI: Wypipo\u2019 For Online Race Detectives)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Shepherd expressed his displeasure with how Crump is handling the case, alleging that he is taking advantage of Wells\u2019 grieving parents to spin the story.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI understand [Wells\u2019] parents are grieving and I really think he\u2019s taken a little bit of advantage of that. And I don\u2019t like that. I really don\u2019t because they\u2019re vulnerable,\u201d Shepherd said.<\/p>\n<p>Sheriff Ledbetter told ABC News that investigators are following every lead and urged anyone with photographs, videos or other information from the July 4 gathering to continue coming forward. He also highlighted the importance of diligence and explained that nothing will be rushed.<\/p>\n<p>Shepherd noted that he wants everyone to relax and just mourn the loss of Wells, urging people to let the investigation play out and avoid jumping to conclusions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe all cared and loved Nolan, and nobody wanted to see Nolan die. Nobody wanted his life taken so short,\u201d he told the outlet. \u201cHe had everything going for him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/hometransferguide.com\/?p=3442\">Pro-2A Groups Seize Momentum To Target Illinois\u2019 Onerous Mandatory Waiting Period<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One friend who was with Nolan Wells before he was found dead is pushing back against allegations about being responsible for the disappearance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3447,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3304,317,418,1975],"class_list":["post-3448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting","tag-ben-crump","tag-death","tag-mississippi","tag-race"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Nolan Wells\u2019 Friend Dismantles Claims That White Friends Caused Disappearance - 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