In the first public appearance since Nolan Wells’ tragic death, his close friend Warren Hudson shared new details about the teenager’s final hours before he disappeared from Horn Island, Mississippi, on July 4.
Speaking on Brandon Tatum’s podcast, he recalled the scenes from the island as “covered” with thousands of revelers celebrating Independence Day.
“Everybody’s very, very excited about the Fourth of July down here. It’s a big thing, it’s a big thing,” he added.
The 18-year-old college football player was last seen around 3 p.m. on Horn Island, a barrier island off the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Two days later, his body was found and the investigation process regarding his death is still ongoing.
According to Hudson, there were three boatloads of people going to the island and “miles” of boats could be seen around the site. He confirmed that most of their party, including Wells, had been drinking, but that Wells seemed “perfectly fine” when they met him.
Hudson said the pair had spent the previous night together at a friend’s house before joining the larger group. He also explained that they were very close and that their friendship was “very close”, noting that they became close in the eighth grade.
A separate autopsy performed recently indicated that there may have been a wound to the back of Wells’ head. Dr. Roger J. Mitchell, who performed the autopsy, stated that he cannot rule out homicide, but that he could not determine the cause of death.
Wells’ family publicly questioned why he had voluntarily separated from his friends. Hudson did not elaborate on how this separation occurred, as he plans another segment of the interview.
