In the first public appearance since the tragic death of Nolan Wells, his close friend Warren Hudson shared new details about the teenager’s final hours before disappearing from Horn Island, Mississippi, on July 4.
While speaking on Brandon Tatum’s podcast, he recalled scenes of the island being “covered” with thousands of revelers celebrating Independence Day.
“Everyone is very, very excited about the Fourth of July here. It’s a big deal, it’s a big event,” 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 into his death is still ongoing.
According to Hudson, there were three boatloads of people heading to the island and “miles” of boats could be seen around the site. He confirmed that most of the people in their group, including Wells, had been drinking alcohol, but that Wells seemed “perfectly fine” when they met him.
Hudson said the couple 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 eighth grade.
A separate autopsy conducted recently showed Wells possibly had a wound to the back of his head. Dr. Roger J. Mitchell, who performed the autopsy, said he cannot rule out murder, but could not establish the cause of death.
Wells’ family publicly questioned why he had voluntarily separated himself from his friends. Hudson did not elaborate on how this split occurred as she is planning another segment of the interview.
