Episode 536: Drowning or Foul Play on Horn Island? Inside the Conflicting Stories in the Nolan Wells Case

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July 6th, at the northwestern tip of Horn Island, a body washes ashore face down in the water.

It’s the body of a missing 18-year-old, college football player Nolan Wells who disappeared after taking a boat with friends to celebrate the Fourth of July.

Since then, there have been more questions than answers. Witnesses share vastly different accounts of what happened on the island with Nolan. Some of his friends shut down their social media, some opt to do interviews, and some quietly post tributes on Instagram.

But Nolan Wells’ loved ones are still looking for answers that investigators aren’t providing…

Were there things on his phone that were deleted from the day he went missing?

If he stayed behind on the island, why didn’t he have his phone or keys with him?

And what’s with this circulating audio that netizens swear they can hear people shouting, ‘Nolan’s freaking dead!’

Sources

https://apnews.com/article/nolan-xavier-wells-ben-crump-mississippi-naacp-b620c2bedf4c05d2a460b5bb1e7ee02e

https://apnews.com/article/nolan-wells-death-mississippi-island-mystery-4b4e63036e7fa2ad3e3cf7e505e05c8c

https://www.foxnews.com/us/cajun-navy-leader-warns-nolan-wells-search-area-deadly-washing-machine-currents-lots-drownings

https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/united-cajun-navy-investigation-reveals-184529029.html

https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/cannot-rule-out-foul-play-after-independent-autopsy-for-nolan-wells-attorney-says/3964757/

https://mississippitoday.org/2026/07/22/nolan-wells-autopsy-ben-crump/

https://nypost.com/2026/07/25/us-news/nolan-wells-best-friend-skipped-funeral-due-to-death-threats-wish-i-could-have-been-there/

https://www.npr.org/2026/07/20/nx-s1-5897559/nolan-wells-sharpton-crump-funeral

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/beach-party-call-help-missing-pictures-day-nolan-wells-death-rcna588747

https://www.newsnationnow.com/missing/nolan-wells-friend-denies-video-confrontation-phone-death/

https://apnews.com/article/nolan-wells-ben-crump-horn-island-0cf9ff58ccb05bc13b97b5cb907f9207

https://www.newsnationnow.com/crime/unable-verify-enhanced-nolan-wells-audio/

https://nypost.com/2026/07/08/us-news/judge-mom-of-friend-explains-why-nolan-wells-was-left-on-horn-island-before-he-turned-up-dead/

https://www.mpbonline.org/blogs/news/nolan-wells-august-updates/

https://www.newsnationnow.com/crime/nolan-wells-case-man-charged-threatening-friends-mother/

https://apnews.com/article/nolan-wells-death-mississippi-island-mystery-4b4e63036e7fa2ad3e3cf7e505e05c8c

Production Note

Rotten Mango has not done original reporting on this case. The stories are based on existing material (listed in show notes).

The RM team works hard to make sure everything you’re listening to is as accurate as possible and we try to use multiple sources to verify the facts. Creative liberties may be taken in certain cases during the presentation of the case. Please email us at rottenmangop@gmail.com if you have any questions!