Chats from Nolan Wells' phone show what friends said when he vanished

Key points

• Nolan Wells, a Mississippi teen, vanished in early July after a boat outing with friends near the Gulf Coast.
• Group chats from his phone show friends' reactions and speculation, including suspicion and a drug theory.
• A grand jury found no criminal wrongdoing, and an analyst said the new report does not change that conclusion.

Group chats recovered from Nolan Wells' cellphone reveal what his friends said before and after the Mississippi teen disappeared in early July following a boat outing with friends. Wells vanished after he and a group of friends celebrated the Fourth of July holiday off the Gulf Coast. His friends said he left his phone on their boat but did not return with them.

A nearly 300-page report analyzing the late teen's phone, recently uploaded on the Justice for Nolan Wells website, shows his friends' reactions to his disappearance and speculation about his death in dozens of group chats.

What the messages said

On July 5, one group chat discussed when Wells was last seen, saying, "He got off our boat with this other guy and they started walking back to their boat." Minutes later, one friend called it suspicious, saying, "There is def some sus s*** going on." At one point, they talked about trying to find Wells, asking everyone to check their camera rolls. Another user added, "See if he was talking to anyone we don't know."

Another message read: "That's not like Nolan bro just to get left." Someone else wrote, "Hes gotta be shlumped somewhere rn hopefully." Another answered, "It's already noon though," followed by, "He might've got drugged or something." Wells' body was recovered in the waters off Horn Island two days later. Once news broke of his death, one friend messaged: "Nolan was the most nice and caring guy we knew."

It just doesn't — that's not his character

— Elmore Wonsley

Grand jury and family reaction

The day after his disappearance, one friend expressed frustration with national headlines, writing: "All i keep seeing is white folk made it home and the one black kid didn't." Another answered: "It ain't ever been like that with us." Last month, Jackson County's district attorney announced a Mississippi grand jury found no criminal wrongdoing in Wells' death. Legal analyst Jessica Levinson told CBS News there is nothing in the recently released report that would change the DA's conclusion that there is no evidence of a crime.

Wells' parents spoke to CBS News in July. His father, Elmore Wonsley, said he did not believe his son decided to stay on the island by himself. "It just doesn't — that's not his character," he said.