What does not add up

What the record shows

The last hard evidence of Nolan is his phone unlocking at 2:18 p.m. and a video at 2:23 p.m. The only account of him after that is a friend saying he saw him "around 3." Nobody has produced a photo, video or message from Nolan after 2:23.

What the record shows

Friends told investigators Nolan chose to stay with a young woman he had met and ride back with another group. One friend said he stayed because of the woman. Crump has said the young woman later told the family that Nolan returned to the boat. In the group chat, friends themselves wrote of the people around her: "They're all so suspicious."

What the record shows

The Sea Tow caller said the boat was sinking and that about seven people were aboard and accounted for. Minutes later a relative of the owner told Sea Tow the problem was fixed. The boat crawled nearly 3 miles at under 4.2 knots, then ran at full speed from 5:25 p.m. The Dept. of Marine Resources said it was towed 2.75 miles; Sea Tow says it did not tow it; a boater's parents say he did.

What the record shows

Both autopsies found bruising under the scalp on the back of Nolan's head. Neither explained it. The grand jury report says one witness saw him slip off the side of a boat but could not say whether he hit his head, and that he kept socializing afterward.

What the record shows

Nolan's phone stayed locked from 2:18 p.m. onward. It rode back to the mainland on the boat, then by car, until his parents retrieved it at 3:14 a.m. with a tracking app. Friends say phones are routinely left on boat dashes; the grand jury agreed and noted his was not the only one. His parents say he would never have stayed on an island with no service without it.

What the record shows

Between 2:18 p.m. on July 4 and 3:14 a.m. on July 5, Snapchat messages in Nolan's group chats were deleted. The forensic examiner says the deletions were remote, by other users, and that no one physically unlocked the phone. He first said "things were deleted" and later said he was misinterpreted. The DA says standard Snapchat actions explain it.

What the record shows

The boat left without Nolan at 4:31 p.m. and docked around 6. His parents got a call around 11. In the group chat, friends only began asking where he was after midnight, and at 6:15 a.m. one wrote "Has anybody seen Nolan yet."

What the record shows

On July 6, as Nolan was found, the chat turned to how to handle police: "the smart move is to ask for an attorney," "Only facts," "just stick to what you know happened," and later "We have nothing to hide." Asking for a lawyer is a right, not evidence of anything. It is also not transparency.

What the record shows

The examiner says all 282 Snapchat messages and the complete forensic data went to the DA. The DA says her office got two emails with about 300 pages of selected findings, not the full 30-hour extraction, and that the family's team told her office it had no evidence of a crime.

What the record shows

On July 6, the day Nolan was found, the sheriff said there were no signs of foul play. The state autopsy was not reported complete until July 30. Both autopsies came back undetermined.

What the record shows

The first detailed public timeline of Nolan's last day was posted on July 6 by the mother of one of the friends, a Jackson County chancery judge. She said she was not on the island, has no "nefarious motivations," and that her son cooperated. The death was investigated by the Jackson County Sheriff's Office and presented by the Jackson County District Attorney.

What the record shows

Witnesses said Nolan drank heavily. The grand jury said he bought alcohol with a fake ID and that no adult provided it. But the report also says toxicology was "not particularly informative" because decomposition fluid cannot measure substance levels reliably. A friend in the chat raised the possibility he was drugged. The grand jury found no cocaine.

What the record shows

His family says he was an accomplished athlete and strong swimmer. Horn Island is known for dangerous currents. He was found on the island's northwest shoreline two days later, not far from where the party was.

What the record shows

The grand jury report states that the family's lawyers said their private investigation found no witnesses or evidence that reasonably warranted a criminal referral. That is why this page does not say a crime happened. It says the record is full of holes that only subpoena power can close.