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Justice for Nolan Wells · Chapter 03

Timeline

Hour by hour, from the devices

Two minutes for Nolan

1Call the DA228-769-3045Ask what evidence supports closing the case 2Email the U.S. AttorneyUSAMSS.CivilRights@usdoj.govRequest a federal review 3Share. Source. Follow up.#JusticeForNolanWellsScripts, addresses and story text

The place

Horn Island

A barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico, off the Mississippi coast, managed by the National Park Service as part of Gulf Islands National Seashore. On holidays it becomes one of the coast's biggest party spots.

Distance from shore
About 5 to 7 miles
On the island
No staff, drinking water, shelter or phone service
Crowd on July 4
Roughly 300 people
Water
Strong, potentially dangerous currents
Who has jurisdiction
Federal land, National Park Service
Where Nolan was found
Northwest shoreline, July 6

Timeline

The documented record

Times come from GPS data obtained by CBS News, recordings obtained by NBC News and NewsNation, and statements from officials. Where an account comes from one person, we say who.

Map of the July 4 trip Schematic map of the Mississippi Gulf Coast showing Biloxi, Ocean Springs and Fort Bayou on the mainland, the Mississippi Sound, and Horn Island to the south, with the boat's route and the spot on Horn Island's northwest shore where Nolan was found. FORT BAYOU Boat docks ~6 p.m. OCEAN SPRINGS Nolan's hometown BILOXI MISSISSIPPI SOUND GULF OF MEXICO HORN ISLAND Federal land, National Park Service Out 9:56 a.m. Back 4:31 p.m., without Nolan Found here, July 6
Schematic map, not to scale. Locations from CBS News GPS data and official statements.

The missing hours

After 2:23 p.m. on July 4, there is no confirmed image or video of Nolan. He was found on the morning of July 6.

Timeline of the missing hours From the boat leaving the dock at 9:56 a.m. on July 4 to Nolan being found on the morning of July 6. The span after the last known image at 2:23 p.m. is highlighted as having no confirmed sighting. NO CONFIRMED SIGHTING JULY 5JULY 6 9:56 a.m.Boat leaves dock11:14 a.m.Arrives Horn Island2:23 p.m.Last known image4:31 p.m.Boat leaves without him6:06 p.m.Boat docks~11 p.m.Reported missingJuly 5Search on the waterJuly 6, morningFound on the island
July 4 times from CBS News GPS data and NewsNation. July 5 and 6 positions are approximate. Unconfirmed accounts say he was seen on the island around 6 p.m.

JUL3

Friday night

  1. Nolan tells his parents he is spending the Fourth of July weekend with friends he has known since high school, and leaves home.

JUL4

The trip

  1. The boat leaves a mainland dock.GPS data, CBS News

  2. The boat reaches Horn Island, a federally protected barrier island with no staff, drinking water, shelter or phone service. Roughly 300 people are there for the holiday.GPS data, CBS News; National Park Service

  3. Nolan is recorded on a boat with two older adults. This is the last known image or video of him.NewsNation

  4. A friend last sees Nolan, according to that friend's mother.

  5. Someone calls Sea Tow about a boat taking on water and says "like seven" passengers are aboard and everyone is accounted for. State marine officials say the boat was towed 2.75 miles. Sea Tow says it did not tow it.Audio obtained by NBC News; Mississippi Department of Marine Resources

  6. The boat leaves the island without Nolan. His friends have said he chose to stay and ride back with another group.GPS data, CBS News

  7. Accounts say Nolan was seen on the island after the boat left. These accounts have not been publicly confirmed.A friend, speaking on a podcast; TMZ, citing sources

  8. The boat docks at Fort Bayou on the mainland. At 7:19 p.m. it is pulled from the water and taken to the owner's home in Biloxi.GPS data, CBS News

  9. A friend calls Nolan's parents. They report him missing that night. Using a tracking app, they find his phone and car keys with a friend on the mainland.

JUL5

The search

  1. The Jackson County Sheriff's Office searches with the U.S. Coast Guard, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, the National Park Service and the United Cajun Navy.

JUL6

Found

  1. A park ranger finds Nolan's body on the northwest shoreline of Horn Island, wearing swim trunks. Sheriff John Ledbetter says there are no signs of foul play and suspects drowning. The coroner reports no obvious physical injuries.

JUL7-30

Family pushes back

  1. The family retains civil rights attorney Ben Crump.

  2. The family holds a press conference in New York with Rev. Al Sharpton and asks for a thorough, transparent investigation.

  3. Nolan's funeral, officiated by Sharpton. The family sends evidence preservation letters to the friends and their parents.

  4. The independent autopsy, performed in Washington, D.C., is released. It finds the manner of death undetermined.

  5. March in Gulfport.

  6. The state medical examiner's autopsy is reported complete.

2026AUG

National attention

  1. The NAACP joins the family's legal team. The Congressional Black Caucus asks the U.S. Department of Justice for an independent federal review. Federal prosecutors charge several people for threatening witnesses and officials connected to the case.

  2. Birthday vigil.

2026SEP

Grand jury

  1. A 23-member Jackson County grand jury unanimously returns a no true bill. Its report says it found no credible evidence that anyone who traveled to or from the island that day committed a crime related to Nolan's death, and that his body's position, condition and location are consistent with drowning. District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath says the case is closed.

  2. The family's legal team presents phone forensic expert Andrew Garrett. He says Snapchat messages were removed from Nolan's phone, then clarifies that other users can delete or recall their own messages, and that no one unlocked the phone after Nolan last used it.

2026OCT

Now

  1. Nolan's parents and Crump ask the FBI and DOJ to investigate. Members of Congress ask the National Park Service, which oversees Horn Island, to open its own investigation. His father says Nolan was found on federal land and asks the FBI to step in.

  2. A fifth person is federally charged with threats tied to the case. Three of the friends file a defamation suit in federal court against a public figure who called for their arrest.

01

Chapter one

What the evidence says, hour by hour

Not what anyone remembers. What the devices recorded. GPS from the boat, forensic logs from Nolan's phone, the Sea Tow recording, and the friends' own group chat, in the order they happened.

  1. Jul 49:56 a.m.

    Boat leaves a mainland dock.GPS data

  2. Jul 411:14 a.m.

    Boat reaches Horn Island and stays put until 4:30 p.m.GPS data

  3. Jul 42:17 to 2:18 p.m.

    Nolan unlocks his phone with face recognition for the last time, on or near the boat. It is never unlocked by him again.Phone forensics, Garrett Discovery

  4. Jul 42:23 p.m.

    Last known image of Nolan, on a boat with two older adults.Video obtained by NewsNation

  5. Jul 4About 3 p.m.

    A friend says he last saw Nolan. This time comes from that friend's mother, a Jackson County chancery judge, in a Facebook post on July 6.Family of a friend, public post

  6. Jul 4About 4 p.m.

    A caller tells Sea Tow: "Our bilge pump stopped working. We're sinking." The caller says about seven people are aboard and everyone is accounted for.Recording released by the Dept. of Marine Resources

  7. Jul 44:31 p.m.

    Boat leaves Horn Island without Nolan, moving at no more than 4.2 knots for nearly 3 miles.GPS data

  8. Jul 4After the call

    A Sea Tow captain is told by a relative of the boat owner that the problem is fixed and they "don't need any help." Sea Tow never tows the boat. The parents of a 21-year-old say he towed it a short distance with his own boat.Sea Tow; parents of a boater

  9. Jul 45:25 p.m.

    Boat returns to normal speed, 30 to 35 knots, and reaches shore about 20 minutes later.GPS data

  10. Jul 4~6 p.m.

    Boat docks at Fort Bayou. By 7:19 p.m. it is out of the water at the owner's home in Biloxi. Nolan's locked phone travels with it, then by car.GPS data; phone forensics

  11. Jul 4~11 p.m.

    A friend calls Nolan's parents. They report him missing that night. The Coast Guard receives a call from a friend that does not request its help.Family; U.S. Coast Guard

  12. Jul 5After midnight

    In a group chat, friends begin asking where Nolan is.Group chat, from the phone forensics report

  13. Jul 53:14 a.m.

    Nolan's parents get his phone from a friend on the mainland, using a tracking app to find it. It has not been unlocked since 2:18 p.m.Phone forensics

  14. Jul 56:15 a.m.

    "Has anybody seen Nolan yet." The group starts asking who gave him a ride back.Group chat

  15. Jul 5Before noon

    "There is definitely some sus s--- going on." Another friend says it is "not like Nolan" to be left behind. One raises the possibility he was drugged.Group chat

  16. Jul 5Daytime

    Sheriff's Office, Coast Guard, Marine Resources, Park Service and the United Cajun Navy search the island and water.Jackson County Sheriff's Office

  17. Jul 6Morning

    A park ranger finds Nolan on the northwest shoreline of Horn Island, wearing swim trunks. The sheriff says no signs of foul play. The coroner reports no obvious injuries.Sheriff; coroner

  18. Jul 6Same day

    In the group chat: if called in, "the smart move is to ask for an attorney." Others reply "Only facts" and "We have nothing to hide." The judge posts her son's account of the day.Group chat; public post

Sources: ABC News, July 27, Mississippi Free Press, PBS NewsHour, CBS News, Oxygen, CNN timeline, TheGrio

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Protect Mississippi's Children is a project of The Devin Kennedy Foundation.

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