Nolan Wells Case: Family’s Phone Examiner Reports Deleted Messages After His Last Activity

Nolan Wells Case: Family’s Phone Examiner Reports Deleted Messages After His Last Activity

Boss Talk 101 News | September 24, 2026

The family of Nolan Wells has raised a new question about his phone, just days after a Mississippi grand jury declined to bring charges in the 18-year-old’s death.

At a Thursday press conference, Andrew Garrett, the forensic examiner hired by Wells’s family, said messages were deleted between Nolan’s last recorded phone activity at 2:18 p.m. on July 4 and the time his family regained access to the device. Garrett said his team cannot determine who deleted the messages or why. That distinction matters: the reported deletions warrant scrutiny, but they do not identify a person responsible or establish a connection to Nolan’s death. (tmz.com)

Nolan traveled to Horn Island off the Mississippi coast for a Fourth of July outing. Others returned to the mainland without him, and his body was found two days later. His family has continued to question what happened on the island and why his phone returned without him. (reuters.com, apnews.com)

The phone findings have drawn opposing accounts. Attorneys for three of Nolan’s friends told TMZ their clients did not erase anything and never had access to his phone. One attorney also disputed the suggestion that messages had been deleted. Ben Crump, who represents Nolan’s family, said phone data was provided to the district attorney. (tmz.com)

The grand jury reviewed digital evidence and information supplied by the family’s experts before deciding there was insufficient evidence to charge anyone. Both the state medical examiner and the family’s independent pathologist classified the cause and manner of Nolan’s death as undetermined. The grand jury found the circumstances consistent with drowning, while the family continues to seek answers about injuries documented on his body. (apnews.com, reuters.com)

A decision against charges answers what the grand jury believed the available evidence could support. It does not tell Nolan’s family everything they want to know about his final hours. The next question for investigators is whether the reported deletions can be independently verified, when they occurred, and whether the underlying records reveal anything relevant.

Nolan Wells deserves a careful accounting of the evidence. His family deserves clear answers, and the public deserves reporting that separates findings from suspicion.

Boss Talk 101 News will continue following the evidence as it develops.