By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-08-10 22:06:12 | Updated at 2026-08-11 00:13:48
2 hours ago
Three friends who were with Nolan Wells before he mysteriously died on a Mississippi barrier island have revealed their biggest regret since the tragic Fourth of July trip.
Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo and Morgan Seymour said they wish they had never traveled with the 18-year-old to Horn Island, about 10 miles off the Mississippi Gulf Coast, where Wells was last seen alive on July 4 before his body was discovered along the shoreline two days later.
The trio defended themselves against allegations surrounding Wells' death in a sit-down interview with YouTuber Brandon Tatum and their attorney, J Tyler Cox, rejecting speculation that race played a role or that Wells was aboard their boat when it later began sinking.
Hudson said he thinks every day about what the group could have done differently.
‘I wish we would have never went out,’ he said, according to clips from the show obtained by TMZ.
Hudson described Wells as being like a brother to the group and rejected claims that his death was racially motivated.
Pitalo similarly argued that their friendship with Wells was the opposite of racism, while Seymour said the media should have allowed local authorities to investigate before theories about what happened began circulating, TMZ reports.
The friends also addressed speculation that Wells may have been aboard their boat, the Triton, when someone in the group called private marine towing service Sea Tow for help as the vessel began sinking.
Three friends of Nolan Wells have revealed plans to launch their own investigation on the Mississippi island where the teenager was mysteriously found dead
Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo and Morgan Seymour said they wish they had never traveled with the 18-year-old to Horn Island, about 10 miles off the Mississippi Gulf Coast, where Wells was last seen alive on July 4 before his body was discovered along the shoreline two days later
They pointed to video showing the boat around the time of the call and said Wells was nowhere in sight.
Hudson and Pitalo also questioned why they would have contacted Sea Tow and later the US Coast Guard if Wells had been dead aboard their vessel.
According to TMZ, some people who listened to enhanced audio of the Sea Tow call claimed they could hear someone asking, ‘Is he dead?’ However, it has never been established that those words were actually spoken.
Cox argued that the group's decision to contact authorities was among the strongest indications they had nothing to hide, describing their actions as those of ‘innocent men, not guilty men.’
The friends have maintained that Wells refused to board their boat when they left Horn Island and that they never saw him again.
The interview comes after Hudson, Pitalo and Seymour revealed plans to return to Horn Island with Cox and attorney Edward Andrew Paltzik to get a firsthand look at where Wells was last seen alive.
The attorneys said the trip was not intended to gather evidence, but to better understand the ‘layout and dynamics’ of the island.
Paltzik, who has represented President Donald Trump in several high-profile media battles, said he ‘needs to lay eyes on the island himself,’ according to TMZ.
Wells was last seen celebrating the Fourth of July on Horn Island, which sits about 10 miles off the Mississippi Gulf Coast
Wells' self-proclaimed 'best friend' Warren Hudson (pictured center), along with friends Jax Pitalo and Morgan Seymour, said they will travel to Horn Island to get a firsthand look at where Wells was last seen alive
The attorneys have repeatedly insisted their clients had ‘nothing whatsoever’ to do with Wells' death and warned they could pursue those they believe have made defamatory claims against them.
‘We, on the other hand, will be focused solely on the truth, which is that these innocent young men had nothing whatsoever to do with the tragic death of Nolan Wells,’ they said in a joint statement to The New York Post.
Wells traveled by boat to Horn Island with a group of friends on July 4 but never made the journey back to the mainland with them.
Some of his friends said he chose to stay behind after meeting a young woman, while the woman, later identified by the Daily Mail as a 19-year-old Katie McCormack, said she believed Wells would return to the boat and leave with the group.
Wells’ parents, Christine and Elmore Wonsley, have challenged those accounts, arguing that their son would not have willingly separated from the group he traveled with.
The case has drawn national attention and speculation about whether race played a role, as Wells was the only black person on the boat.
Authorities said they believe Wells died by drowning, with Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter saying there was no initial evidence of foul play.
Although an official autopsy has been completed, the findings have not yet been released. The report will be presented to a grand jury, which is standard practice in the county for deaths not caused by natural causes.
Wells traveled by boat to Horn Island with a group of friends on July 4 but never made the 10-mile journey back. His body was recovered two days later
The teens' attorneys, J Tyler Cox and Edward Andrew Paltzik, said they would escort them to inspect the barrier island to understand the 'layout' of the area
Wells’ parents, Christine and Elmore Wonsley, have used the media to demand answers - a public push that has been met with fierce backlash, including racist attacks
An independent autopsy commissioned by the family listed Wells' manner and cause of death as undetermined pending further investigation and found no evidence of fractures or deep tissue injuries.
However, forensic pathologist Dr Roger Mitchell said a ‘red discoloration’ on the back of Wells' skull warranted further investigation.
Wonsley's legal team has also issued subpoenas to multiple social media and tech companies seeking records from her son's accounts, according to court records obtained by ABC News.
The filings seek records from Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, along with Snapchat, TikTok and location-tracking app Life360, including messages, photos, videos, GPS data and timestamps that could shed light on Wells' final hours.
The move came after Wonsley said the family discovered some text messages and Snapchat messages had been deleted after recovering Wells' phone from one of his friends.
‘When we finally got his phone, me and my sister went through the phone. We went in his Snapchat. He had two accounts. Absolutely nothing,’ Wonsley told Good Morning America.
The investigation remains ongoing, while several people have been arrested over allegations they threatened witnesses in the aftermath of Wells' death.
Edward James Porter of Berwyn, Illinois, became the third person charged with allegedly threatening witnesses and their families, according to a federal criminal complaint obtained by TMZ.
Last month, Wonsley's legal team issued subpoenas to multiple social media and tech companies in a bid to obtain records from his accounts
Wells' parents argued that their son would not have willingly separated from the group he traveled with
The investigation has drawn national attention, with unanswered questions surrounding the events fueling deeper conversations about the history of racial violence in the state
He allegedly threatened to kill two witnesses and, in one instance, everyone inside a witness's home, including any police officers who responded.
Federal authorities also alleged that Porter threatened to dismember one witness and put the remains in a suitcase.
Meanwhile, Wells' parents have vowed to continue pushing for answers about their son's death.
‘We are not asking for special treatment. We just want the TRUTH!’ Wonsley wrote on Facebook. ‘His father and I WILL NOT STOP SEARCHING FOR THE TRUTH!’
