Mississippi investigation into Nolan Wells' death continues

The investigation into the death of 18-year-old Nolan Wells continues as authorities pursue leads and his family seeks answers more than two weeks after his body was found on a Mississippi barrier island. Wells, a former high school athlete and college football player, was reported missing on July 4 after he failed to return home from a holiday boating trip to Horn Island with friends.

According to authorities and friends, the group went to the island, a remote location with no facilities, on July 4. Wells's friends returned to the mainland without him, telling investigators that Wells said he was staying behind on the island with a girl he had met that day. However, that girl later told police that Wells had told her he was heading back with his friends. His body was discovered by a National Park Service agent on the morning of July 6 near the island's northwestern shore, the area where he was last seen.

The Jackson County Sheriff's Office has stated it does not suspect foul play and initially indicated it believed Wells drowned. The area is known for dangerous rip currents. However, the official autopsy results from the Jackson County Coroner's office, which include a pending...