Judge, mom of friend explains why Nolan Wells was left on Horn Island before he turned up dead

Tragic high school football star Nolan Wells was left behind by his friends on Horn Island after their boat experienced a problem with the bilge pump, according to a judge who is the mother of one of Wells’ pals.The 18-year-old Wells vanished during a Fourth of July boat trip with pals Saturday, and his body was later found Monday morning.Wells was last seen around 3 p.m.Saturday “talking to a girl” at the north end of Horn Island, a popular barrier island about 10 miles off the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department said.His family have said there are “too many unanswered questions” about what happened and have retained civil rights lawyer Ben Crump to represent them.Ashlee Cole, a judge in Jackson County, confirmed in a statement that her son was among the youngsters who had been with Wells on the boat trip the day he went missing.Cole took to Facebook to deny any suggestion her family has been trying to “hamper” the family’s “quest for answers.”She said her son had been interviewed by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department and “cooperated fully”.“He saw Nolan last at around 3 p.m.

on July 4th,” Cole wrote.“They left around 4:30 pm when the boat was taking on water and they had an issue with the bilge pump.“Nolan made a decision to stay on the island and return inland later with another group of friends.”Cole said that she had graduated high school with Wells’ mom Christine Wells-Wonsley and that her family’s “thoughts and prayers are with Nolan’s family”.Police are also reportedly investigating a video which allegedly shows a heated argument before Wells went missing.The viral clip circulated online appears to capture an “intense” argument near the shoreline, but authorities have not confirmed if it is authentic or whether any of the people in it were with Wells.Follow The Post’s coverage on the death of Nolan Wells:Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter appealed in a statement Tuesd...