Horn Island

But what he's showing to me or what is being shown to me is just... very secluded area like it's not like an area and you have to know that area like you have to be a local to know that area not like a secret surf spot or something but like just you need to know that area and that's what he keeps showing to me his location and the time of everything of like the i guess fourth of july weekend where it happened and who was there like as far as like the crowd

So this happened on Horn Island, which is a remote, underdeveloped barrier island located about eight miles off the coast of Mississippi.

Okay, so I'm assuming locals would know this area though,

correct? I guess so.

important because if it's a remote place or a localized remote place, then you can do things to someone and it wouldn't be the easiest to find them in a response time.

So if someone got shot and you're on... you know, mainland, then it's easy to get to.

You're on this horn point or horn island that you, it's not easy to get to.

And people can know certain spots.

Now I have had a few people message me wanting an update on the Nolan Wales case, and there's not been much on that.

Most recent thing I have seen was Nancy Grace doing what Nancy does, right? Sensationalizing everything in this particular case and making a huge deal out of the fact that in the last six years no one has drowned on Horn Island, which means seven years ago someone drowned.

She's like, "Why? What's going on?" I can't mimic her voice.

I was almost gonna try to do that, but nobody can do that with, uh, Nancy Grace.

But she wants to know why no one's drowned in the last six years.

Well, someone drowned seven years ago, Nancy, so that tells me that you can drown on Horn Island, but it really means nothing.

Her question was why now.

My answer to that is who knows? But to act like it couldn't happen just because it doesn't happen every year, that's just dumb to me sensationalized city with her sometimes.

Listener discretion is advised.

On July 4th, 2026, 18-year-old college football player Nolan Wells disappeared after sailing to Mississippi's Horn Island to celebrate Independence Day with a group of friends.

After an afternoon of partying, Nolan's friends sailed back to the mainland, but Nolan wasn't with them.

This is Jamie, and you're listening to a Murderish Mini episode where I focus on developing cases.

Join me as I explore the case of Nolan Wells.

Two days after Nolan went boating with friends and didn't return, the teenager's body was found floating face down off the northwest shore of Horn Island.

The remote barrier island is located roughly 10 miles off the Mississippi Gulf Coast and is accessible only by private boat.

Despite having no stores or restaurants, Horn Island can attract hundreds of people on major holidays like July 4th.

Last night, Nancy Grace put out a show on her YouTube channel.

And the title of it was Zero Drownings in Six Years on Horn Island.

Why now? And as much exposing that I'm going to do from that video, I'm actually happy that she put it out there.

Because...

Nancy is not like overtly biased.

Sorry, Nancy doesn't come across as overtly biased like former officer Tatum.

Nancy will put out a headline, and she'll put out a clip that's like, zero drownings in Horn Island, and you're like, yeah, that's what we've been saying.

Nolan didn't drown.

White people are running around lynching and hanging black women in Jackson, Mississippi.

Or there's a group of white boys that were best friends with a kid his entire life, and they patiently waited to July 4th weekend, 2026, when they knew they were going to be going to Horn Island.

They knew this years in advance they were going to be going to Horn Island, and that was going to be their time to finally take out Nolan for dating that white girl one time.

I mean, how did we get here where y'all all became so stupid at the same time? Was it mass formation psychosis? Is that what it's called? What's it called where you begin to fall in love with your captors, your abusers?

It's a syndrome, but I can't remember the first.

Bombshell tonight in the Nolan Wells death investigation.

Zero Horn Island drownings in six straight years.

Why now? Am I supposed to believe that Nolan Wells is the only one that accidentally drowned off Horn Island in going on seven years? Is that statistically probable? Good evening.

I'm Nancy Grace.

This is Crime Stories.

He's the only one that decided to swim away from the party.

None of this is making sense.

On top of that, we are learning that there have been no drownings at Horn Island in going on seven years.

We don't have any of that yet.

Well, what the hell's the holdup? Nolan Wells' phone made it back from Horn Island.

Nolan did, and his friends brought the phone to shore when they returned on July 4th, and his mother tracked it to a friend's house.

She picked it up, opened it, and says she found his Snapchat accounts with nothing on them.

All that happens while the phone sat untouched.

And here's what else happened.

The family made public claims on national stages that their son's data had been tampered with, that messages were missing, that the friends who came home from Horn Island without Nolan were involved in something they weren't admitting.

Those claims spread across social media.