More than two weeks after 18-year-old Nolan Wells was found dead near Mississippi’s Horn Island, one of the biggest questions surrounding his final hours has become even more complicated.
A woman identified as Katie McCormack has now been named as the person Wells was allegedly talking with shortly before he disappeared.
But according to Katie’s family, the story being told publicly about that encounter may not be accurate.
As we previously reported, Wells vanished during a Fourth of July outing on Horn Island after traveling there with friends by boat.
His mother reported him missing late that night, and search crews located his body in the water near the island on July 6. Authorities have not announced a cause or manner of death, and the investigation remains active.
From the beginning, friends said Wells chose to remain on the island while they left because he wanted to spend time with a girl he had met that day.
One of his friends recently reiterated that account, saying Wells declined repeated requests to get back on the boat.
But Katie’s sister, Gracie McCormack, is now disputing the suggestion that Wells intentionally stayed behind with her.
According to her account, Katie believed Wells was returning with his own group and did not understand that he had become separated from them.
