Witnesses have told police that Nolan Wells was drinking heavily while partying with friends on Mississippi's Horn Island before his death, according to a new report.
ABC News obtained preliminary information from a document by the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources.
It states that witnesses saw the 18-year-old drinking with his buddies on the island on July 4 before he went missing.
The document includes an email describing Wells' physical appearance as Marine patrols searched the waters.
On July 6, his body was found washed up on the northwest shoreline of Horn Island.
Official autopsy results from the Medical Examiner's Office, including toxicology tests, are still pending.
Nolan's family commissioned an independent coroner to examine his body. Preliminary results classified his death as "undetermined pending investigation."
Mississippi authorities believe Wells drowned.
However, representatives of Nolan's family, including civil rights attorney Ben Crump, have suggested that something more nefarious could be involved.
The independent autopsy also found that Nolan may have suffered an injury to the back of his head.
