Newly surfaced video evidence shows Nolan Wells was not aboard his friends' boat when it was towed from Horn Island, corroborating witness statements that he stayed behind.
The footage, obtained by "The Officer Tatum Show," captures seven people on the boat preparing for a tow back to the mainland — but Nolan is not seen among them.
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Sources with direct knowledge of the investigation previously told TMZ that authorities have evidence placing Nolan on Horn Island after the boat departed on July 4.
Emergency Call and Towing Details
Nolan's friends called for a tow, reporting their boat was taking on water due to a failing bilge pump.
Audio of the panicked call to a private towing service was released.
Enhanced audio from the call led some to believe they heard someone ask, "Is he dead?"
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However, sources say the people on the boat deny that phrase was ever uttered.
In the video, a person at the helm appears to be on the phone.
The boat was ultimately not towed by the private service; another boat anchored on Horn Island provided the tow.
Nolan's friends later managed to get the boat working and returned to the mainland without him.
According to the friends, they left Horn Island at 4:30 PM. They claim someone told them they saw Nolan on the barrier island at 6 PM.
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Nolan's friends maintain they told him to join them, but he chose to stay with a woman.
Her sister said she believed Nolan was supposed to leave on the boat and that his friends would not have left him behind.
Nolan was reported missing, and his body washed up on Horn Island on July 6. Mississippi authorities suspect drowning, but his family has doubts.
The family hired civil rights attorney Ben Crump and commissioned an independent autopsy, which found the cause and manner of death "undetermined pending investigation."
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The state Medical Examiner's Office has not yet released its findings.
