The investigation into the disappearance and death of Mississippi teenager Nolan Wells has taken another turn after a grand jury declined to indict anyone in connection with his death following a Fourth of July boat trip to Horn Island.
A digital forensic expert hired by Wells’ family has also clarified claims surrounding the teenager’s cellphone, saying the device’s data was not tampered with after his disappearance on July 4, 2026.
Andrew Garrett, a digital forensics expert, said during a TikTok livestream published on YouTube on Sept. 25 that he had never claimed someone physically unlocked Wells’ phone and deleted information from it.
Garrett said some Snapchat messages had been remotely recalled or deleted, which can happen when a participant in a conversation removes messages from another person’s side of the app.
“When we say erased from the phone, you’ve got to be a little careful with that,” Garrett said.
He explained that forensic records showed some interactions with the phone after Wells disappeared, including activity that could indicate the screen was awakened and messages appeared on the locked display. However, he said the device was not unlocked.
Garrett’s forensic company previously released more than 3,000 Snapchat records from Wells’ account.
According to the forensic data, Wells’ phone was last used at about 2:17 or 2:18 p.m. on July 4 and remained locked until it was in the possession of his family on July 5.
The clarification comes as questions surrounding Wells’ disappearance and death continue following the grand jury’s decision not to indict anyone in the case.
