Newly released audio and GPS data are shedding more light on what could have possibly happened to Nolan Xavier Wells.

The 18-year-old was hanging with three of his white friends at Horn Island, Mississippi, for the Fourth of July when he went missing. Two days later, he was found dead.

Nolan’s friends claimed he decided to stay on the island and return inland later with another group of friends. Wells was reportedly also speaking with a girl on the island before he disappeared. 

Nolan Wells found dead after celebrating Independence Day with friends (Photo: Family via AP)

Judge Ashlee Cole, the mother of Warren Hudson, who was with Nolan on the island, defended her son’s claims.

In a Facebook post, she wrote that Nolan was last seen around 3 p.m. and that the boat departed about 4:30 p.m. after Nolan chose to remain on the island. Cole added that the boat began malfunctioning.

‘Everybody is on Board’

Audio obtained by NBC News sheds light on the malfunction that hit the boat Nolan Wells’ friends were aboard.

“Hey, we’re at the west tip of Horn, and our bilge pump stopped working. We’re going. We’re sinking. Can you all please come?” the vessel’s operator said.

“And is everyone onboard in good health otherwise?” dispatch asking during the call.

“Yeah, yeah, everybody is on board,” the operator responds. “I want to get this boat unsank and towed back.”

GPS Tracker

GPS data from the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, obtained by CBS News, tracked the movements of the boat.

According to the data, the boat left the dock at approximately 9:56 a.m. and arrived at Horn Island around 11:14 a.m. The boat then left the island around 4:31 p.m. and returned to its original departure dock before traveling into Fort Bayou at approximately 5:52 p.m. It returned to the dock around 6:06 p.m.

The GPS data also shows the boat later arrived at the Fort Bayou boat launch at about 7:19 p.m. From there, the boat traveled over land—appearing to have been towed—to the Biloxi residence of its owners.

It’s still unclear who owned the boat Nolan and his friends were on.

Not Adding Up

Elmore and Christine Wonsley told Good Morning America they believe their son was intentionally left behind.

“We always taught him. ‘If you go with a group, you stay with a group’,” his father said.

The family, along with Attorney Ben Crump, is still searching for answers. The family met with the Jackson County District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath on Wednesday to get some insight into where things stand in the investigation.

McIlrath says the case will be turned over to a grand jury after the Sheriff’s Office finishes its investigation, which is standard procedure for unknown deaths in the county.

A grand jury is a panel of citizens that reviews evidence from prosecutors and decides whether there is enough probable cause to move forward with criminal charges.

The family’s legal team and local investigators are also expected to jointly examine Nolan’s cellphone, which was left on the boat. After Nolan’s parents recovered the phone from his friends, they said they believe some messages had been deleted.

Attorney Ben Crump has also called for investigators to examine the cellphones of Nolan’s friends as part of the investigation.

In the meantime, the family is still waiting on autopsy results from the state and from their own independent autopsy.

Nolan’s funeral will be on Monday, July 20, at Center Pointe Church in Ocean Springs. His private repass will be at the Jackson County Fairgrounds.

‘We’re Sinking’: Frantic 911-Call, GPS Data Uncover Nightmare That Unfolded Before Nolan Wells Disappeared