A Mississippi judge dispelled rumors that her son, Warren, was among the last people seen with 18-year-old Nolan Wells before his body was found on an island on July 6.
In a post on social media, Judge Ashlee Cole expressed her condolences to Nolan’s family. “Our family, along with the community, grieves the loss of Nolan Wells. Our thoughts and prayers are with Nolan’s family,” she wrote. “Our son, Warren, loved Nolan dearly.”
Cole’s son Warren was alleged to have been one of the last people to see Nolan alive on Horn Island, about 10 miles off the Mississippi coast.
Authorities say Nolan had traveled to the island by boat with friends, including Warren, to celebrate the 4th of July holiday. But they left the island without him hours later.
Warren and Nolan’s friends told law enforcement they thought he caught another boat back to the mainland.
Body found in search for football player Nolan Xavier Wells, 18, who vanished during Fourth of July celebrations: reports https://t.co/D5Y2HtTTmW pic.twitter.com/EDDLvtKpWe
— New York Post (@nypost) July 6, 2026
Judge Cole said Warren fully cooperated with authorities after Nolan went missing.
“Warren was interviewed by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department and cooperated fully,” she wrote. “He last saw Nolan around 3 p.m. on July 4.”
Judge Cole said she graduated from high school with Nolan’s mother, Christine Wells-Wonsley.
“We are from the same community,” Cole said. “I have the utmost respect for her and all of the Wells family. We mourn the loss of Nolan with them.”
Cole denied rumors that she and her husband were on Horn Island that day. She said no one in her family tried “to impede the investigation by law enforcement or to otherwise hamper the family and law enforcement’s quest for answers.”
The judge said she deleted her Facebook account so people wouldn’t have access to her family’s photos.
“My husband and I have six children, and we covet their privacy,” she wrote. “We do not believe it is appropriate for our minor children’s photographs to be circulated throughout the Internet, presenting potential threats to their safety.”
She added: “Yes, I am a judge. I also value transparency. I apologize if anyone was offended that I deleted my social media. There were no nefarious motivations in my deleting my social media. Social media has a lot of positives, but a whole lot of negatives. We live in a world of click-baiting. Sad, but true.”
Nolan’s parents retained the services of civil rights lawyer Ben Crump after $260,000 was donated to GoFundMe for their expenses.
“Nolan Wells was a beloved son, teammate and friend who went out to celebrate the Fourth of July and never came home. His family deserves answers. They deserve the truth,” Crump said in a statement. “We will not rest until every fact about what happened to Nolan on Horn Island is brought into the light, and we call on investigators to pursue this case with the urgency and transparency this family deserves.”