Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - NOLAN WELLS BOMBSHELL: I WENT WITH NOLAN'S MOM TO CORONER, THIS IS WHAT I SAW

Episode Date: August 29, 2026

The United Cajun Navy has been instrumental in the investigation into 18‑year‑old Nolan Wells' death.  Nolan went missing July 4, after a boat trip to Horn Island, Mississippi. He was found  dead two days later. Nancy speaks with Josh Gill,  United Cajun Navy Incident Commander. He was involved in the search for Nolan from the very beginning, and had early contact with Nolan's mom. He details that contact for Nancy, including accompanying her for a meeting with the coroner.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-heart podcast. Guaranteed human. Behind every night spent making the kids' lunches, there's a lot of suspense. Will they finally eat the veggies? Will the pastos survive the first bite? Will the lunchbox come home empty, half full, or come home at all?

And will you finish episode 8 before you're done slicing the cucumbers? Get Bell Pure Fiber Internet with Craved Netflix and Disney Plus from $94 a month. Price guaranteed for two years on Internet with a two-year term and auto-pay. credit. Visit bell.ca for details and to check availability. Bell. Connection is everything. Crime stories with Nancy Grace. Nolan Wells bombshell. A witness tells us tonight I went with Nolan's mother to the coroner's office and this is what I saw. Good evening. I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. I want to thank you for being with us. Nolan is dead. Could it be. Could it be

a decompositional change? Could it be something else like blunt force injury? It's hard to say at this point in time. I find it very difficult to believe, Dr. Kendall Crowns. Not one, but two medical examiners cannot figure out why he had deep, red, subcutaneous markings. Joining us tonight an all-star panel, but first straight to a special guest, Josh Gill with the Cajun Navy, who, as you know, searched for Nolan's body. Josh, thank you for being with us. The day unfolded when Nolan's body was found very bizarrely. You were there.

I'm going to get to your trip to. the coroner's office along with the family. But I want you to start at the beginning. What happened at the beginning of that day? We believe that Nolan likely died on July the 4th. Let's start with the day that Nolan's body was found and that you ended up at the coroner's office. Start at the beginning. So early that morning, I deployed some resources. I deployed an aircraft, fixed wing aircraft that wheels up at 0635, as you can see right there from the photographs. I was on my way to the Lake Mars boat launch. That's where the tactical operation center was set up. And I received a phone call. Received that phone call from the sheriff's department that a body had been found. Didn't say who it was. I was probably 15 minutes out from the local. I then received a phone call within minutes after the conversation from the sheriff's office from Nolan's mother, Christine, and she was frantic. You know, again, her mother's intuition, she knew what was going on. So I'm meeting at the boat launch.

I was there about 15 minutes at another time. Hold on just one moment. Hold on. Hold on. For those of you just joining us, Josh Gill is with us. He is the United Cajun Navy incident commander in the search for Nolan Wells. You stated that you received a phone call from Nolan's mother, Christine. You said she was frantic. What was she saying?

So, again, I'm going to paraphrase. He said that they had found him, that they had found a body. My biggest concern at that exact moment was to make sure that she was safe. that she had, you know, a safe way to get there because it was the beginning of what's more than likely to be the worst day of her life. Again, so continuing on. Hold on. Hold on. Josh, you got me drinking from the fire hydrant here. Every word you're saying sparks a hundred questions. So Nolan Well's mother calls you. Okay. Where was she when she called? She was en route to the boat launch as well. We were meeting there for the search. Okay. Had she been told that a body had been found?

Yet when she called me, so we had had earlier communication, but when she, via text, when she called me, she told me that a body had been found, she had been notified by the sheriff's department. Oh, gosh. Oh, no wonder she was frantic. So she calls you, she's just been told by the sheriff, a body has been found. She calls you, you're going to the boat launch. What boat launch? Where?

That's the Lake Mars boat launch. Why there? So that's where the operation was set up. That's where the search operations. Again, the tactical operation center was there. They had a mobile command unit, and the multiple entities and agencies were basing their operations out of there. So what it is is, is boat launch again.

They could launch rather quickly. it's a protected area to launch and then make that run to Horn Island and the surrounding areas. Okay. So you agreed with her. Did she ask you to meet at the boat launch? Oh, she knew I was going to that boat launch, and she actually asked me that morning, early that morning, where we were going to meet. And I told her, here's, you know, here's the best place. Here's where the operation is beginning. Okay. It was a secured location by the sheriff's department. So, you know, that's where they were running their operations. reaching on them. And that's a common practice.

Question. Do you know why Nolan's mother wanted you to go with her to Horn Island? So we had communications. She called me, literally called me. We had a voice conversation that Sunday morning about 7 o'clock 7.30. She had called and asked for some assistance. You know, after that phone call, I asked to memorialize all of our conversations. So I could go back and look at information. And that's, again, that's not uncommon for families to call us in that. Find my son. There it is. So she asked you to help find her son, that assistance. Okay, got it. Okay, go ahead. Yes. Yeah, so she asked for that assistance, find my son, find Nolan, started gathering information on who he is, who is with, where he was. She made it very clear that he was with some

friends, that they had been on Horn Island. So then I start launching resources immediately. and then after a launch of research, hold on, hold on, Josh, what specifically did she say about him going to Horn Island with friends, if you can recall? So she said that he went to Horn Island with friends. It's July 4th,

and Horn Island's a location that's well-known and well-visited by people partying and hanging out for July 4th. It's a huge boating community, and that was a location where folks congregate and enjoy the fourth. Okay. So she says he went to Horn Island on the fourth with friends. Got it. Okay. So you meet at the boat ramp. And when you first saw her, what was her demeanor?

So she came to me. She gets out of the vehicle, comes to me, gives me a big hug. Again, it's a mother who, her intuition is that her body gets down. So obviously said... According to what we learned, the moment she gets out of the vehicle, she runs straight to you and is hyperventilating. Absolutely. Absolutely. She came straight to me. What happened?

20 people, she gives me a big hug and starts crying. And look, I was off the, I started crying with her. And we literally sat in the parking lot on the ground, in the gravel. for probably 15 minutes. And we had some pretty deep discussions. She cried. I cried with her. And her husband was there as well.

And I wanted to me just that he's a very stoic individual. And he stood there with his hand on both of our shoulders. And it was a part of everything. It was one of those moments you don't forget. What was she saying? What was she saying? I mean, in a moment like that, how do you console a mother, Josh, that has been told by this disembodied voice on the phone, we found a body.

I mean, what was she saying? Did she not want to believe it was no one? Did she believe it was no one? At this point, she had not ID'd a body yet. Nobody had identified that this was no one. Was she holding out hope? What was going on? She knew.

Again, mother's intuition is strong. It's very strong. In her heart, she knew. As far as what she was saying, why is always the question, you know. She asked God why, why, why. And the rest of the conversations were just, you know, memories real quick. And I'm assuming everything was just flashing in front of her eyes. Because again, it's the beginning of the hardest time of her life.

I'm losing her son. I would say just to consult her and to help anything possibly could. What was the dad saying, if anything? You know, he was, again, he was really quiet. He was a quiet gentleman, but his physical presence afforded hers, made her feel safe. And I will say that, you know, he stood there with us, you know, on the ground. He's there. And his presence said a lot, and it meant a lot to his wife to Ms. Christine.

And again, that's a tough time for him as well. So she's crying. You state that she knows. inside that that body is her boy, her son. You start crying. Did you remain standing in the parking lot or did you sit down? No, ma'am. Like I said, when she first came to me, she gave me a big, big hug and I wrapped my arms around her and we sat down. We sat very quickly. We remained seating for quite some time to have that discussion, say a prayer. I did pray with her right there. Yes, ma'am, on the ground, in the gravel.

You were sitting on the, and you said she was hyperventilating. You sit on the ground. I believe I heard you say that you started praying. Always, yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am. Was she praying that it wasn't no one? So, you know, and again, I'm paraphrasing and going from the best of my memory. It was more of a prayer for peace and comfort is what I did.

and I always ask for that and then for answers you know and I've prayed Godspeed if it is Nolan and you know for the Lord to put his protecting hands over us and everything that we do and to be with this family and this mother especially during these hard times you know it's an emotional time I cannot even imagine I'm trying to get my head around the picture of you and miss christine sitting on the ground in a parking lot with her crying after just been told we found a body and she knows it's no one. I thank God that you were there. I thank God that you and Nolan's dad were there to help her.

I don't know how she even stood up. How did you get her to stand up? So it was about 15 minutes. We were there on the ground and, you know, a couple times the sheriff came up and he saw what was going on and the sheriff's staff and they understood. that it was one of those moments where we need some space. She finally, and I hate to say she called her composure because it was an emotional time for me as well, as well as the father, you know,

and it's, we stood up and the sheriff came over and, you know, he started discussing what the process would be. Yes, ma'am, absolutely. I don't know how she even stood up. Okay, so you help her up off the ground. Yeah. Okay, then what happens? So a family and friends started to arrive and the security let them in.

And the sheriff came up. And the sheriff again, he had to help deliver that nukes, you know, that a body was found and do his formal. And I hate to say notification because at this point, he didn't say if it was Nolan or not. But he explained that a body was found and where they would be bringing that body to. And from there, you know, the family. gathering and it was, I'd say a matter of 15, 20 minutes maybe. We were then escorted. Christine asked me to accompany them to the coroner's office, which I was extremely honored to do so.

And then the sheriff's department escorted us to that foreigner's office. Can I ask you something, Josh? When the sheriff came over, was it the sheriff or a deputy sheriff? It was the sheriff. The sheriff. He comes over and formally tells her what she was already told on the phone. A body has been found. Had the body already been taken to the coroner's office? It was en route.

So he was en route to the coroner's office. And he told us, you know, he told Christine, you know, here's what's going on. Here's where you need to go for further information. And again, extremely professional, extremely polite. And the biggest word I can use was he was, compassionate. You know, his staff was extremely compassionate. I can't take that away from him. Behind every night spent making the kids' lunches, there's a lot of suspense. Will they finally eat the veggies? Will the pasto survive the first bite? Will the lunchbox come home empty,

half full, or come home at all? And will you finish episode eight before you're done slicing the cucumbers? Get Bell Pure Fiber Internet with Craved Netflix and Disney Plus from $94 a month, price guaranteed for two years on internet with a two-year term and auto pay credit. Visit bell.ca for details and to check availability. Bell, connection is everything. Crime stories with Nancy Grace. How was she at that moment? Was she just numb? Did she ask questions or does she just stand there and take it? What was her response to the sheriff coming over face-to-face telling her we found a body? Because, you know, a lot of times you know this from all of the bodies that you have helped

cover. Guys, joining me is Josh Gill. He's our special guest tonight with the United Cajun Navy. He's the incident commander and he was in on the search for Nolan from the beginning and he went to the coroner's office along with the family, along with the mother and the father. So when the sheriff was, I guess, formally delivering this to her, you know, a lot of people when they hear it on the phone, they don't want to believe it. I didn't. When happened to me. I thought, did I get that wrong? So he comes up and tells her to her face, and there's no way to mistake what he's saying. He's right there in front of her. How did Ms. Christine respond? Just as any parent would respond. Tears, shocked, disbelief, I think are some good words.

but again, I don't want to take away from the compassion and the professionalism of the sheriff's department at that point. And there were more people coming up, right? And at that point, you know, the sheriff had had conversation with the mother again and the family. And just explain the process on what was going to happen next as far as where Nolan was going and then moving from there. But I do want to add that, you know, during these conversations, I reiterated to, the mother and, you know, Mr. Elmore, that Nolan will be treated with the utmost dignity and respect through the process. I wanted to explain that because that's something that parents always need to hear. Family members that their loved one will be treated with dignity and respect.

So you guys make it to the coroner's office. What happens when you get to the coroner's office? And no one's body is already there. Correct. So we go to the coroner's office. We sit down. The coroner, he comes in, I mean, rather quickly, you know, 10, 15 seconds once the table was filled with all the people, family members, friends, myself. What table? Were you in a conference room?

Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am. A conference room table. Oh, gosh. You know, at the medical examiners or coroners, everything is so sterile. And everyone I've ever been to. So this was like an office conference room. You'd walk right in the door and there it was.

Didn't really have that feeling of a coroner's office, if that's fair to say. More like a business office conference room. He walks in, very polite gentleman, very professional, well-spoken, soft-spoken as well. And, you know, basically said that, you know, they found a body. And from initial appearance, he identified him as no one. He did want to take a DNA swab or get a DNA sample from the family just for, you know, further confirmation and for, I guess, record keeping, whatever it was. But then he also, you know, she asked about the condition and he went into, there were no immediate signs of foul play. Okay.

To me, again, my opinion in hearing this is, you know, no signs of blunt force trauma. or any, I don't know what the word I'm looking for is any, I mean, signs of foul play. Well, we would consider that. Well, I guess they hadn't seen that big red mark on the back of his occipital yet, underneath the skin. And I take it at this juncture, Josh. His throat had not been dissected to look for potential. subcutaneous bruising.

So you're telling me that from a cursory look at Nolan Wells' body, there was no sign of foul plate such as a stab wound or a bullet wound or bruises, deep gouges on the head. That, in my experience, having tried so many homicide cases. cases, I cannot count them, is what you get from a cursory look at a body. Would you agree? So, correct, I'm not a medical examiner nor a coroner. I have gathered information and heard multiple people speak on that, especially about the red spot, right? Well, quote-unquote, call it the red spot. And as I appreciate that that may be pooling or whatever, it could possibly be

cellular decomposition. Again, I'm not a medical examiner or a coroner, but I do know what the coroner said at that immediate, that first meeting with him. Let's get back to what happened in that conference room. So you're there, the mom's there, the dad's there. The medical, the coroner comes in, very calm, very soft-spoken, and tells Ms. Christine

that he believes it's Nolan. based on physical appearance and description. Is that correct? Yes. Yes, ma'am. What was her reaction? Because if it were me, I would have been holding out, it's not him, it's not him,

if somebody looks like him, I don't believe it's him, he's out there, if I can just get out of here, I can go find him. What was her reaction? Again, it was quiet, and it was a very emotional time for the family as well. I personally believe at that point, she accepted that it was him.

Why do you say that? You must have observed something that makes you say that. Again, it just actions, you know, not denial, not beating on the table. It's not him. It's not him. Let's go. Let's keep looking. And her being in the medical profession as well as, I believe, a nurse practitioner.

I think she, I will never say the word except. She understood that what was being told to her. Right. Again, I'm not a parent. She's still crying. I don't have any. Absolutely. She still cries to this day. You know, and look, so I want to make this very clear to everybody that I support Christine and what she's doing. There's not a playbook that's written for a grieving mother who doesn't know what happened to her son. And I truly hope and pray every day, as well as my organization does, that she finds peace and comfort.

And she's able to accept. And you know what else, Josh? the results are. I don't know how this would have unfolded if had not been for the United Cajun Navy. I'm just putting that out there for some reason. Y'all have been on, gotten so much hate, but you guys were out there at the get-go. You're the one that went with Ms. Christine, too, the coroner's office. You were there. You're the one that helped her stand up off the ground when she was sitting on that pavement crying. That was you, United Cajun Navy. Yes, ma'am. I support her too, and my fondest dream is that we find out that this was an accident.

But until we get to that point, this investigation must go on. So he comes in and tells her that. Then what happens? So there were some questions, right? He asked the family if there was anything they needed to know. And I asked a question. And the question I asked was, can you please explain the process on where no one's going to go? What's going to happen from there?

And he did. He explained that he would be going to the crime lab, I believe it was, on what was going on for further autopsy. Again, and I'm paraphrasing this. And we all understood it. We understood that what was going to happen, where it was going, and what would happen from there. Again, and I have to say this and reiterate this, that, the family was in shock. I mean, it's horrible news to receive.

I can't imagine it. I'm an empath and I still can't possibly imagine how it feels to receive that information that your son is no longer here or with the family, no matter what the outcome is. Here's the issue though, is that we have to be prepared to accept and understand what's told to us as far as results of, you know, the grand jury or whatever it is. I want to make sure that people understand the prayers for peace and comfort are there daily for this family, as well as the nation, because this is a hard time for the nation and Ocean Springs in particular. What happened then? You asked about the procedure. Let me make sure I understand this. The coroner identified Nolan based on description. because I've seen a photo, which we have not shown, of no one's body where it washed up. Well, I say washed up.

That's really a term of art. I don't know that he washed up. I don't know how his body got right there because it seems to me it was half in the sand and half in the water, right? So I don't know how it got there. That said, he made this ID based on the description, given to him of Nolan, but wasn't the actual ID made from dental records? So I don't know. I don't know what the actual ID was made from, if it was from dental records or if it was a DNA swab.

He did discuss collecting DNA with the mother before we left. I did not witness that. Were you there when the DNA was collected? I was not. I don't know how they called it when, how they got it. But it was a discussion. But again, the coroner was confident. His confidence level was high that that was Nolan.

And I think that's what Ms. Christine wanted to do or wanted to understand. And the reason being, I think that there's that professional courtesy of, you know, understanding he's the coroner. You know, she is a nurse practitioner. And he wouldn't tell her those things if it was not in his heart. Let me understand as I move forward in the questioning of Josh Gill, incident commander, United Cajun Navy, with. Ms. Christine Nolan's mother at the time she was taken to the coroner's office.

Dave Mack, crime stories investigative reporter very quickly. Wasn't Nolan identified through dental records? I said, yes, no, please. Yes, ma'am. He was identified with dental records. To Jeff Gentry joining us. Jeff, thank you for waiting so patiently. Forensic certified bloodstain pattern analyst, crime scene analyst, death investigator,

author of Forensic Science. Jeff, why did they have to use dental records to identify Nolan Wells' body? Nancy, usually dental records are used when other forms of identification cannot be utilized. So the first thing that we always try to do is to visually identify somebody. And if you have family there or friends

or an ID, something to reference to visually identify, by the person, then that is the first step. So just getting a general idea of who they are. Then you want to move to a scientific form of identification. And that is something based on a scientific discipline. So there is proof that it is the person when it goes to court or additional questions or asked later. Your first form of scientific identification is fingerprints. That's what was going to be the easiest and fastest. And if he had an ID or a driver's license, then there should be a fingerprint on file to be able to identify this person rather quickly. However, in this case, if he had been deceased for a day or two before he was found, then

forms of scientific identification like fingerprints or even like a visual identification may not necessarily be available. So in those scenarios, then you move to alternate forms of identification like dental records, so that you would have to get the person's dental records from when they're alive to compare them against dental records taken when they're deceased at the autopsy. The last form of identification that's used, which is the most expensive and most time-consuming, would be DNA. However, if you're going to take this case to court and it's going to be tried like a homicide, then you would probably want to use a form of identification like DNA because it's much more solid. You can verify with percentages how likely it is that the person is who you believe they are.

So that's why dental records were most likely used in this case versus something simple and fast like fingerprints or visual identification. Judge Gentry can be found at Evidenceoverassumption.com. Jeff, my takeaway from what you just said is they could not make a visual identification and they could not use fingerprints. You said those were the first two choices, then dental, then DNA. Why would they not be able to make a visual ID? I'm assuming because he was outside and in the elements for a day or so, it's hot, it's July, it's very warm weather. However, in most cases where I have seen drownings where the person is underwater for a period of time, their body is pretty well preserved.

Unless we're talking about like multiple days, weeks that this person is underwater, usually the water is cooler temperature. And if that person is faced down in the water or completely submerged, their body is pretty well preserved until they surface. Usually a body after a couple of days surfaces. So I'm really surprised that he was on the shore. I've never personally investigated a drowning case where a person just ends up on the shore, especially if there's not a strong current or waves. Usually in bodies of water, the person will stay in pretty much the location where they go underwater if it's witnessed. They don't usually move around much after they have submerged or gone underwater.

So to me, it's very concerning that he was on the shore or that his body surfaced that quickly. But that's what I am guessing is why they couldn't do an immediate visual identification with the family or even fingerprints. So I would really like to know more about the condition of the body. That's what I am assessing as a death investigator when I respond to a scene. So there should be a death investigation report from a death investigation report from a death who has experience looking at bodies and has experience examining these type of things to show exactly what his condition was when he was found. And if the body is decomposed more than what you would normally expect in a drowning case,

that should be a big red flag. That's something that you definitely need to look into further. So you're saying, let me follow up on what you just said, you find it odd that he was quasi on the shore. You also stated that location where the body is found is typically where they went under. You also said that the body must have been too decomposed to make a facial ID. I did not hear an explanation as to why fingerprint ID was impossible. Fingerprint identification would be impossible if the hands were dried out to an extent where they can't be fingerprinted.

Sometimes people that are underwater or if the hands are underwater, the skin, just like if you're in the bathtub for a prolonged period of time, the skin ends up looking the same way. It just gets kind of wrinkled and it's very hard to get a usable or workable fingerprint in those scenarios. So one scenario would be the body is too decomposed to get a fingerprint or a visual identification. And then the alternate scenario is the body or the hands were exposed to the water too long to where they just are not able to get a good. workable print. So those are the different possibilities. But again, his position at the edge of the bank or partially in the water, that's really concerning because there's tons of people around that area. If he was in that position or on the shore decomposing for a day or so, why did nobody see him? Those would be my type of questions that I would ask if I were a death investigator

responding to this scene. Behind every night spent making the kids lunches. is there's a lot of suspense. Will they finally eat the veggies? Will the pesto survive the first bite? Will the lunchbox come home empty, half full, or come home at all? And will you finish episode 8 before you're done slicing the cucumbers? Get Bell Pure Fiber Internet with craved Netflix and Disney Plus from $94 a month. Price guaranteed for two years on internet with a two-year term and auto pay credit. Visit bell.com.com for details and to check availability. Bell, connection is everything. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace Jeff, I'm looking right now at the photo of his body and it's about the beach is flat and I would say it's about three to four feet from where there's nothing but sand, no water. It looks like it's just as the water,

water is starting. Like, you could walk in it very easily and your ankles may not even get wet. He's not out in the water at all. He's on the beach and on wet sand. That's the way to put it. It's wet sand. He's not out in the water, Jeff Gentry. What does that mean, if anything? That's really abnormal. I would have a ton of questions in that case. I would wonder if there's no waves, no strong current, why is that body up on a shore? How did it get there? And just like when we're looking at blood evidence or other forms of evidence, if something is in a certain position within a scene, you have to question how it got there. I have investigated a lot of deaths, bodies in canals, rivers, lakes, large bodies of water, never really near the

ocean to where you would expect somebody to wash up to shore. But in these cases, even even though there's strong current waves, large bodies of water, I've never really seen bodies up on a shore, especially up out of the water enough to where they could decompose significantly to where they can't be identified or can't be fingerprinted. So that would be a very big question that I would have in this case, is with the absence of waves, with the absence of a strong current, how in the world did this 19-year-old man end up on shore out of the water?

Josh, I'm going to pick back up with you and Nolan's family at the coroner's office, but you disagree with Jeff's characteristic. Explain. Wind, wave, tides, currents. If you look, there's also, there's some pictures, some aerial pictures that show driftwood way on the beach. Those four things are what impacted, as I appreciate, where Nolan, ultimately ended up. If you look in one of those pictures, ma'am, a wave is about to come right over and crests right near where the body's at. So that shows that there is some wave actions and some currents. The winds, the waves, the tides, the currents have a huge impact on, you know, anything that's put into that

water. It's known as the washing machine. It's a high tide, high current area. So, you know, that's, that was the first things that I looked at whenever I saw that picture. And that is the one of those pictures that I showed to the sheriff immediately as I received it. The stuff that's dark in that picture right there, I believe that that's debris. And that debris could have easily or was washed up on that island. And if you look at the picture as well into the water, the white is, that's wave action, either from wind, tides, or currents. So it's going towards the beach.

When you walk down the beach and you find shells and you find, you know, the bottle with a message in it, it gets washed up on the beach. Okay, so I think in simple terms, you're saying you believe the body was washed up from the water to that location. Okay, in Gentry is saying, typically a body is found where it goes in the water, so you're right. Title experts, water experts will have to determine that. I want to get back to you at the corner's office. A dental exam was used to make the ID, which looks. leads me to another question.

If they could not, if his face and his fingertips were so decomposed that they can't make an ID, then how do they know there was not bruising or there was not skin marks on his face, on his hands? That's a whole other thing. You're not a medical examiner. I get it. But that's a question that needs to be answered back to you. they, the family, Ms. Christine, the dad were asked to provide DNA. Okay.

You did not see the DNA taken, probably a bugle, buckle swab. What happened then? So if I may add one thing is I think that would be a great question asked the coroner is, you know, how did he identify? Because he was pretty sure, you know, in his best professional opinion, that that was Nolan. And maybe he just, maybe he wanted the dental records just out of professionalism. And hey, isn't that one of the most definite ways to identify?

Sorry, and out of courtesy to the family. Let's do it the easy way for you as well as to get the dental records. So, you know, moving forward, man, we left. We went to the house. There was a gathering at the house. And the people started to pour in. And it was a very emotional time. Again, the family, the friends and family that were there were, they were extremely welcoming to myself.

Todd Terrell also came a very, you know, he came within, I don't know, 30 minutes. We stayed there for about 30 minutes. We had conversation with the mother, Mr. Elmore, and some of the other family members and discussed a couple things with them. GoFundMe being one of them, and we wanted to assist with that as far as the development and helping to spread the word on that piece. as well as offer our services. You know, in anything that we could possibly do to assist this family in this time of grief, we're there for them. Still there today, anything that they possibly need, we're here to provide.

If it's a shoulder to cry on, we're there. If she wants to get in an airplane or if she wants to get in a boat and go back out to Horn Island, we're there we got it for. She's been offered those services. We just want her to know and the family to know that we're there. We're 110% supportive because, again, there's no playbook on how to grieve the loss of a child. Josh, at that time when you were at Nolan's home after leaving the coroner's office with the family,

was there any concern that there had been foul play? You know, it really didn't come up. It just didn't come up. I think that whole grieving process and it hit her hard when they got back to the house. you know, at what point did potential foul play or the thoughts of foul play or the accusations come into mind, you know, I don't know. I think you're probably right that at that time she walks in Josh and she comes into a home where she knows her son will never be back in his room ever again. And when you see all the relatives and neighbors come in, it gets real. It's real. It's real. And the pictures of knowing are still out. All the family photos are there. And I don't know when it hits you that that's all you have going forward. That's it. Photos and memories. Photos and memories.

So, ma'am, if I can say one thing. Please do. So I hear the emotion in your voice, right? I can hear it in your voice. And that's, that's a sympathetic emotion for that mother, knowing that she has, at that point when she walked through that door, it became real and it became the hardest day, the beginning of the hardest time of her life. Again, that's, I pray every day for the peace and comfort. But may I'm seeing that coming from you and understanding the emotion behind it and what this lady's going through and what this family's going through and what the community is going through,

it's very important. It's important to know that there's a lot of people that are extremely upset and they lost a community member who was loved and cherished. So, you know, it's a tough time for everybody. Josh, did you speak with Nolan's mother again after that day? Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am. We've had numerous conversations. And a lot. So a lot of, so we, We had conversation about a forensic pathologist, a secondary forensic pathologist.

She wanted one. I gave her a recommendation that I got from somebody. She also discussed an attorney. She sent those messages as well. But the majority of our conversations, man, to be honest with you, were I'd send something to her, you know, keep your chin up and your chest out and just know that you've got a lot of people that love and support you. I wanted to give her words of encouragement because I know how important that is to a family.

but also let her know that if there's any questions that she has that I could possibly take some of that weight off of her shoulders or off of her family's shoulders to help assist that I'll do it for. And we're here for her. Did she have questions? You know, it's not really because she got an attorney rather quickly, which is fine, whatever, you know, they're, that's on them. Again, the conversation turned into, you know, very cordial. Thank you. Thanks for the prayers. Now, we did have a conversation at one point, ma'am, about another young man that I was looking for,

Guderius Minneweather. And I brought her up to speed on that case. And she said, and she told me explicitly, please give the prayers, you know, our prayers to the family of Jadarius, which that was very important as well. because as a grieving mother, you know, she wanted to express her concern and her prayers to another family who lost a young child. Joining us tonight, special guest Cajun Navy Incident Commander Josh Gill. If you know or think you know anything about the death of this young man, Nolan Wells, dial 228-769-3063, There's $125,000 reward for information regarding what happened on Horn Island. We remember American Hero Trooper First Class Kevin Miller, Connecticut State Police, killed in the line of duty, leaving behind his grieving children, Ryan and Sarah.

American Hero Trooper First Class Kevin Miller. Thank you to our guests, but especially to you. for being with us. Nancy Gray's signing off for tonight, but I'll see you tomorrow night as we continue our search for justice for Nolan Wells. Good night, friend. This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed human.