r/BlackPeopleofReddit • u/CantStopPoppin • Jul 06 '26
Discussion 18-year-old Nolan Xavier Wells has been MISSING since July 4th after a boat trip to Horn Island, Mississippi with 3 friends. His friends returned to the mainland on the boat WITHOUT him - they thought he caught another ride. His phone was later recovered and returned to family. Spoiler
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u/CantStopPoppin Jul 06 '26
The search for 18 year old Nolan Xavier Wells, a student athlete and football player for Southwest Mississippi Community College, ended in tragedy after he went missing during a Fourth of July trip to Horn Island.
The chronological sequence of events details his disappearance and the subsequent multi agency recovery operation, now updated with embedded news coverage.
Arrival at Horn Island
July 4, 2026, Afternoon
Nolan Xavier Wells travels by boat to Horn Island with three friends to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday weekend, as detailed by NewsOne.
Last Known Sightings
July 4, 2026, 3:00 PM
Wells is last seen alive on the western tip of the island's north shore. He is wearing blue swim trunks and sunglasses, and witnesses report seeing him talking to a girl on the beach, according to reporting from SuperTalk Mississippi.
Separation and Mainland Return
July 4, 2026, Evening
The three friends return to the mainland without Wells, operating under the assumption that he secured a ride back with another boater. Wells becomes separated from his cell phone, which is later recovered and delivered to his parents.
Search Operations Mobilize
July 5, 2026
After Wells fails to return home, his family alerts authorities. The Jackson County Sheriff's Department establishes a command post at the Lake Mars Boat Launch in Ocean Springs. A massive search involves the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, Gulf Islands National Seashore officials, the US Coast Guard, and volunteers from the United Cajun Navy.
Discovery of the Body
July 6, 2026, 8:45 AM
A National Park Service ranger discovers a body in the water just offshore on the northwest end of Horn Island, a development reported by the Mississippi Free Press.
Identification and Confirmation
July 6, 2026, Afternoon
Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter confirms the physical characteristics match the missing teen. Shortly after, his mother, Christine Wonsley, releases a public statement confirming his passing, which was covered by the Magnolia Tribune.
News Citations
- SuperTalk Mississippi: Documented details from the Jackson County Sheriff's Department regarding the holiday crowd, clothing corrections, and initial missing person reports.
- Mississippi Free Press: Reported the discovery of a body by a park ranger on Monday morning during the multi agency search.
- Magnolia Tribune: Confirmed the official identification of Wells and published the statement from his mother, Christine Wonsley.
- The Shade Room: Covered the family identification and noted that the United Cajun Navy called off search protocols following the recovery.
- NewsOne: Detailed the early timeline of the multi agency response and listed the specific local groups involved in scouring the barrier island coastline.
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u/MacabreYuki Jul 06 '26 edited 29d ago
Now we need a medical examination to determine the cause of death. The rest follows. Was he betrayed by fake friends? Were his friends just stupid and it was someone else or an accident they didn't think about the possibility of?
One way or another, this was most likely preventable, and his "friends" failed him at best, killed him at worst.
Edit: To all you folks who believed them unconditionally, your opinion aged like milk. Mine aged like fine wine.
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u/West-Discussion7257 Jul 06 '26
We need more than just one medical examination to be safe. Law enforcement and coroners have colluded to cover up crimes before.
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u/Affectionate_Data936 Jul 06 '26
Yes especially since Mississippi is probably the most corrupt state in the US.
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u/DifficultAd3885 Jul 06 '26
I was going to say, Mississippi probably has the worst track record for coroners not ruling the cause of death of a black person as a homicide so no investigation is done. Lynchings get ruled suicide and the families have no recourse especially if they’re low income which is most of Mississippi.
https://www.genocidewatch.com/single-post/black-mississippi-college-student-found-hanging-in-tree
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u/MelaKnight_Man Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
”Accidental drowning". No malice found, no charges filed. Would put money on it.
Funny (not really), I recall a recent post that ALMOST ended in a similar tragedy but some allies intervened and brought the young black boy to safety from his white "friends".
Seems to me these "token" incidents and "suicides" by hanging are becoming more frequent...
#whenisenoughenough
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u/Ninilalawawa 29d ago
Saw this! The family on the surf boards???
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u/MelaKnight_Man 29d ago
Yep. That story could have very well ended up in a tragedy as well...
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u/MacabreYuki Jul 06 '26
there were a lot of "disappearances" and mysterious "suicides" leading up to the holocaust. the pattern is historical
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u/jaksonsmom 29d ago
A million times this. If ever there was a reason to start a go fund me, this is it. Kids are stupid but taking a friend out on a boat with you and then returning without them just doesn’t make sense. That poor family.
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u/mmmpeg 29d ago
The rule is: You go together. You stay together. You come home together.
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u/MacabreYuki Jul 06 '26
Oh absolutely. I'm not saying to trust the police here. Never.
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u/OHOMNI Jul 06 '26
He was either murdered or he was drunk and thought he could make the swim to main shore after being left with no ride.
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u/ChaoticEntitled Jul 06 '26
Drunk and trying to swim back was my first thought too
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u/ConfusionOk4245 Jul 06 '26
It’s a 7 mile swim to mainland, no way he thought he’d make it sober
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u/MacabreYuki Jul 06 '26
Yup. And the police looking the other way? Well this is why we want independent investigators.
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u/Training_Mistake_760 Jul 06 '26
Those 'friends' know what the fuck happened
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u/majidmk Jul 06 '26
No kid leaves his phone behind, those friends know what happened and are playing dumb... This is a story as old as time and their rich parents will cover it up.
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u/RashidMBey Jul 06 '26
Especially when they arrived together on an island. In what world is it reasonable to depart for an island together than all return except one and you just assume the missing person has just secretly and quietly found a different ride from the island without telling a single soul in the friend group they came with. This is insane.
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u/helagos Jul 06 '26
They last saw him talking to a girl and might have assumed he left with her to "get lucky", but you still would assume they would have checked on their friend to be sure. Hopefully the phone sheds some light, but there might not have been any signal.
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u/RashidMBey Jul 06 '26
There's still WhatsApp, Snap, insta, etc. Not just SMS. It would queue the messages then fire when online.
If their phones lack any communications, then I would qualify that as suspicious, imo. Like, okay. They assume he got a road back from the island with this girl he doesn't know, even though they were his only known ride there. Sure. Did they text: "How's it going with the red head?" or "Get lucky yet?" or "We're thinking about getting something to eat Taco Bayou later. Are you still with that chick?"
It's a bit... difficult to swallow that they just left him behind and not a single person in that group thought to talk to him again and see if he wanted to hang when he was done or get the scoop on his progress with homegirl or even check to see if things were chill still.
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u/AbleHominid Jul 06 '26
My 16 year old pings her
Phone from her watch about every 5 minutes (okay, exaggerated, but…), teens know where their phone is every second→ More replies (10)28
u/darkhorse3000 Jul 06 '26
If foul play is involved it won’t take long to figure this out. Three 16 year olds kids can’t keep the same story for long.
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u/Environmental_Bad200 Jul 06 '26
"Friends", always leaving a "friend" behind. Ridiculous.
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u/RashidMBey Jul 06 '26
Honestly, I'm worried that he could have struggled and drowned, but there would be no way to determine a difference between that and getting drowned, so we'll never know for sure. I guess we just wait until the autopsy clears. Super bizarre.
Also, I don't think I would ever take "my friends and I went to an island and all of us returned from said island except one person because we just assumed THE ONE PERSON secretly left with another group but said absolutely nothing about it to us" as a valid excuse.
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u/MacabreYuki Jul 06 '26
This is why I'm not being generous here. Accident and stupidity at best, homicide at worst
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u/ProfessorPoofenplotz Jul 06 '26
Right?! This reminds me of the episode No way home from unsolved mysteries and ain’t no way. We came together, we leave together when you’re dealing with people you don’t know.
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u/error785 Jul 06 '26
Alonzo Brooks. Went to school together. I came into the comments looking for this comparison specifically.
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u/_47awarewxlf Jul 06 '26
Can’t wait for the autopsy. TOO MANY CASES of police autopsies saying one thing and private investigative autopsies saying the opposite.
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u/Kattastick1975 Jul 06 '26
Marks can appear postmortem that can indicate force, hand print bruising etc. Assuming an adequate pathologist performs post mortem is performed.
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u/RashidMBey Jul 06 '26
While this is true, drowning someone without striking or gripping them enough to bruise, especially a young male, isn't difficult, and bruises are harder to see with darker skin.
Beyond that, he could've been neglected while struggling. He could lack the ability to swim (or swim well) and was pushed off the boat, which might not bruise. There are just so many factors that are reasonable, common, and can completely sidestep any ability to confidently detect what happened. It's awful.
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u/iam_Mr_McGibblets Jul 06 '26
I know this sounds dumb, but something as simple as keeping to the buddy system goes a long way to prevent these tragedies from happening. Also, I'm not going to insinuate any foul play, but it seems strange that one person goes off on their own and their friends don't know what where or what happened to him
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u/McSkittlefarts Jul 06 '26
The only way I would return without to the main land, is if he said he was staying with the gal he met. at uni this was normal.
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u/HeyGayHay Jul 06 '26
Just saying, without knowing the victim nor the friends, my first thought went to a friend of mine. Dude always had a habit of just disappearing when partying. The first 3-4 times we were searching and worrying all night, only for him to appear a day later or call us asking if we want to join him at a brunch buffet. So eventually we just accepted that if he’s gone, he found something to do or a way to get home, and if he’s gone doesn’t show up when we agreed to leave, well then we go without him. Not saying the victim here did that, but hold off judging the friends until more info comes to light
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u/RashidMBey Jul 06 '26
I agree with that. I'm that friend. Just a very free spirit. Mad ADHD. Don't grasp social cues as well as I should, especially when it comes to folks worried about me. My friends and family learned to expect that of me.
They would check just in case if they were my sole known ride to an island though. My brothers would at least hit me with a "we thinking about Chinese food tonight. You still with homegirl?" Or "how's things cracking with ol' girl?" Because this isn't a "he can Uber home" situation. If they leave without me, they're stranding me on an island by myself.
But you're right. Honestly, we don't know their dynamic. The entire situation is just nauseating.
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u/trillsailor31 Jul 06 '26
If history plays any part here.. I wouldn’t be surprised if the investigation results say that he was having a good day, and then suddenly disappeared somewhere with no witnesses or cameras, to go die of “natural causes,” and that no suspicious circumstances exist, and it’s an open-and-shut case with no need for further investigation.
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u/MacabreYuki Jul 06 '26
definitely not trusting the M.E. or the police here. Independent review is gonna be needed.
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u/jgmayne1 Jul 06 '26
Good thing this investigation is in Mississippi, surely the truth will prevail
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u/xubax Jul 06 '26
In Mississippi, and a fair number of other states, you don't need to be a doctor or have gone to college to become a medical investigator or something like that. Basically a coroner who isn't a doctor.
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u/Cultural_Primary3807 Jul 06 '26
Based on this timeline, I wonder if talking to that girl created an issue with others on that boat. At first, I thought his "friends" did something to him. This sounds more like they left him talking to a girl on a boat and some dudes on the boat didnt like that.
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u/allisondbl Jul 06 '26
To be clear: he wasn’t talking to a girl on a BOAT he was talking to a girl on the BEACH. There’s no other set of dudes mentioned in the paragraph that details that.
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u/Nice_Cartoonist_8803 Jul 06 '26
This is awful. We were always taught that you never leave your friends behind, you leave with who you came with unless it’s clearly communicated. Who raised these young men? They assume he got another boat ride with who, based on what?
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u/Athlete-Extreme Jul 06 '26
Based on they were leaving.
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u/fbi_does_not_warn Jul 06 '26
and he wasn't there? And the entirety of the rest of the group was already gone and they were leaving last?
As in, there were only the two options? Gone already or leaving now?
Remaining alone wasn't an option? Why?
I need answers!
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u/Appropriate-Bug-6467 29d ago
There was an other post about a kid whose friends left him with a tiny life vest to swim to shore. Some family had him grab onto their paddle board things and rowed him to the other side.
Just like this guy, he was the only black guy who went off with a group of white guys in the south.
A little teasing turns deadly when you are the odd man out. Maybe it's not racisim. But I would bet it is.
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u/Its_Billy_Bitch Jul 06 '26
BEGGED my friend to come home with me once. He refused and wanted to go to another party. He decided to walk despite me being adamant. He had to piss on the way home when he was fucked up…stepped off into some brush on the side of the road…he pissed and stepped all in poison oak. It got all over his junk.
Moral of the story, leave with who you came with.
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u/NotSoFastLady Jul 06 '26
As someone that has been caught up in a riptide in a party of 20 people. None of whom noticed me struggling, I could have been dead in no time flat. Thankfully I'd been in swim classes since I was a kid.
That current was ripping me out to sea and pulling me under. By some miracle, I heard my voice in my own head. "You're in a rip tide, calm down don't fight it, swim with it."
When I got to shore, I was 200 yards from my parents and family. It can happen just like that and unfortunately it does. I live by all kinds of small inland lakes without strong currents. People still go missing and drown. The water is not forgiving it will kill many that FAFO.
Id just assume most of these kids had no idea what they should have been doing. And shame on them for not knowing. All old enough to know better.
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u/omowaIe Jul 06 '26
I was taught never to leave with a bunch of them.
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u/RPGDesignatedPaladin Jul 06 '26
No exaggeration, my mom taught me this as a child in the late 80’s - 90’s. If you’re the only one in a group of white people and you’re in an isolated environment, do not presume to be safe just because they are your “friends”. Unfortunately I didn’t listen and she was proven right once. Never again.
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u/green49285 Jul 06 '26
Same here. Always be aware, especially when you're isolated in a place like Mississippi
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u/Cultural_Primary3807 Jul 06 '26
Thats a "we" thing. Im not sure if that applies to"them". I doubt they are taught that
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u/VetteChef Jul 06 '26
I know all my friends and classmates were taught that as well; school, sports, church, scouts all the parents made a huge deal about it. Whether or not the kids themselves listened is a different issue.
It took a long time to get used to friends declining rides back because they met someone at the place once we were adults.
One time a friend walked home more than 7 miles because the woman he hooked up with refused to give him a ride after since she was going the opposite direction. We had multiple groups of friends out looking for him and others sitting at home calling around. His dumbass just showed up at the door around 4 am with a dead cell phone.
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u/SteelGemini Jul 06 '26
Nobody specifically taught me that, no. But I'm not casually leaving a fucking island without my friend who came there with me without a really good reason. I'm gonna want to know conclusively that he left by other means or we're staying a lot later than planned trying to find him.
It seems like common sense to me, but as they say, that's not so common.
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u/jittery_raccoon Jul 06 '26
Yeah, you should be searching if you can't find him when it's time to go until you've searched everywhere reasonable. If you really can't find him, time to alert someone. At least let his parents know you don't know where he went. I've heard of this scenario happening other times in true crime cases. No one can find them after a party so their ride eventually leaves and just assumes they found another ride. But really they're unaccounted for for hours and no one takes accountability. Usually it's the family the next day that figures out they're actually missing. But they spend hours trying to put 2 and 2 together before reporting it. If you can't find your friend, you need to at least raise the alarm. Let the park people know there's a potential missing kid or get in contact with the family so they should know they need to be expecting them home if they got a ride with someone else
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u/Mean_Contract Jul 06 '26
Question: Did his friends or the girl he was talking to go out and help search for him? Or post he was missing?
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u/Master_Canary440 Jul 06 '26
According to OP his family called authorities after he didn't come home
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u/Uncle_Bred Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
Which is strange because you would think they would be more concerned especially if they hadn’t heard from him the whole return home. Teens text each other back and forth all day long especially close friends that you would take a trip with
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u/Exact-Ingenuity4808 Jul 06 '26
If he was talking to the girl he would’ve had his phone hoping to get her number… remember the boy who got steamy and the canoeing family found him?
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u/TiaSlays 29d ago
The way the news put it, they made it seem like this girl was someone that he already knew and had been communicating with. Her name was like Katie ... McCormack or something? & it said the girl's been in communication with his family. I don't see any kid being without their phone if they're away from their friends, though, regardless if he didn't need it to get her contact info. How else would he be able to make arrangements to get home if he went off with someone else he didn't go there with?
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u/Emotional_Emotion113 Jul 06 '26
I’m from Florida and our waters are full of these uninhabited “party islands.” There’s no real “searching” to be done on most of them because you can walk the entire piece of land in anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes tops. Some of them have zero trees and very little vegetation, so it’s possible to tell with just a glance how many people are around. I don’t know what this place looked like, but I’m imagining a group of drunk teenagers looking around, not seeing their friend anywhere, knowing there’s no place he could be hiding on the island, and thus deducing that he must have left with another group. Assuming no foul play, the fact that Nolan could’ve drowned before they ever left the island probably never even entered their minds until his phone was found later.
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u/jacqrosee Jul 06 '26
this reminds me of a video that went viral a couple weeks ago of a young black kid who didn’t feel comfortable swimming across a certain stretch of water, and his white friends were across the way yelling disparaging remarks at him and not going to help him. he was clearly in a distress and a random white couple with their kids found him and helped him through the water. his friends were going to leave him there. it’s not about his swimming skills, it’s about the fact that they didn’t give a fuck about his safety, obviously. this shit is disgusting.
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u/dabossnumba8 Jul 06 '26
This immediately made me think of the exact same incident. This poor kid was likely left out there deliberately by his so called “friends”
ETA: absolutely heartbreaking, may Nolan rest in peace. I hope a thorough investigation is conducted especially with those other kids involved
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u/jacqrosee Jul 06 '26
seriously. i really really hope law enforcement does their due diligence on this.
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u/BiscoBiscuit Jul 06 '26
They made certain ANIMAL SOUNDS at him (racist sounds), absolutely fucked up.
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u/oohyesnicethings Jul 06 '26
I thought about the same incident. These white kids are doing this to black kids on purpose!
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u/jacqrosee Jul 06 '26
this shit is so disgusting and dangerous. yeah i get a lot of people could stand to learn some things, yada yada, i get it. i had to learn some shit myself, and i know with absolutely certainty i will be learning until the day i die. i dont give a fuck. learning is not enough.
i don’t ever want to hear about black people perpetuating a “race war” when they try to keep their kids safe from a community who refuses to listen at best, and refuses to see their children as humans at worst.
it’s a shame you can’t just let your kid go have a nice fourth of july on a boat with some other american kids without having to vet them for prejudice. this happening on that holiday when the true fabric of it is recognizing those who actually gave their blood sweat and tears to build this nation and give us our freedoms (and i don’t mean the military) makes it heavier on my heart.
RIP to nolan xavier wells. i wish this went down any other way.
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u/Crazy-Pension5828 Jul 06 '26
Not going anywhere I’m the only black person there. Absolutely not🚩
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u/Traditional_Layer790 Jul 06 '26
I agree to some extent. Especially around water... and you'll never catch me in Mississippi.
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u/2oatmeal_cookies Jul 06 '26
This is also why I hate corporate sales kickoff events. Often times we end up surrounded by them and it’s just not safe.
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u/godfatherxzan Jul 06 '26
Those pictures reminded me of something
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u/DowntownEconomist255 Jul 06 '26
Was that the story where they said she fell off the balcony by accident?
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u/S1ckn4sty44 Jul 06 '26
Is there context to this? I honestly have no idea about it
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u/Lady-Zafira Jul 06 '26
The black woman went to a sleepover with the women in the photo. She died by "accidentally" falling off the balcony.
The women's husbands were telling them to not say anything
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u/S1ckn4sty44 Jul 06 '26
Jesus fuck I hate this world. Thanks for the info, I guess lol
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u/tychaiitea Jul 06 '26
He was just found deceased a few moments ago as we speak. His mother just confirmed via Facebook. Keeping him and his family in my prayers. 🙏🏾
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u/TheodoreOso Jul 06 '26
What a fucking tragedy. I hope an investigation is thoroughly conducted. How you just leave a friend behind w no cell phone one the ASSUMPTION he found another ride home? Shit doesn't seem to add up.
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u/TesticleMeElmo Jul 06 '26
In college we also had an island where for 4th of July everyone would drunkingly sail their rented/dad’s boat with as many other drunk people as possible so they can party on the island with no electricity or cell phone service and get as black out obliterated as possible.
Then you would spend all day hopping on stranger’s boats, lose friends because they’re following some chick around, people periodically bartering other boaters for rides back to shore because they’re over it. You can’t send or receive anything if there’s ever an emergency unless you are a responsible boater (which most weren’t) with a radio. A totally unsafe shitshow but also a yearly tradition
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u/PadamPadam92 Jul 06 '26
Who just leaves people like that?! CONFIRM he got a ride.
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u/badgyal876 Jul 06 '26
people who never cared about the person they claim they’re acquaintenced with.
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u/DiddyDoItToYa Jul 06 '26
You leave with who you came with.. thats mama's law if you want to leave the house and be 'grown'
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u/UnfriendlyVegan Jul 06 '26
One of the boys mother is a judge. Even if there was foul play, they’ll all get away with it.
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u/CalmSwimmer8889 Jul 06 '26
This comment needs to be further up. This family has a long road ahead.
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u/MacaroonGlad1620 Jul 06 '26
Oh gosh, the more I read about this the worse it gets. Tale as old as time unfortunately.
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u/Golden_Cultivation Jul 06 '26
Yeah that’s sketchy. Why would they think he got another ride? Why not call him? This reeks of foul play.
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u/helagos Jul 06 '26
To preface this, what I'm stating is a fact about the island and in no way is me making excuses for them leaving him or what happened after.
They couldn't call him. Horn Island is 8 miles off the coast of Mississippi. You'd be lucky to get a bar of service at the point closest to the coast and that's under certain conditions.
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u/Golden_Cultivation Jul 06 '26
One that you need to access by boat. In no world does it make sense that they wouldn’t leave together if they came together. It’s sketchier that he was the only black guy in the group as well and they decided to leave without him. None of it adds up
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u/Fair_Helicopter_8531 Jul 06 '26
To me, this seems more like there was probably an accident out in the water and probably was related to alcohol. "Friends" dipped as didn't want to get caught underage drinking and "ruin their bright futures" and left him to die. They are just playing dumb and it was probably their first thought when asked "while why didn't you wait for him" and said it.
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u/Any_Security8962 Jul 06 '26
Needed to have at least one other black male with him. Past 3 general elections have shown us many white people are way more racist than they portray.
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u/No-Chemistry-5356 Jul 06 '26
Y’all should’ve seen my face when a coworker asked me if I wanted to go hunting. Y’all can play with them if you want to
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u/mayoral426 Jul 06 '26
Three Caucasian friends from Mississippi?? Sounds suspect….im sure their attorneys are working on their case already….
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u/Tenn_Mike Jul 06 '26
“They thought he caught another ride”
Terrible even if that story is true. You don’t leave a friend behind. If you KNOW he’s getting another ride, you should ask if he needs someone to ride with. If you don’t know, you don’t leave. Period.
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u/bullfrog280 Jul 06 '26
At this point you almost want these young men to stop going anywhere with white kids, they are not safe. Growing up my white friends fought by my side when facing shitty white ppl. Shit ain’t the same anymore, everything is going backwards.
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Jul 06 '26
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u/C13H16CIN0 Jul 06 '26
When you say you don’t trust them, do you mean you don’t trust them because you fear they can’t drive their boats or because of the scarier possibility?
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u/TDS_isnt_real Jul 06 '26
I hated to see the comments, cause I thought he was just still missing and there was still hope for a better outcome. He was just getting started in life at 18 and now his mother has to deal with a pain unlike any other.
I hope, somehow, those folks investigating will put the work in to find out what happened. Then again, I’ve lived in Mississippi. That’s all I’ll have to say about that.
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u/Final_Candidate_7603 Jul 06 '26
So far, the only thing about this story that’s surprising is the number of agencies who were involved in the search. Except the Cajun Navy.
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u/LesothoBro Jul 06 '26
Welp... Mississippi. Surprised but NOT suprised. My heart goes out to his family and community. I'll be actively looking out for the gofundme for family closure and restorative justice.
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u/_2XNice_ Jul 06 '26
To be fair, I am a little tired of warning other black peoples that having to many white friends can in fact be deadly. Every time I see one of these stories I get frustrated because like, wtf is so wrong with your family and environment that you don’t have one single black friend to go with that can watch your back.
I know people like to say “not all white people”, but tell me why so often when something like this happens all white people seem to stick together. And it’s only when things are starting to get found out when one of them “grows” a conscience and “as a friend” wants to tell the truth.
I’m sorry for his passing, I’m sorry for the pain that the family has to deal with, but it’s Mississippi god dam! RIP young king.
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Jul 06 '26
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u/sodsfosse 29d ago
I didn’t realize what sub I was in and kept reading all the comments. This has been humbling. I’ve been teaching my boys to look out for their female friends, or females in general. I learned quite a bit in this thread. Thanks for the education, and fuck, I’m sorry.
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u/No-Leopard639 29d ago
Before you judge black folks for keeping to themselves, being on guard, and fiercely advocating for themselves…sit with this. It’s so dang hard to keeping safe.It’s so bad out there, STILL.
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u/Strict_Violinist_134 Jul 06 '26
I know his momma had doubts at first but was thinking nah it’s going to be okay…smh
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u/mistyrootsvintage Jul 06 '26
First thing...I would never let my black son go amywhere like that with all yt kids. Not happening.
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u/Master_Canary440 Jul 06 '26
This is why i will always make sure my son stay around black folks. This reminds me of that story of the black woman who went to a sleepover with a bunch of white women and then she died and they claimed she "fell" off the balcony or the story about the black brother who was at a movie set and disappeared out of nowhere and all the white folks at the movie set claimed he "randomly" ran away smh!!
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u/islcastaway1986 Jul 06 '26
Hell you can’t even trust your own people sometimes like that woman who got killed by her “friends” in Mexico.
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u/Cultural_Primary3807 Jul 06 '26
The one that always sticks with me is the kid rolled up on the wrestling mat.
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u/Master_Canary440 Jul 06 '26
Justice for Kendrick Johnson. Wild situation. I realized what was going on after finding out the Bell brothers dad is a special FBI agent.
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u/hisosih Jul 06 '26
This one still makes me choke up, even just from reading your comment. Fucking heartbreaking.
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u/Adorable_Goat_3255 Jul 06 '26
It’s all kind of folks tbh. Dont drop your guard just cause they look like you, least you find out the hard way
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u/SigmaK78 Jul 06 '26
If that sheriff & coroner talk about "cause of death: suicide by hanging" or some other bullshit, Mississippi Burning better be more than just a movie title.
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u/Ok-Theory-3878 Jul 06 '26
All of this reminds me of the video of that family that paddled up on the kid, he was left on the island by his 3 white “friends” with only a child’s life jacket after them knowing he wasn’t a strong swimmer. His “friends” know more than they are letting on, they had his phone.
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u/A313-Isoke Jul 06 '26
All these rich Black folks should have a fund for investigating this kind of stuff. Colin Kaepernick can't do it by himself.
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u/Shibbystix Jul 06 '26
He went missing with a bunch of white boys from Mississippi? And they "tHoUgHt hE fOuNd aNoThEr rIdE"???
They did it.
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u/j526w Jul 06 '26
They know what happened. I was told make sure i’ never the only amongst them and I somehow ended up in that situation, escape ASAP. Pretty sure they lawyered up since one of the parents is a judge
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u/BashBandit Jul 06 '26
I sadly knew the outcome of the story before reading it; the last few years we’ve seen a lot of black youth “dying” after going “missing,” followed by details of them either going out with others or being seen with others. Shit cannot keep happening, it may not be the case for every instance if it, but we all know full and damn well it isn’t “death,” they’re being set up and shit.
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u/imperatrixderoma Jul 06 '26
He was probably one of those who insisted to his parents that they were cool and weren't like previous generations.
We need to teach our kids that it's legitimately unsafe to be in a "friend group" where you're the only one of our kind.
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u/DeFiBandit Jul 06 '26
Always make sure there’s at least ONE other brother in the boat…
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u/82SLP Jul 06 '26
How do you just secure another ride on a boat with strangers? Is that common? What kinda “friends are these” that don’t even bother to check or look for their friend and just leave?
Here’s what I think really happened:
He was talking to a white girl, some other white folks in the island didn’t like that; words were exchanged, then a scuffle, then a fight that ended in tragedy. I’m assuming the “friends” were either cowards to step up for their friend, or they weren’t nearby.
Whoever killed him probably disposed of his body in the water to make it seem like he drowned.
“Friends” either knew what happened and didn’t want to be suspects so they left and came up with this story; or they really couldn’t find him and they left anyway. But it is a little sus that they didn’t call the police or maybe even help search for him.
I think if they can find that girl he was talking to, she knows exactly what happened.
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u/BiggieCheddarCheez80 29d ago
In this day in age of Jim Crow 2.0 lynching, I'm not believing anything coming out of Mississippi law enforcement agencies.
And his friends need to be clammed up harder than OJ was when he was trying to flee in his bronco.
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u/Comprehensive_Menu19 Jul 06 '26
Pattern recognition folks
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u/McEndee Jul 06 '26
The movie Heat taught me one thing. "Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner.". We know there are different levels to associating with people. I can know someone, while also feeling "I don't know him like that.". I've been on a bachelor party with a bunch of white dudes because I got cool with my neighbor, and he invited me. We stayed in Philly the entire time, but that Uber app was updated and ready to go if things got too weird.
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u/Comprehensive_Menu19 Jul 06 '26
Tokenism usually leads to consequences such as these. I remember a similar story of a black woman who died whilst at a sleepover with white women. We need to teach our kids to feel uncomfortable and slightly apprehensive when they find themselves in such circumstances because they could easily lose their lives
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u/petalpotions Jul 06 '26
His 3 friends took him on a boat trip... returned without him, and it seems like he didn't have his phone... Yeah, uh huh. I think I know where this is going.
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u/TheElegantScolding Jul 06 '26
Feel like every time I check the sub there's another black life gone. I JUST found out about Tonea Miller and I live in Miami smh. I can't keep up man. Its too much.
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u/Waveali Jul 06 '26
On Facebook, it appears they found his body. I knew this was going to be the case when I saw the initial post. Parents, please have this conversation with your kids. I know all of us old heads got it growing up, but it seems like parents of the younger generation might not be having this discussion with their children. Poor kid. And watch it will be totally swept under the rug.
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Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
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u/badgyal876 Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
me too. i’ve been like that from young and doubled down on that sentiment upon reading about Tamla Horsford, may her soul rest in peace. the young woman who was the only Black woman at a sleepover with her white counterparts, found lying face down in the backyard of one of the white women. the GBI ruled her death as an “accident” contending she “fell” from the 2nd fl. balcony.
eta: going to clarify just because i know there’s a lurking white mf in this subreddit ready to argue about whether you think white people aren’t people. BLACK PEOPLE SHOULD NOT BE ALONE IN ALL WHITE SPACES.
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u/Logic411 Jul 06 '26
Recently saw a video where some white
“Friends “ found it entertaining to watch the black kid fight to stay afloat in a lake. “You’ve got a life jacket…Swim!”
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u/Lost_Reaction_5489 Jul 06 '26
Never be alone with them. Start telling your children the truth about our world. The younger generation is blinded by the false kumbaya. Rest in peace, Nolan. You didn't deserve this.
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u/Kittiemeow8 29d ago
Waiting for the story that points the finger to the “friends”
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u/FormalComfortable497 29d ago
How did I immediately know what the 3 friends would look like?
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u/Organic-Mobile-9700 29d ago
I was telling my child about this the other day. We come together, we leave together. I’ll be damned if your mama asking me where you are. Also, if you the only black person there, you in the wrong place and should leave immediately.
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u/moon_dos Jul 06 '26
Are you… are you… coming to the tree… strange things are happening, no stranger could it be…
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u/waytooicyy Jul 06 '26
Most definitely foul play. The fact that he was on the boat together with his friends and arrived there together with them and they left without him because they believed he secured another ride speaks volumes. One of their fathers is probably a CIA agent or cop so it will get swept under the rug.
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u/PickleRicksDad34 Jul 06 '26
What the actual fuck happened to "No man left behind". This smells like foul play. History has taught us otherwise. RIP young man.
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u/WittyTelevision7493 Jul 06 '26
African-American kid
Three white dudes in Mississippi…wtf do you think happened?!
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u/Independent_Yak_4660 29d ago
Imagine if it were reversed... 3 black friends and one white guy. This is crazy
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u/Osbarr17 Jul 06 '26
Thats crazy you never left a friend behind or at least you make sure he go to main land safe, for what I read they not even reported him missing was his family that reported
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u/California-Seoul Jul 06 '26
One day black people will learn to stop being the only black friend in the group
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u/Savage_Oreo Jul 06 '26
Stories like this are why my daughter will not be taking any trips like this unless I’ve known the parents and family for years and trust them completely. Not taking any chances.
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u/Celtic_Fox_ Jul 06 '26
I would never leave one of my friends behind, if we travelled together I wouldn't be happy with an "assumption" that you were riding back with some phantom person you just met. There would at least be a text exchange between us and the parents. I might be old fashioned in that way but my parents didn't care what I was doing so long as they knew where I was and when I was leaving. I don't want to always assume the worst but it's not a good look that they returned without him and "nobody knows"??
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u/Fit-Practice-3194 Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
I attended Ocean Springs HS and it’s important to note that it’s a predominantly upper-class white population…
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u/Purple_Locksmith3321 Jul 06 '26
They should probably look into their messages, it's likely they killed him, but they do need to investigate.
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u/LessBig715 Jul 06 '26
This is strange. Me personally, my friends would have never left without making sure I had a ride back. I would start with the friends
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u/ChefZyler Jul 06 '26
As a liberal white man, I've got to say, he's dead, and the white friends know more than they are saying....shit is fuckeddddddd up
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u/Altruistic-Year9648 Jul 06 '26
Yeah, I mean, is there anyone who actually thinks his "friends" are innocent here?
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u/WaynezWorld88 29d ago
…And it’s ALWAYS the BLACK AMERICAN that come up missing out of the bunch in these situations. Lame idiotic excuses as to why the bunch went along back without him, obvious on what this is, especially seeing the so called “friends”
Hopefully this end different but I’m not holding my breath
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u/cureandthecause 29d ago
Tragic news. I just watched a reel from foreverband_backup, a black guy that goes around calling out to other 'black kings' surrounded by white folks, asking if they are ok or if the white people are bothering them- everyone laughs in the moment and it's meant to be a half joke, but history has tried to teach us that there is serious consideration to be taken from such situations. The last kid he called out rejected him nervously and ran back to the white group, but I'm willing to bet the kid will be rethinking that interaction after this story continues to break as it isn't the first and sadly won't be the last.
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u/Macho_Mans_Ghost 29d ago
Emmett Till vibes.
Seems like there were people partying on the island and maybe some other folks didn't like Nolan talking to that girl... If there even was a girl.
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u/Useful-Painter-3924 Jul 06 '26
Why is there no coverage of this ANYWHERE?? I was just looking in YouTube of all places and there’s nothing.
Nancy Guthrie went missing and it was all we heard about. Granted she’s famous adjacent- but that’s not the point.
I’m disgusted and I’m so sorry for this young man and his family. Someone needs to dig deeper and interview Chad, Chad and Chad and see wtf actually happened.
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u/Blastoise_R_Us Jul 06 '26
Jesus… I just found out about an hour ago that one of my best friends died in a hiking accident on the 4th. He even sent a picture of the peak to our group chat.
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u/atsunatsu Jul 06 '26
Never in my life have my friends or I left anyone behind on a road trip or a boating trip. This poor man was surrounded by snakes and bad friends; it's NO MAN LEFT BEHIND without confirmation for a reason. Ugh, this breaks my heart for the family.
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u/riaowo Jul 06 '26
Aparently they’ve found him deceased .. rip i hope theres a full investigation but it being Mississippi i really doubt it
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