As investigators continue working to determine what happened to Nolan Wells after the 18-year-old disappeared during a Fourth of July trip to Mississippi’s Horn Island, Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter is urging the public to be patient — and to avoid jumping to conclusions.

Speaking to ABC News’ Aaron Katersky in an interview that aired on Good Morning America on Tuesday, July 14, Ledbetter said his office is continuing to gather evidence as investigators await autopsy and toxicology results.

“I think it’s important we don’t put ourselves on a timetable, that we don’t rush ourselves,” Ledbetter said. “But I do think it’s important to be diligent in gathering all the facts. That’s what the family deserves.”

Authorities have previously said they believe Wells may have drowned after disappearing during a July 4 boat trip with friends to Horn Island, a barrier island off Mississippi’s Gulf Coast.

Rip currents have been dangerous in the area before: A teenage girl was taken to the hospital from Dauphin Island, not far from Horn Island, in 2022 after being stuck in the water.

“It’s like an invisible force, you can’t see it,” one local told local outlet WALA at the time.

A local boat captain echoed that to ABC, saying this week: “Down there at the end of the west end of the island, there’s a current that can get you really quick and it gets deep.”

Wells’ body was found in the water near the island’s northwest end on July 6 — though investigators have stressed they have not yet determined an official cause of death.

Wells’ family has also pushed back on the suspicion of an accidental death. “If he’s drowning, nobody sees him drown? Nobody offers assistance? Nobody tries to help?” their attorney, Ben Crump, has said.

Ledbetter told ABC that investigators are still seeking photos, videos and firsthand accounts from anyone who was on Horn Island that day. “Even if you may think it might be insignificant, every little bit helps,” he said. “That may be a bigger contribution than you think to this case.”

Asked whether alcohol or drugs may have played a role in Wells’ death, Ledbetter declined to speculate. “Of course the rumors are out there,” he said. “We don’t respond to rumors. We respond to facts.”

The sheriff’s comments came after Wells’ friend Tracestin Shepherd told GMA that members of the group spent the holiday swimming and drinking.

“Well, we were just having fun all day,” Shepherd said. “And then as the day went on, people started to drink more and people started getting more drunk.”

Brian Trascher, vice president and spokesman for the United Cajun Navy, which assisted in the search for Wells, also says it’s not clear if or how much Wells may have been drinking.

“My understanding is that even though there was pictures of the boys drinking beer and stuff, Nolan’s blood alcohol level was not at an intoxicated level,” he tells PEOPLE.

 

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Meanwhile, Shepherd has also pushed back against online speculation surrounding Wells’ death, saying he and the other teens who were with Wells have faced threats despite cooperating with investigators.

“We did no wrong here and we don’t understand how we’re getting so much hate behind us,” Shepherd said during an interview with GMA that aired on Monday. “We all cared and loved Nolan, and nobody wanted to see Nolan die. Nobody wanted to see his life be taken so short.”

He similarly told Rolling Stone that he decided to speak publicly because he wanted to counter misinformation surrounding the case.

“I’m tired of speculation, of not being able to talk, it’s time for somebody to start speaking up,” he told the outlet. “I’m not just hurting because of Nolan, I’m also hurting because I call my friends and you can hear it in their voice that they’re terrified of what these people will do to them. It’s gone completely way too far.”

Ledbetter previously told ABC News that Shepherd and the other teens who were on the trip have cooperated with investigators.

Wells’ family, meanwhile, has launched its own independent investigation and commissioned a separate autopsy, arguing that questions remain about the teen’s final hours.

Investigators are also awaiting the official medical examiner’s findings, including toxicology results, as they continue working to determine exactly what happened.