Missing Teen Nolan Wells: Search on Horn Island

A massive search is underway in Mississippi after 18-year-old Nolan Wells vanished during a Fourth of July trip to Horn Island. Authorities are asking anyone who was on the water over the holiday weekend to help bring him home.

According to the Jackson County Sheriff's Department, Nolan was last seen around 3 p.m. Saturday on the northwest tip of Horn Island, off the coast of Ocean Springs. He was wearing black shorts and sunglasses. He had traveled to the island by boat with friends, but it's unclear if he made it back to the mainland.

The island was crowded with boaters over the holiday, complicating the search. Gautier Mayor Casey Vaughan urged the public to report any information, no matter how small, that could help locate Nolan.

Multiple agencies joined the search, including the Jackson and Harrison County sheriff's departments, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, and the United Cajun Navy. The United Cajun Navy later called off the search, and a body was found on Horn Island on Tuesday morning, though the identity has not been confirmed.

Nolan is described as about 6 feet tall and 180 pounds. His mother said he was hanging out with a girl before he disappeared and was separated from his phone, which was later returned to the family. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources or the Jackson County Sheriff's Department.