With scarce official communication, much new information has been coming from outside sources. The latest is a report from the United Cajun Navy, released Thursday.
The report outlines boat movements and some timelines based on photos and statements shared with the Navy, as well as social media posts. But key information, like when Wells definitively last seen, remains unclear.
"That's been the gaping hole since the very beginning is that nobody seems to have seen or heard from Nolan," said the group's vice president Brian Trascher. "From sometime in that late afternoon, depending on which account you put credibility on, either 4:30 or 6:00 on July 4."
Trascher hopes the report will be useful for the public (especially for people unfamiliar with Horn Island) and for officials as they continue seeking evidence and information to aid the investigation.
"This is not a investigative report by any means: this is a compilation of data that we received, that we put into a format that we hope will be helpful to somebody," said Trascher.
"It's not any smoking gun."
In the meantime, the lack of official information has been a source of frustration for the public and other officials.
"Law enforcement, we respect, but they have to do their job," Congressman Bennie Thompson told MPB in Yazoo City earlier this week. "You can't do your job and not talk to the public. I just think that's fundamental in a democracy. If you don't, you create doubt and suspicion."
Ocean Springs, where Wells is from, isn’t part of Thompson’s district, but Thompson says his office has received calls everyday from people all over the country with concerns about this case.
"My wish is that whatever information that's available in the normal course of activity, they should share it," said Thompson. "That doesn't mean you compromise the investigation: but you have to hold press conferences, you have to let the family know what's going on."
"There are just some fundamental principles of law enforcement in terms of public information that should be followed."
This lack of information is compounded by continued misinformation online – just recently, a fake toxicology report was being shared around social media just after the state autopsy was completed.
"When something like that gets put out, it's tragic for the family: they've lost a loved one and that is information that is typically not revealed in that manner," said Tindell.
And, Tindell said, it creates unnecessary issues for the investigation.
"There were some clear signs that it was faked, but it also hinders the investigation because again, people see it, they might think there's no reason to come forward with information," Tindell said.
When it comes to practically navigating the sheer volume of information circulating around the case, Ame Posey, who hosts media literacy trainings with the University of Southern Mississippi's community journalism center, says it's best to pause and verify.
"As much as some people online want to say I have exclusive access, unless there is a reasonable explanation for why they would have access to specific photos or specific report, then most likely what they are sharing is not a verified piece of information," she said.
Artificial Intelligence has also been a huge issue in this case, with numerous AI-generated videos of Wells and his family circulating online. His mother, Christine Wells-Wonsley, has highlighted several on her Facebook page as being fraudulent, like one falsely claimingWells-Wonsley lost her job.
"If you see a video of Nolan Wells' mother saying something controversial, or you see a video that shows somebody involved in the investigation doing something or saying something that would be controversial or would be damning to the investigation...take that moment and pause and go see if you can verify that video or that image somewhere else," said Posey.
Posey added that clues like glitching, abnormal lighting or shadows, and oddities with hair or skin texture can be technical clues that a video is AI-generated.
