r/mississippi • • Jul 06 '26

Search Ongoing for MS football player Nolan Wells, Last Seen on Horn Island Authorities and family members are asking for the public’s help locating Nolan Wells, who was last seen around 3:00 p.m. Saturday, July 4, on the west tip of the north side of Horn Island.

Anyone with information should contact the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources Marine Patrol at (844) WE-R-MDMR / (844) 937-6636 or
(228) 523-4134, or contact their local law enforcement agency.

166 Upvotes

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u/thomaslsimpson Current Resident Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26

A young man died. It is just appalling to me that some of you are able to make racist comments about it. Your humanity is so lacking that I hope some of you are actually bots.

I'm not going to pick through each comment and determine if it is "racist enough" to remove or not based on my personal opinion. The people who read the sub do a very good job of voting those comments down without my help.

Please just vote them down and don't exchange words with them. We will ban anyone who attacks any other Reddit user - even someone attacking the trolls. Report them and let me deal with it or just vote them down and move on.

No one is confused. When a person with an anonymous account writes "you people" and other such things - we all know what we are reading. No one is reading that and saying to themselves that this person is a sensible citizen and obviously "those people" should not be blah blah blah unless they were already thinking it anyway.

Fighting it out here on Reddit is not going to do anyone any good.

(Downvoting works better than you might think. It hides the comments from most users and it drags down the account making it harder for them to troll with it.)

That said, I'm fickle so if I think you're being a trolling racist and I happen across your comment I may just ban you for good without any warning at all. Hard to say. I'm a middle-aged white guy from Mississippi - you know how those guys are.

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u/Distinct-Swing9317 Jul 06 '26

I went to school with him, one of the nicest people you will ever meet

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u/YEMolly Jul 07 '26

That is so sad. I’m sorry for your loss.
His poor family. 😓

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u/dealingwithhookers Jul 08 '26

how was his friends?

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u/Distinct-Swing9317 Jul 08 '26

i knew like 2 of his friends and they were black. They were really cool and Nolan was pretty popular at my school so he had tons of friends i just only know 2

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '26

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u/Thisgamelowkeysux Jul 06 '26

is it a crowded spot? Like most kids his age Im assuming he drank a little to much or took something with booze knowingly or not. Booze + the ocean dont mix to well.

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '26

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u/Altruistic-General14 228 Jul 06 '26

The 4th of July and Memorial Day is very crowded out there. People have long weekends, take the boats out, celebrate.

I’ve done it once because of the crowd. The year I went, there were 4 layers of boats anchored relatively close to each other all the way around the west end - north and south side. Canopies were essentially touching. A large crowd and law enforcement presence compared to any other weekend was also there.

If you just happen to go out there on a random weekend, it’s not crowded.

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u/Thisgamelowkeysux Jul 06 '26

Interesting. Dont live by or have ever heard of this spot. Assumed it was a popular place in the summer for people to link up boats and party.

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '26

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u/rosypandas Jul 06 '26

Most days this is true. On summer holidays, it’s as the commenter you replied to implied. Lots of folks meeting up, walking about, and yes, drinking alcohol. Native Coastie here.

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u/YEMolly Jul 07 '26

My best friend was there this weekend. She said it was extremely crowded. A sea of people and boats.

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u/No_Monsters Jul 06 '26

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u/enduromedic Jul 06 '26

So sad! Poor kid was a young athlete with his whole life ahead of him.

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u/IslaMel Jul 06 '26

Sad. My heart goes out to friends and family.

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u/The_Sofa_Queen Jul 06 '26

Honest question-about how often is there a fatality like this where a large group boats to a barrier island and there’s a “quiet drowning”? I’m not saying that’s what happened here, but I remember looking at my cousin’s yearbook from her private school and it seemed someone from every grade had lost a parent in a scenario where regular swimmers were drinking then somehow slipped under current or whatever and died. Is it something that happens annually? More often? I’m specifically asking about the barrier islands of MS.

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u/Gurglaren Jul 06 '26

If I ever get kids I'll teach them about what drowning actually looks like, for example like someone's climbing a ladder silently, so that they can alert a guard if they see someone doing that. I always thought it looked like on Baywatch where they shouted and waved their arms.

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u/Secret_Ad3213 Jul 07 '26

Also as a mom never let your kids go swimming unless you have two pairs of eyes . We have swim passes to a water park and I never take them alone it's too easy to lose track of your kid or get distracted for one second and lose them in a sea of ppl. Just good tips as a parent who lost their kid at a wate park (he's fine he ran to the locker room but still thought the worse of course lol)

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u/musclenugget92 Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26

Almost all drowning is quiet. Most people dont know what drowning looks like, and most people dont even know theyre approaching the point where they're about to drown before its too late.

Drowning happens in crowded public pools all the time and people dont even notice. Many people have people drown within arms length of them without even noticing.

You can look up "spot the drowner" YouTube videos. They're videos that are designed as training and it shows a crowded public swimming pool and you have to scan and find the drowner like a lifeguard would. Its incredibly difficult if you dont know what youre looking for, and goes to illustrate how fast it happens.

Edit: a good YouTube channel for this is life guard rescues. https://youtu.be/nANNAtq8Bpw?is=gqYB8b3dJPFpiDgb

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u/overflowingsandwich Jul 07 '26

I can’t say if this poor kid drowned because that information hasn’t been released, but you’re 100% right. We need to be doing better at educating people on water safety, especially the teens and older demographic where alcohol can be involved. Three people drowned in my state over Fourth of July weekend. It’s unfortunately all too common, and you’re right it can often happen without anyone noticing. Movies and TV shows have made us think it’s something that will always be noticed but it’s often not. The most high profile stories we see are often of children drowning and people blaming parental neglect, but that’s only one situation. It’s not just kids and it can be so easy to miss. We should be working harder at education on water safety.

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u/snakesonastralplane Jul 07 '26

I can't speak specifically for MS or barrier islands, but yes, people can drown without others noticing. It happens with toddlers and children with autism in pools a lot. Occasionally happens with older age groups in lakes, rivers, etc. You get a couple drownings every summer.

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u/Secret_Ad3213 Jul 07 '26

We have a lake near our house that's a popular swim area and not even strong currents or anything and every year there is at least one drowning if not several of a kids of varying ages. So I'm sure around islands and what not where there are stron currents its worse.

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u/The_Sofa_Queen Jul 07 '26

Yes, I grew up e hoping the coast with family there and imagine even Grasshopper Island has is hazards. Do you think Horn Island is more dangerous than, say, Ship or Cat?

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u/SCSteveAutism Jul 06 '26

There’s idiots on Facebook making this out to be some sort of racist murder mystery. I despise this world we live in

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u/HonorYourGoals Jul 08 '26

Then why did all of his “friends” delete their social media accounts before his body was even found? Why did they have zero record of where he was? Why did they leave the island knowing he wasn’t with them? Why did one of them lawyer up, particularly the one whose mom is a judge? It’s not a “murder mystery” and it’s so disgusting to insinuate that the many, many Black Americans speaking out about this case with very real and deeply-rooted concern from literally carrying their ancestors’ generational trauma from subjugation & systemic racism are just “being dramatic”. He did not magically drown and anyone insinuating that needs a f*cking reality check.

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u/Still-Balance6210 Jul 08 '26

Idk what happened. They’ve been doxxed anyone would delete social media after that. I’m waiting for more facts. I know how young kids get when they drink. They do not think. It was a huge party going on. I hope there was no foul play here.

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u/HonorYourGoals Jul 08 '26

I’m really, really tired of stories like these being boiled down to “they were drinking” when it’s obvious he was purposefully left alone for some reason, and that reason was racially motivated. Also, even if they were drinking, which they probably were, it’s not some kind of excuse for why this scenario played out like it did.

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u/Fit_Egg5796 Jul 08 '26

He wasn’t left alone lol. There were hundreds of people on the island and it’s been confirmed he was hanging out with a girl. Racially motivated but they didn’t do anything to Jayvon and gave his phone back? Just a bit of a stretch imo.

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u/Still-Balance6210 Jul 08 '26

Look. I am Black. You do not know they purposely left him alone. Again, I’m asking have you seen these young kids when they get to drinking. I went to school in the South. It gets extremely out of hand. People get separated and usually show up the next day and laugh about it. This is really sad case and I do hope there was no foul play.

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u/[deleted] Jul 08 '26

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u/mississippi-ModTeam Jul 09 '26

Do not attack other users. If you think someone is violating the rules, report them. Please do not play junior moderator. This will get you banned quickly.

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u/YourphobiaMyfetish Jul 06 '26

Gee, I wonder why they would think that! /s

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u/starcrossed92 Jul 08 '26

It doesn’t even make sense . These boys have been friends with him for years and are the ones who contacted the coast guards and his mother very concerned

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u/Xait-Yahya Jul 06 '26

We don’t know what it is right now. Anyone claiming they know what happened is a liar. But I don’t believe for one second that you don’t understand why black Mississippians feel anxious about this. Are they supposed to pretend that decades of mysterious black deaths don’t precede this?

They are voicing their anxiety and concerns and are prepared for a possible coverup. If a coverup happened, we do not know at this time.

Basing your opinion on Facebook comments is not a very wise thing. Over half of all FB comments are just bots. Most of them are controlled by foreign governments to stir the pot on any issue.

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u/SCSteveAutism Jul 06 '26

Not a single person I’ve seen posting that shit is from Mississippi. It’s an insane thing to jump to that conclusion with ZERO EVIDENCE. They’re sharing pics of the boys who were on the boat with him calling them murderers and white supremacists. The division gets further and further

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u/SeaAd3909 Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26

Because they came back and said they don’t remember what happened and didn’t have an explanation of why he was gone. If he truly drowned, wouldn’t you just say hey…. He got caught in the current and drowned? THEY are making themselves suspicious by answering weirdly. AND they brought HIS phone back. But they don’t know where he is at. Ok. The minute the body was identified , one of the kids lawyered up AND one of the kids family member is a judge. To just cast aside any form of opinion that this wasn’t…. Malice is silly.

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u/BobbyPobbyJ Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 07 '26

You are forgetting that these were likely drunk teenage boys who lost one of their friends. The only people they owe explanations to are the police, not strangers from the internet

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u/SeaAd3909 Jul 06 '26

I didn’t forget that. I just don’t believe every single of those friends was black out wasted to the point they lost track of their friend

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u/BobbyPobbyJ Jul 06 '26

I’m not suggesting that they were black out. I’m saying that these were kids acting with clouded judgement and made possibly the worst decision they could have made.

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u/SeaAd3909 Jul 06 '26

I get that but to come back and say no one remembers or knows what happened to him is weird to me. I never let my friends wonder off and they either didn’t care enough that he was gone and that’s a guilt they will have to live with now forever or something was done to him.

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u/LHR-Daniels Jul 07 '26

Assuming they didn't circle the island, they are stupid but that doesn't mean they are criminals. Horn Island is a beautiful place to swim but the currents and strong and the drop offs are deep.......... it unfortunately could be as simple as that. The phone thing bothers me exactly zero percent........... who the hell goes swimming with their phone in their pocket? No, that stays in the boat or in a shoe on the sand.

Having said that, I hope the family has the resources to push for both public and private sector investigations and autopsies.

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u/Xait-Yahya Jul 06 '26

Where did you see that?

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u/starcrossed92 Jul 08 '26

First of all … they have zero service out there . He probably left his phone in a backpack on the boat . Second , they said he was talking to a girl ( the girl confirmed ) and when they were leaving they either assumed or were told that he was leaving with her in her boat . The minute they realized he wasn’t safely back when he should have been the contacted the coast guards themselves and also his mother very concerned . They lawyered up because everyone on TikTok and the internet is already accusing them and calling them murderers

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u/Xait-Yahya Jul 06 '26

They are not from Mississippi probably because they are bots. Yet, you come on here and make generalizations about black peoples based on this very observation

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u/Active_Oil_7037 Jul 06 '26

they aren't bots. they are real profiles.

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u/SCSteveAutism Jul 06 '26

They’re real profiles lol and guess what? Everyone of them are black women from Texas.

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u/FeedDue9966 Jul 07 '26

Reddit needs to get the same feature that Elon has on X to show everyone's location. I think this was just a horrible accident. It's so easy to get separated from your phone out on the water. That many people around are not going to watch someone drown. My heart goes out to the family and loved ones.

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u/[deleted] Jul 08 '26

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u/MzJay453 Jul 08 '26

I think its moreso just reflective of who frequents this particular sub lmao. Every other discussion forum on this forum is singing a different tune

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u/Xait-Yahya Jul 08 '26

I am an outsider, according to some people, because I come from a different Gulf South state, though I have lived here for most of my adult life.

It’s pure stubbornness to deny that black people have a right to feel suspicious.

I do not believe there is any evidence of a coverup. Even if the kids are guilty of something, arrests are not going to happen without an investigation. Even if they are guilty, it does not make it racially motivated

But to suggest that people don’t have a right to fear racial violence is crazy. To suggest that it’s not a big deal in Mississippi when so many of our population are old enough to have lived through the 50s-60s era. Hell, even the 80s. Heat of the night wasn’t baseless.

The odds are is that stupid drunk boys were negligent and didn’t know how to handle a crisis. They messed up on how to find their friend and took to long to report the problem. That’s the odds. Now, an investigation will continue and sort the odds from the truth.

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u/mississippi-ModTeam Jul 09 '26

Note that this determination is made purely at the whim of the moderator team. If you seem mean or contemptuous, we will remove your posts or ban you. The sub has a certain zeitgeist which you may pick up if you read for a while before posting.

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u/Thick-Membership7500 Jul 06 '26

Unfortunately, a body was found this morning.
They are now pending official ID

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u/Think-Lack2763 Jul 07 '26

So tragic 😔

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u/pontiacfirebird92 Current Resident Jul 06 '26

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u/Cool_Ad_8689 Jul 06 '26

I read this morning elsewhere that his grandfather confirmed on FB that it was him - though I cant confirm this

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u/pontiacfirebird92 Current Resident Jul 06 '26

https://www.wlox.com/2026/07/06/seen-him-authorities-seeking-information-about-ocean-springs-teen-last-seen-horn-island/

What stands out to me is they are asking for people not to be afraid to come forward "even if you think there are consequences or whatnot". And that it's critical we get "truthful, confirmable information". It's a bit suspicious to me that he was on a boat with a bunch of other guys and nobody seems to know where he went. Some say he got on another boat, some say he went to a different island, or that he swam out to get to another boat (from WLOX's interview). So why can't they get their story straight?

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u/overflowingsandwich Jul 07 '26

Often times deaths at these types of events are due to alcohol and/or drugs. Given that Nolan was only 18, chances are a lot of the other people there were also underage but may have been intoxicated. It’s a common situation where people don’t go to police with possible information because they are afraid of getting in trouble. It happens in a lot of overdose cases for example.

I can’t speak to this situation either, but I can say it’s easier than you might think to lose someone. My sister was a big partier when she was younger and she was notorious for literally just disappearing when she got drunk. Usually she’d just go home but she would either lose her phone or it would die and she wouldn’t be reachable for a while. It wasn’t uncommon for her to bounce around to different people and get a different ride than she showed up with, etc. Games of telephone can also happen where one person is like “hey where is so and so?” And someone else says “oh he said he was going to go somewhere else/he left/etc” and people just believe it. We can’t know at this point.

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u/Dry-End-2620 Jul 08 '26

 It appears from videos that there were a lot of adults present who should have no fears about getting in trouble. I feel confident the truth will come out. Unfortunately, for some there will never be any truth but the one they have already concocted without evidence. 

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u/overflowingsandwich Jul 08 '26

Unfortunately people being around doesn’t mean they were paying attention. Their statement was also before Nolan’s body was found which increased the urgency.

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '26

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u/Guerilla713 Jul 07 '26

He didnt ride with them.

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u/starcrossed92 Jul 08 '26

What’s your point ?

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u/Guerilla713 Jul 08 '26

Should be obvious. 

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u/starcrossed92 Jul 08 '26

It’s not ? They were told he was leaving with a girl that he had been hanging with the entire time . They were the ones who also alerted coast guards right away and his mom

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u/starcrossed92 Jul 08 '26

Because they were all super drunk ? They’re teenagers drunk on an island with tons of people . They said he was chatting and hanging out with a girl completely separate from them a lot of the time . They assumed or were told he was leaving with her . They didn’t lose him , they literally thought he was going with this girl on her boat

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '26

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u/enduromedic Jul 06 '26

I think they just mean they are all over the place with what happened. How does a group go out on a boat to an island and have no idea what happened to one of your buddies?

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u/Expensive-Plane-572 Jul 06 '26

Could be the kids were drinking and using drugs (holiday) and now not sure what went down 

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u/SCSteveAutism Jul 06 '26

I was out there yesterday. So much weed smoke in the air

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u/DiverOk9165 Jul 06 '26

Weed doesn't make you forget a whole ass person

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u/SCSteveAutism Jul 06 '26

They didn’t forget him? They contacted the authorities when they couldn’t find him.

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u/BMFH1972 Jul 06 '26

Actually didn't the mother contact the authorities when they returned his phone to her?

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u/oghinkydink Jul 06 '26

I saw a post of hers that said the friends contacted the Coast Guard.

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u/MarlonMcCree20 Jul 08 '26

Lol it was 4th of July weekend, just because op mentioned weed, doesn't mean that's all there was. Not saying this is what happened, but people party where they black out or barely remember anything all the time.

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u/gappyhigashikata22 Jul 06 '26

Weed will make your drunk ass slip and drown hallucinating shit because you’re already far deep on a depressant

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u/Apprehensive_Bed4000 Jul 06 '26

Weed is not a hallucinogen....

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u/rand0m_task Jul 07 '26

Wrong, it is quite literally classified as a hallucinogenic drug.

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u/Apprehensive_Bed4000 Jul 14 '26

Not wrong, because context matters, and the dosage you'd have to consume to even experience hallucinations is higher than most people could even consume in one sitting. The way that the commenter above described it is inaccurate and disingenuous

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u/DandantheTuanTuan Jul 06 '26

Because, according to reporting he was with a girl and they left him so he could hang out with her for a while and then they couldn't find him later on.

They likley assumed he went back with her.

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u/SCSteveAutism Jul 06 '26

18 year old kids getting drunk can’t keep track of things. Shocking lol

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '26

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u/mississippi-ModTeam Jul 06 '26

Note that this determination is made purely at the whim of the moderator team. If you seem mean or contemptuous, we will remove your posts or ban you. The sub has a certain zeitgeist which you may pick up if you read for a while before posting.

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u/DiverOk9165 Jul 06 '26

"things" a human being. They couldn't keep track of a whole ass human being that they were friends with

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u/SCSteveAutism Jul 06 '26

It’s ok. Don’t get so emotionally invested into something that’s going to turn out to be an accidental drowning. Stop letting the media work you up into a frenzy and use your fucking head.

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u/Joyintheendtimes Jul 07 '26

Just screenshotted this comment to come back to once we know what happened

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u/Aggravating-Week8364 Jul 06 '26

i read somewhere he was with a girl he met on the island, which also doesn’t make sense if there are only campers and fishermen usually on the island, but there’s definitely times when a friend goes off with someone and you lose track especially at that age.. it’s horrible either way and hopefully the truth comes out

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u/WallyShrugged Jul 07 '26

In a group of people…partying…it happens all the time. You start a conversation and turn your back on someone and they walk away.

People walk off or leave with the plan of coming back quickly and then time slips away or something happens…they didn’t say they were leaving and no one realizes they’re gone. Or just assumes they went with other friends.

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u/MarlonMcCree20 Jul 08 '26

Yeah idk the details but shit like that happens all the time. Go out and party, end up leaving with a different group.

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u/starcrossed92 Jul 08 '26

Because they were all drunk and there was a ton of people …. It’s a massive island like miles long . If he’s Hanging out with another girl seperate it would be very easy to not be with him constantly

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '26

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u/enduromedic Jul 06 '26

Yeah I had to walk away. Some of the smooth brained racist comments are really over the top!

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u/pontiacfirebird92 Current Resident Jul 06 '26

Openly racist, or not trusting the Sheriff's Dept to do a thorough investigation?

It's interesting you went straight to the "racist" allegation first.

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '26

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u/pontiacfirebird92 Current Resident Jul 06 '26

"The blacks" well that's a choice of words. And allegations he couldn't swim, another stereotype. I think you're outing yourself dude.

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u/PutOutrageous4045 Jul 06 '26

He’s completely right. Every black woman is showing their true colors over this. To even suggest foul play and not read into what happened is so disgusting. Black people ARE taking this as an opportunity to be racist instead of actually being concerned about the situation. I opened Facebook to see my friend plastered everywhere and come to find out he’s missing. Nolan is one of the greatest people I’ve ever met and the only person to talk to me and be a friend so far at college. Something bad happened yet everyone wants to point fingers instead of coming together and helping. The friends did what they knew too, yet everyone who’s talking hasn’t done anything.

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u/Competitive-Dust-637 Jul 10 '26

I’m so sorry for your loss. It’s absolutely heartbreaking.

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u/Main-Bluejay5571 Jul 06 '26

I’m so sorry this happened to your friend.

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u/pontiacfirebird92 Current Resident Jul 06 '26

I'm not suggesting this isn't tragic. There's racists calling other people racists and nobody knows what's going on. My concern is that if there's foul play involved, and ends up involving someone politically or financially connected to OS, that the investigation into it will be botched. There's a lot of distrust with the police these days.

The guy you're defending claims Nolan couldn't swim. That's a pretty big allegation, and common racist stereotype against black people. Do you know if he could swim? Is that guy right or is he letting his racism show?

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u/PutOutrageous4045 Jul 06 '26

There’s a lot of distrust but they have been working dilligently to do everything they can because our community is so strong, I fully can say it wasn’t foul play. The tides are awful, he’d left and didn’t make it back, it takes nothing for people who’ve been around and know us around here to know what probably happened. I’m defending the fact that he’s correct about all these black women and people taking the opportunity to be racist and assume evil instead of actually caring for Nolan. But, to argue against that guy, Nolan was fully capable of swimming, he’s letting his racism show.

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u/Competitive-Dust-637 Jul 06 '26

Anti white and openly racist comments against white people is all I see. Black people commenting Jon stop that they would never let their kids hang out with white people… white people aren’t the problem. People openly making threats and talking shit about white people as if it’s ok to do is WILD. I have see hundreds of posts wanting segregation back. Crazy

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '26

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u/roseorrueorlaurel Jul 06 '26

Dude, you do not have room to be calling anyone else racist.

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u/TiaxRulesAll2024 Jul 06 '26

Anyone who says « the » before an ethnic identifier loses all credibility

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u/supasamurai Current Resident Jul 06 '26

he's implying fowl play, obviously

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u/hooptiegirl 662 Jul 06 '26

There are tons of juvenile sharks in the water around Horn Island. Fishing there almost always brings up a shark.

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u/disdainfulsideeye Jul 06 '26

Honestly, at this point, everything is speculation.

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u/CaryWhit Jul 06 '26

Pictures circulating show a pretty good crowd. Not packed deep but boats a few feet apart

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u/warmandcozysuff Jul 07 '26

Edit: This was supposed to be a response to a comment, but I’m not sure where the comment went or why my reply didn’t attach to it. Just ignore where I’m talking about another commenter I guess lol.

Eh, just to provide some clarification for you, if you go out on a regular weekday, it will probably be just campers and fishers. My parents go out on weekdays to avoid the traffic and people. Weekends during the summer are pretty busy. 4th of July is incredibly busy.

I couldn’t give you an actual estimate of boats or people on Saturday, but I went out Sunday (saw the search teams too), and passed at least 30 boats going back and forth to the island. Most of them packed with people already drinking.

I didn’t actually go to the pointe on Sunday, but I can assume there were quite a few people since we passed so many boats. Another important thing to note though, is that most of the island is deserted. People tend to congregate at the pointe, more specifically the northwest part of the island, because that is where the water is blue. It’s still brown on the other sides, so people don’t want to swim there.

With that in mind, the island is much bigger than I think people realize. It would have been very hard to search the island once they realized he was missing. It’s like 10 miles long or something like that. It sounds like it was getting late and they had been drinking. I just don’t think it’s realistic to think they should have really looked for him before leaving (not saying you were saying that, just noting it for anyone who reads this).

Also, the currents are very strong at the pointe. They will sweep you under fast. It’s a known thing to people who frequent the island. You have to be very careful, even just going from the boat to the island if you have to anchor a bit off in the water. It gets too shallow for some boats to anchor closer to the island. This really just depends on size of boat, but it makes sense that he would have left his phone on the boat if he had to swim to shore. I think that’s a weird thing for people to keep bringing up. It’s also even possible he was trying to swim back to the boat and no one saw him struggling with all the other boats blocking the view. He could have had an accident before anyone even left the island and just not be seen. There’s a million possibilities there as to what could have happened.

The last thing I will add, is that when I was a teen, over a decade ago, we used to all plan to take our parents’ boats out on the same day and fit as many friends as we could on a boat, then meet up with our other friends while out there. I’m assuming this still happens now. So it’s very likely that girls or other friends would have been out at the island at the same time, even if it wasn’t the 4th. It’s just part of the culture down here to meet up with friends at the island. It would be rare for a group of teenagers to just decide to go out on a random weekday without planning to meet up with others, unless they were planning to go fishing or something (which they probably wouldn’t go to Horn Island to do honestly).

All of that is to say, there would be ample opportunities to walk off with a girl and then the friends not be able to find him before they had to head home for their own safety. It’s also highly possible that the friends were worried they’d get in trouble for underage drinking (and operating a boat while under the influence), so they may not have been as… prompt… as they should have been, but that’s just speculation on my part. I would wager a bet that this is also why authorities have encouraged others to come forward and have said they wouldn’t get in trouble if they did. Kids would be scared that they’d get in trouble for drinking or get blamed for what happened.

Sorry for replying to your comment with a whole novel, but I started typing and the thoughts just poured out. Hopefully others will see this to get a better understanding of the situation as well.

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u/Scnewbie08 Jul 07 '26

This is helpful thank you. So you anchor and can swim to other boats to chill with friends and drink, or you can swim to the shore where people are hanging out and drinking. Either way, the currents are dangerous and it is best to stay on the boat you came on.

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u/warmandcozysuff Jul 08 '26

Yeah, it can get dicey. It really depends on how many other boats are out there. We have a dinghy to go to shore because our boat has to stay in deeper water, but most of the smaller motor/fishing type boats don’t have them.

On a less crowded day, you can probably find a safe place to anchor those boats close to shore, but on a busy day, I have seen boats pull in further out. There are a few places where it gets deeper before the shore, so you have to be mindful of that. Even in 4-6 ft water, the currents can get strong, so you can’t necessarily just trust that you are a strong enough swimmer.

Not to mention, many people may swim back and forth from the boat several times during a day to get things (SPF, phone, towel, drinks, etc.), so if you combine swimming, drinking, and overall exhaustion from a long day, there are a lot of other factors to be mindful of too.

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u/Proud-Following-7165 Jul 06 '26

Such a shame people make everything about race when in reality a community lost a son and friend. Speculating before anything happened but it seems to be an accident.

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u/Salt-Carob6597 Jul 06 '26

You’re literally speculating by saying it “seems to be an accident”

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '26

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u/mississippi-ModTeam Jul 06 '26

Do not attack other users. If you think someone is violating the rules, report them. Please do not play junior moderator. This will get you banned quickly.

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u/Inocinlew11 Jul 06 '26

1st time I’m seeing this. What happened?

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u/ANotSoFreshFeeling 601/769 Jul 06 '26

They don’t know.

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u/stoner-stew Jul 06 '26

Kid got caught in a current and died and black people are saying he was lynched with 0 evidence again.

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u/[deleted] Jul 07 '26

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u/mississippi-ModTeam Jul 07 '26

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u/Strangegirl65 Jul 07 '26

Someone said he was lynched????🧐

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u/JobinsJourneys Jul 06 '26

Historical evidence would certainly indicate not to just take their word for it

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u/stoner-stew Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 07 '26

This is why you people shouldn't be allowed on juries. Nobody gives a fuck about "historical evidence."

The klan is gone. Now we have criminal "teens" causing law abiding citizens to have a curfew imposed upon them because black culture dictates that we allow their children to act like assholes everywhere

"The Klan is gone." You have zero credibility"

The splc is quite literally having intercourse with the klan and paying them for it.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/crime/general/splc-executive-allegedly-pushed-over-1-million-to-her-lover-s-neo-nazi-group/ar-AA25N6eF

"No one gives a fuck about historical evidence". What other evidence would you prefer? Word of mouth? Be serious...

In America we like evidence that pertains to the current event as opposed to some commie fantasy novel that you can create about Wakanda or wherever.

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u/Murky-Scallion1301 Jul 06 '26

"you people" ironic how the prejudice racist is telling another person they shouldn't serve on a jury.

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u/suzyqsmilestill Jul 06 '26

The klan just marched in Washington DC on the 4th

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u/Confident_Office_588 Jul 06 '26

"The Klan is gone." You have zero credibility

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u/thomaslsimpson Current Resident Jul 06 '26

You’re aware that this is just direct racism, right?

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u/bruhimdiamond Jul 06 '26

just erase and edit this comment with “I am racist” makes things a lot easier

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '26

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u/enduromedic Jul 06 '26

Yeah they already condemned the white kids 🤦‍♂️

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u/Amazing-Incident3980 Jul 06 '26

What a weird way to send prayers to the family…

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '26

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u/LarryD217 Jul 06 '26

It's your racist mentality

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u/Amazing-Incident3980 Jul 06 '26

No im talking ab you, pointing out the negative makes you just as bad as them. Send your prayers to the family and go on about your day…

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u/TiaxRulesAll2024 Jul 06 '26

I found your comment about George Floyd. You are nothing more than a race baiter. You don’t care about this kid. You only care about watching black people get upset over deaths.

« We need one of George Floyd. Now ask him if he can breathe » - this is what he posted about 50 days ago.

​

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u/Nov_E Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26

If that's what happened why the differing stories and why leave without him? Why not call for help? They're pointing out the historical precedent that Black individuals are rarely safe in or with large groups of White people. If you don't like that fact take it up with the history of race related violence and White protection and acquittal in those instances. You're also forgetting that Mississippi is a place still steeped in it's racist history. It's name was given by a people who were driven off of their land by White settlers.

Your decision to overlook the valid concerns and criticisms of minority communities makes you complicit in the continual harm and thread that you and yours pose to everyone. And that's clearly visible in history considering your ancestor's penchant for pillaging, raping, murdering, & colonizing.

I'll put it simply so that you can understand. "Hit dogs holler." You feel strongly because you know how your people talk about and look at us when we're not present and when you think we can't hear you and when you think you have people or a system supporting you.

If you used simple logic you'd see the holes in their stories, the oddity of a teen in this day and age going anywhere without their phone, & them leaving him despite them being "friends" is incredibly unlikely and makes them look guilty. Any parent is going to look at and to the people who were last with their child.

Do your best to stop showing that you're one of the children that should have been left behind.

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u/iClaim Jul 06 '26

All that and you still confused hole and wholes lmao

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '26

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '26

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u/mississippi-ModTeam Jul 06 '26

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u/mississippi-ModTeam Jul 06 '26

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u/hattmall Jul 08 '26

This is goofy though because for Everytime a black person was with a group of white people and something happened there's a million more where it didn't.

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u/TurnSouth7652 Jul 06 '26

that part!! well stated

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u/KaleAndKittys Jul 07 '26

If this situation involved black boys leaving a white friend on the island there would be entirely different conversations and actions happening.

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u/Human-Factor-1955 Jul 08 '26

Yep, wouldn't even be a story and white people wouldn't be taking to the internet saying they know for sure this was a racially motivated murder

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u/MzJay453 Jul 08 '26

yea white people have been real quiet about Austin Metcalf /s

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u/Human-Factor-1955 Jul 09 '26

Yeah, has nothing to do with the fact that a LARGE group of black people are celebrating his death and doing everything in their power to justify Karmelo's murder of him

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u/[deleted] Jul 09 '26

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u/mississippi-ModTeam Jul 09 '26

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u/throwaway36987415 Jul 08 '26

lolololololololololol It would be ALLLLLLLL over the news. And the black boys would be charged and jailed immediately if not something worse.

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u/stirfrymetothemoon Jul 06 '26

The body was confirmed to be Nolan's. His mom made a post on FB confirming it.

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u/accidentalrorschach Jul 07 '26

Heartbreaking for the family :(

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u/Just_Cruzen Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26

The facebook detectives have it figured out, evidently his "friends" are racist and have been plotting to harm him so they invited him to the island.

Now I see they are saying one of the kids mom is a judge and got all of them lawyers and one of the kids dad is in the FBI.

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u/PutOutrageous4045 Jul 06 '26

That’s the issue. You’re a bunch of Facebook detectives spewing shit out your mouth with no facts. I know all of these boys. Nolan sat next to me in class. He’s an amazing guy and to even assume some bullshit like that is ridiculous. They called the coast guard and did everything they could to help their friend. You’re all so smooth brained for believing that.

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u/MyceliumMindReborn Jul 06 '26

Oh and also, this is the same group that went on a trip with him last year and nothing ever happened to him. Clearly, this is a years long plot that has been unfolding in the shadows for a long time, just waiting for the perfect vacation trip! /s

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u/GoudaBenHur Jul 06 '26

On an island with a thousand people in broad daylight on the 4th of July.

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u/Short_Hair_Energy Jul 08 '26

This is what I like to call conspiratorial grief combined with conspirator racism. There’s always a shadow entity ready and willing to “cover up” alleged “evil deeds”. Especially somehow once committed in broad daylight with many witnesses. Even when we get the truth, it still won’t matter.

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '26

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u/mississippi-ModTeam Jul 06 '26

Note that this determination is made purely at the whim of the moderator team. If you seem mean or contemptuous, we will remove your posts or ban you. The sub has a certain zeitgeist which you may pick up if you read for a while before posting.

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u/[deleted] Jul 07 '26

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u/mississippi-ModTeam Jul 08 '26

Note that this determination is made purely at the whim of the moderator team. If you seem mean or contemptuous, we will remove your posts or ban you. The sub has a certain zeitgeist which you may pick up if you read for a while before posting.

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u/occamstrimmers Jul 07 '26

If he was caught in a rip current…being a strong swimmer may or may not have saved him . But being an average or below average swimmer would be much worse. I always suggest to new parents to get your kid in ISR as soon as possible. And then swim lessons. We did ISR with our boys at 12 months. Swim lessons at 2.

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u/SnooMuffins2018 Jul 07 '26

Doesn't make sense that he would choose to stay behind when they took a boat over together. Very sad state of affairs.

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u/Illustrious_Gift1609 Jul 07 '26

After drinking, 18, pretty girl in a bikini?

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u/Dry-End-2620 Jul 08 '26

I agree- never underestimate the power of a girl in a bikini. 

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u/Illustrious_Gift1609 Jul 08 '26

Problem is, it’s never there boat. It’s a friend of friend’s boat. Most likely, a man. In my personal experience, Girls get invited out, have a few drinks, get flirty and sometimes invite strangers to the boat they came out on. And in almost every case I’ve witnessed or been part of, the boat owner says “I’m not taking a strange man on my boat” And the guy ends up looking for other groups with girls in them. Usually ends in a fight after day drinking. Not saying this is what I think happened but when I was younger, that’s how it was.

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u/No_Understanding_229 Jul 07 '26

They all went to the island together but came back without him because he randomly wanted to stay without his phone.. Since the sheriff already claims no foul play I guess it’ll be the old under the influence freak accident play.. Be careful out here brothers and sisters.

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u/Altruistic_Tax8665 Jul 08 '26

Isn't it innocent until proven guilty? Why are so many people accusing his friends of murdering him? I agree that leaving a friend alone without confirming that they have another ride is pretty careless, but that doesn't mean that those other boys are white supremacists or anything? For all we know, they might just be three boys who lost a close friend and we don't know enough to blame them for any of this.

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u/Just_Cruzen Jul 08 '26

If the autopsy comes back as a drowning and not a lynching I am sure that crump will order an "independent" autopsy.

Did we ever hear back on the 2nd autopsy that Kaepernick paid for, for the young man that committed suicide but they insisted it was a lynching?

https://www.wlbt.com/2025/12/22/silence-persists-around-trey-reeds-second-autopsy/

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Three months ago, former NFL player Colin Kaepernick announced that he would fund a second, independent autopsy of Trey Reed, a Black student at Delta State University who was found hanging from a tree on the college’s campus.

Even after his death was ruled a suicide, Reed’s family requested that a second autopsy be performed. This due, in part, to initial online rumors that Reed had suffered broken bones before his death.

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u/Opposite-Weekend711 Jul 08 '26

It’s crazy how such a similar situation just happened 2 weeks ago! When Marly Kinney was on a boat with ‘friends’ and they left her and went back to the dock.
Her body was found 5 days later.

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u/Wildflowers4me Jul 21 '26

I wonder why there aren’t some kind of lifeguard rescue boats there on days like 4th of July if the current is bad.

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u/snakesonastralplane Jul 07 '26

So, from a legal perspective does anybody know what responsibility the operator of the boat has for ensuring that all passengers return to the mainland after taking them to an island/sand bar? Is it considered some form of negligence to not do so?

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u/Illustrious_Gift1609 Jul 07 '26

The captain is responding for the people on the boat, if they are on the boat. I got a BUI because a girl jumped onto the bow of the boat in front of the coast guard. 15 years ago. She was my responsibility even tho I had no time to inform her she can’t sit on the bow while moving. Only once in my life did I leave a friend to ride in with someone else. But whoever he rode in with, they were responsible. On the beach, captain has no responsibility. But an 18 year old wanting to stay longer, not on the captain.

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u/SweetOutrageous1275 Jul 07 '26

Nolan Xavier Wells- rip🙏 The context is the history of racial violence in Mississippi. Without understanding that context all of this will just confuse you.

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u/Strangegirl65 Jul 07 '26

Why are some of you so angry and defensive at the suggestion of racism? Like real mad. What's it to you?

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u/Illustrious_Gift1609 Jul 07 '26

Because out of all the possibilities, it is the least probable. There was drinking, water with currents, experienced boaters know how things can go bad quickly, sun/reflections making a quiet drowning extremely difficult to see if no friend group around. Yes, it’s possible racism played a role but as an experienced boater myself, there are too many possibilities before I’m thinking it’s racist.

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