Forensics Expert Clarifies Deleted Snapchat Messages on Nolan Wells’ Phone

Digital forensic expert Andrew Garrett clarified on September 27 that deleted Snapchat messages found on the phone of Nolan Wells were remotely recalled by their senders, not deleted by someone physically accessing the locked device. timesofindia.indiatimes.com reported that Garrett addressed the issue during a YouTube livestream following the teenager’s July death.

Andrew Garrett Clarifies Remote Deletion of Snapchat Records

Garrett addressed the phone records during a YouTube livestream on September 27, explaining that Snapchat messages can be removed remotely by the person on the other end of a conversation.

When we say erased from the phone, you’ve got to be a little careful with that. What happens is, when you and I are in conversation on Snapchat, and you decide to delete the messages on my side of the phone, you can do that remotely. That was done. There are some messages that were recalled and deleted from the phone

Andrew Garrett

timesofindia.indiatimes.com reported.

Garrett stressed that his examination did not prove anyone physically unlocked or tampered with the device. sunherald.com reported that Garrett previously presented his findings during a September 24 press conference alongside civil rights attorney Ben Crump. During that press conference, Garrett stated that information had indeed been deleted from the phone between the time Wells last used it and when his parents retrieved it.

Grand Jury Finds No Criminal Wrongdoing in Nolan Wells Death

Nolan Wells, an 18-year-old student-athlete from Ocean Springs, traveled to Horn Island on July 4 with a large group of friends aboard three boats to celebrate the holiday, according to sunherald.com. Two days later, authorities discovered his body face-down in the water off the northwest tip of the barrier island, located about 10 miles off the Mississippi Gulf Coast. sunherald.com reported that Jackson County District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath announced a grand jury found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing or involvement by the friends who accompanied Wells.

Both the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office and an independent forensic pathologist ruled the manner and cause of death inconclusive and undetermined, though both documented non-fatal injuries to the back of Wells’ head. sunherald.com reported that the grand jury noted the position, condition, time of discovery, and location of the body were consistent with drowning. Attorneys representing the three friends who were with Wells have denied that their clients deleted any messages and stated an intention to sue family attorney Ben Crump for defamation, according to timesofindia.indiatimes.com.

Forensic Data Handed Over to District Attorney

Garrett’s forensic company released almost 3,000 Snapchat records from Wells’ account, which included group conversations where participants raised concerns about his whereabouts on July 5, as reported by timesofindia.indiatimes.com. sunherald.com noted that Garrett provided all 282 Snapchat messages and associated forensic data directly to the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office. Wells’ parents, Elmore and Christine Wonsley, maintained early on that data was missing from the phone after they retrieved it, a claim Garrett confirmed during the September press conference when he noted that message threads showed clear signs of deletion.

Calls for Department of Justice Investigation

The grand jury report indicated that if new evidence surfaces, the matter could return for further review, as noted by sunherald.com. In response to the ongoing questions surrounding the case, Crump’s legal team and supporters—including Kristen Clarke, former assistant attorney general for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Justice—have called on the Department of Justice to investigate Wells’ death.