Friends of 18-year-old Nolan Wells called for help after their boat abruptly malfunctioned and began taking on water, according to newly released audio from the day he disappeared.
Wells had gone with the group from the Mississippi mainland to Horn Island for the Fourth of July holiday, but he was not aboard when they made the trip back.
The vessel, which had “like seven” people on it, ran into trouble around 4 p.m., according to audio obtained by NBC News.
“Hey, we’re at the west tip of Horn, and our bilge pump stopped working. We’re going. We’re sinking. Can you all please come?” the boat’s operator said in the recording.
“I want to get this boat unsank and towed back.”
GPS data obtained by the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and shared with NBC News showed the boat was towed for about three miles before it resumed normal speed less than an hour later.
The boat arrived back at its original departure point at 5:44 p.m.
Two days later, officials said Wells’ body was recovered from the water just offshore near the northwest end of Horn Island.
