(NewsNation) — A friend of Nolan Wells says he's being dismissed by the 18-year-old's family, even as they push for answers in his death, creating conflicting accounts of how close the two young men actually were.
Wells was found dead after boating with friends over the Fourth of July weekend. His independent autopsy results have come back inconclusive, leaving the family and people across the country questioning what happened on Horn Island that holiday weekend.
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The latest case dispute centers on a friend named Tracestin Shepherd, who was interviewed by Brandon Tatum, host of "The Officer Tatum Show," for a separate account of events.
When NewsNation's Chris Cuomo asked Wells' stepfather about Trace, he said he didn't recognize him.
"Just because you park your vehicle in someone's yard doesn't mean that they have to know you," he said.
Tatum, speaking on "Katie Pavlich Tonight," pushed back on that characterization, saying Trace shared photos with him showing the two at prom together and described giving Wells rides to school on multiple occasions.
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"It's very confusing," Tatum said. "I don't know why a young man would say that he's friends and literally be emotional when he talked about Nolan. I mean, he literally cried and teared up off camera. And I felt like it was very genuine."
Tatum said he doesn't know the families personally and can't say for certain why their accounts differ so sharply.
"I don't know if they're being genuine, because you don't always know your children's friends," he said.
Wells' mother, meanwhile, told Cuomo she just wants answers.
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"At the end of the day, we would want what any parent would want, which is answers to find out what happened," she said.
Investigators are still awaiting toxicology results. Interviews with Wells' friends have indicated heavy drinking was involved, and Tatum said he has been told drugs may have played a role as well.
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