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Nolan Wells case: Was friend Warren Hudson arrested in death probe? Fact checking viral claims
Viral Facebook posts falsely claimed Warren Hudson was arrested in Nolan Wells' death. No arrests have been made, and the allegations remain unsubstantiated.
The investigation into Nolan Wells' death seemed to have reached a deadlock, with the second, independent autopsy also turning out to be inconclusive. However, the misinformation about the Mississippi teen's mystery death has shown few signs of slowing down.
A lot of attention has been paid to the role of Warren Hudson, a friend of Nolan Wells, who, along with the other friends, was with him on Horn Island when he disappeared on July 4 and was found dead on July 6. Officials suspect the death was as an accident with no signs of foul play. But the official cause of death from the state coroner and the toxicology report are still pending.
Warren Hudson was questioned in the case, having been seen with Wells in the last video of the group on a boat in Horn Island. He has not been named a suspect, as of July 28. But the misinformation around the case have never stopped following Hudson. The most recent concerned the hoax of his arrest.
Also read: Fact check: Are the viral fight videos linked to Nolan Wells real? Here's the truth
Was Warren Hudson Arrested? Fact-Checking Claim
On Monday, a claim went viral on social media, especially on Facebook, alleging that Warren Hudson was arrested in the Nolan Wells death probe.
The claim seems to have originated on the Facebook account RJ Haddy. It claimed that a witness in the case provided a photo of Warren Hudson allegedly attacking Nolan Wells with a rock. "This detail may explain the abnormal mark on the back of Nolan's head from the autopsy," the post wrote in the caption, along with what appeared to be an unrelated video of a teen getting arrested.
However, the claims are false. Warren Hudson, or any of the other teens with Nolan Wells in Horn Island, have not been arrested. Ht.com can confirm that the social media posts claiming that Nolan Wells was arrested are false.
Also read: Nolan Wells update: Chilling new video allegedly shows friends leaving Horn Island without him
Nolan Wells Drinking 'Heavily' Before Death
On Monday, ABC News reported, citing a witness account on a Mississippi Department of Marine Resources document related to the probe, that Nolan Wells had 'heavy' alcohol intake before death.
A previous report from the agency had stated that Nolan chose to stay back at Horn Island in the company of "an unknown female" as the other teens with him returned. The others had to leave the island because the boat was leaving, they had told the agency, according to the document.
"that when they left he was in the company of an unknown female and that he chose to remain at the island."
