E-Paper
Ex-FBI explains how Nolan Wells' case can be solved using Snapchat; ‘going to be looking…’
A former FBI agent has shared how Snapchat, the instant messaging app, could be used to solve Nolan Wells' death case.
A former FBI agent has shared how Snapchat could be used by authorities to solve Nolan Wells' death case.
Wells, a community college football player from Mississippi, was last seen on Horn Island on July 4. His body was discovered on July 6. While cops don't believe there was foul play yet, they have not ruled out the possibility. Meanwhile, the autopsy results – both the one by the authorities, and the one by the family, have not been made public yet.
However, the circumstances of Wells' death has raised questions, and given he was a Black teen in the company of white friends, the race angle has crept into the matter as well. Wells' family expressed their belief that Snapchat messages from the day of his disappearance could have been deleted, even as investigators probe the digital evidence in the matter.
Also Read | Nolan Wells update: GPS data tracks movements of boat that carried teen to Horn Island as family meets DA
Meanwhile, Brian Entin of NewsNation spoke to former FBI agent Kieran Ramsey, who explained how Snapchat might still help solve the Nolan Wells case. Here's what the ex-FBI agent said.
How Snapchat can solve Nolan Wells' case? Ex-FBI explains
Elmore Wonsley, Wells' father, told Good Morning America, last week that she suspected the Snapchat messages from July 4 were deleted as her son had frequently used the app, but there were no messages from the day he went missing.
As per the former law enforcement official, this should not hinder cops trying to find digital evidence from his Snapchat. Investigators should be able to recover ‘several layers’ of data from the 18-year-old's phone even if messages were deleted, the ex-FBI agent said.
Ramsey shared his expert opinion that authorities could send preservation letters to Snapchat for the information that would be on the company's servers. Thus, investigators could get cellphone data, including Snapchat geolocation information, which they could use to track not just Wells, but anyone else who was with him on July 4.
“I think they’re going to be looking at a lot of that … because you have a timeline that has a lot of contradictions,” the former FBI agent told the publication. Notably, Wells' friends said that they took a boat back from Horn Island without him around 3pm, after he allegedly told them he would find another ride home.
With the FBI reportedly helping in analyzing digital experience, the former agent noted that it had already likely sent out ‘tons’ of preservation letters, and noted they could follow up with grand jury subpoenas if needed.
Both the state of Mississippi and attorney Ben Crump, who's representing Wells' family, have agreed to a ‘mutual inspection’ of the late teen's cellphone.
Nolan Wells case: Is there a race factor?
With so much talk about the possible race factor in the Nolan Wells case, Reverend Al Sharpton also weighed in. Joining Crump and Wells' parents at a news conference, last week, the famous pastor remarked “He was one Black with three young white men who happened to end up with his phone, happened to end up with his keys.”
He also pointed out it was Wells' mother who had tracked down his phone and his friends never disclosed voluntarily that they had it or that they had his keys.
“So some people are saying, ‘Reverend, are y’all bringing in race?’ Well, we’re not bringing in race, but we’re not discounting race, either, because we don’t know what it is. This does not smell right,” Sharpton added.
