Nationwide — The mystery girl Nolan Wells reportedly stayed behind to talk to before he disappeared on Horn Island has been identified as 19-year-old Katie McCormack. The revelation has brought new questions as conflicting accounts continue surrounding the 18-year-old football star’s final moments.
McCormack, who lives a few towns east of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, was on Horn Island with a separate group of friends when she met Wells during the Fourth of July gathering. The two reportedly spent time talking before Wells’ friends left the island.
Wells’ friends said he stayed behind because he was having a conversation with McCormack and planned to return to the mainland afterward. However, McCormack’s family said she did not believe Wells was staying on the island with her.
McCormack’s older sister, Gracie, said Katie assumed Wells was preparing to leave with his friends. She said Katie believed he would get back on the boat he arrived on and did not expect his friends to leave without him.
“Katie had a conversation and assumed that Nolan was getting ready to get on the boat he came out on,” Gracie said, according to the Daily Mail.
Gracie said McCormack later left the island after being picked up by her brother Tony and his fiancée, Eva Criddle. She also said the family shared everything they knew with Wells’ mother and investigators.
McCormack has stayed mostly silent since Wells disappeared, but she responded to a social media post defending her after speculation about her involvement spread online. She asked people to focus on supporting Wells’ loved ones during the difficult time.
“What’s understood don’t have to be said. I love y’all. Just pray for his family and his friends,” McCormack wrote.
She also said she was okay and was praying for healing for everyone affected by the tragedy.
No one has accused McCormack of any wrongdoing. However, the different versions of what happened during her conversation with Wells have made her a central figure in questions about his last known moments.
Wells’ family continues to search for answers, with attorney Ben Crump questioning why the accounts from McCormack and Wells’ friends do not match.
“She saying he went and got on the boat. They saying he didn’t get on the boat. So which is it?” Crump said.