As investigators continue working to determine what happened to Nolan Wells, another viral claim circulating online has been debunked.

According to Rolling Stone, a photo that spread widely across social media this week was falsely presented as evidence that Wells was alive after he disappeared on Horn Island on July 4. The image showed Wells posing with a group of people at a pool party, prompting some users to claim it proved he had made it off the island before his body was later found.

One widely shared post claimed the image was "proof that Nolan made it off that island alive." Rolling Stone reported, however, that the claim is false.

Tracestin Shepherd, a friend of Wells, told the outlet the photo was actually taken on June 27 — a full week before Wells disappeared. Another individual also provided the outlet with metadata from the image and other photos taken that same night, confirming the date.

"Our friend group had been planning to go to this party way before June 27," Shepherd told Rolling Stone. Although he did not attend because he had been working and had church the next morning, Shepherd said he recognized Wells and several friends in the photograph.

According to Shepherd, one of their friends later uploaded the image as part of an Instagram photo dump before deleting it after online speculation surrounding Wells' death intensified.

Shepherd said watching misinformation spread while grieving his friend's death has been especially painful.

"It's been unbelievable" and "heartbreaking," he told the outlet.

The pool party photo is just one example of misinformation that has circulated online since Wells disappeared during a July 4 outing to Horn Island. Rolling Stone reported that social media users have also shared videos taken out of context and AI-generated images falsely tied to the investigation.

Earlier this week, Shepherd also disputed claims surrounding another viral video that many believed captured Wells shortly before he disappeared. Shepherd previously told Rolling Stone that the person heard yelling in the recording was him — not Wells — and said he does not believe Wells appears in the footage.

"Those were not Nolan's words, they were mine," Shepherd said.

Wells' mother, Christine Wonsley, has also urged people to stop spreading false information online.

"The internet is unhinged," Wonsley wrote on Facebook Saturday (July 11). "To my family, friends, and to Nolan's friends please do not engage and take care of your mental."

The Jackson County Sheriff's Office has likewise encouraged the public to submit only original, unedited photos and videos as investigators continue reviewing evidence.

"We recognize that a significant amount of information, speculation, and commentary has been shared on social media and throughout the community," the sheriff's office said in a statement. "As with any active investigation, our investigators are working to establish the facts through eyewitness accounts, physical evidence, and other reliable information."

On Sunday (July 12), Wonsley again appealed to the public for help, asking anyone with photos, videos, or information related to Wells on July 4 to contact both investigators and her family's legal team.

"We need to know what happened to our baby," she wrote.

She also addressed those making jokes or spreading misinformation about her son's death.

"For those of you making light or joking about my son's death I pray you never have to go through this pain," Wonsley wrote. "Losing my son is not a joke."

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