A new witness account has added an important clarification to the timeline surrounding Nolan Wells’ final hours on Horn Island. Tracestin Shepherd, who said he was a high-school friend of Wells, told ABC News that the person heard yelling in a widely circulated Fourth of July video was him — not Nolan. Shepherd said he was involved in an altercation on a boat and was being restrained by others while asking to be released so he could continue the fight.

That distinction matters because the video had circulated online amid intense speculation about what happened to Wells. Authorities have repeatedly warned that social-media material and unverified claims should not be treated as established evidence. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has said investigators are working to establish the facts through eyewitness accounts, physical evidence and other reliable information.

Meanwhile, a separate analytical review has identified a significant unanswered gap in the timeline. A 22-page review of photographs, videos, GPS information and witness accounts concluded that the available material does not establish exactly what happened between Wells’ last independently corroborated sighting and the reported departure of the boat that brought the group to Horn Island.

Investigators and Wells’ family have also continued examining digital evidence and the emergency response surrounding the disappearance. Experts reviewing the case are looking at available photographs, video footage, GPS data and witness accounts in an effort to reconstruct the events of July 4.

The case remains unresolved. Wells, 18, disappeared from Horn Island after traveling there with friends for a Fourth of July gathering. His body was recovered two days later. No one has been charged in connection with his death, and the cause and manner of death remain publicly unresolved.

The latest testimony does not establish that Wells was involved in the altercation shown in the viral footage. Instead, it highlights how difficult it has been to separate verified evidence from speculation surrounding his final hours.