A major new development has emerged in the Nolan Wells investigation after attorneys for his family released findings from a forensic examination of his cellphone, uncovering deleted Snapchat messages, location data and a detailed timeline of the phone’s movements before and after he disappeared.

Digital forensic specialists say they recovered 282 pages of Snapchat conversations and reconstructed the phone’s GPS history from July 4. According to the family’s legal team, some messages had been deleted, and investigators were able to determine that those deletions required a user action. The full significance of the deleted material has not yet been publicly established.

One detail now drawing intense scrutiny is that Nolan’s phone reportedly continued moving after he remained on Horn Island. Forensic examiner Andrew Garrett said the device showed activity on the mainland after the group left the island, even though Nolan himself did not return with them. Nolan’s family has repeatedly questioned why he would have voluntarily stayed behind without his phone.

The official autopsy has also added another unanswered question. Attorneys for the family say the report documented no water in Nolan’s lungs, airways or stomach, while both the state medical examiner and an independent pathologist still listed the cause and manner of dєatᩚh as undetermined. A grand jury nevertheless concluded that the evidence was consistent with drowning and found no credible evidence of criminal conduct.

Both autopsies also documented fresh bruising on the back of Nolan’s head. The grand jury said the injuries were not fatal and noted testimony that Nolan had slipped awkwardly from a boat earlier that afternoon, but the family’s attorneys argue the bruising still deserves closer examination.

The Jackson County grand jury declined to indict anyone after reviewing testimony from 43 witnesses, phone and GPS evidence and extensive subpoenaed records. Prosecutors maintain there is no evidence of foul play or a racially motivated crime. Nolan’s family and attorney Ben Crump, however, continue to call for greater transparency and federal review.

Importantly, the new phone evidence does not prove the viral “poison plot” theory shown in some social-media graphics. Authorities previously warned that a supposed toxicology report circulating online was fake, and no verified public evidence currently establishes that Nolan was deliberately poisoned.