Christine Wonsley urged anyone with July 4 videos, photos or information about 18-year-old Nolan Wells to contact police and her legal team, while condemning online jokes and false claims about his death.
A viral pool-party image cited as proof Wells left Horn Island alive was actually taken June 27 at 11:58 p.m., according to a friend and photo metadata reviewed by Rolling Stone.
Another widely shared video was also misread: friend Tracestin Shepherd said the voice heard arguing was his, not Wells', and that Wells was likely off camera in the water.
Jackson County investigators, still probing Wells' death after his body was found July 6 near where he was last seen on the July 4 trip, asked the public for original, unedited material instead of social-media speculation.