A Mississippi judge whose son was on a boating trip with an 18-year-old who later drowned has explained why the teenager was left behind on an island. Ashlee Cole, a Chancery Court judge and mother of Warren Hudson, said her son and his friends departed without Nolan Xavier Wells because their vessel was taking on water due to a mechanical problem. The account matters because Cole had faced public criticism over the circumstances of the death and her subsequent conduct, and the statement seeks to clarify events and redirect attention to the grieving Wells family.

According to Cole, the group left around 4.30pm on Saturday over the July 4 weekend, and Wells chose to remain on the island to return with another group of friends, but he never came back. His mother reported him missing early on Sunday, and his body was found on the northwestern tip of Horn Island, off the coast of Mississippi, on Monday. Police do not suspect foul play and believe the teenager drowned, though his official cause of death is pending an autopsy. Cole, who serves Jackson, George and Greene counties, had earlier been criticised for deleting her social media accounts, which she said was done to protect her six children rather than for any "nefarious" reason.