Nolan Wells\u2019 self-described best friend blamed death threats for why he was absent from the 18-year-old college football star\u2019s funeral on Monday, according to a new interview.<\/p>\n
Warren Hudson revealed on The Officer Tatum podcast released Saturday<\/a> that he did not attend Wells\u2019 funeral for a number of reasons \u2014 including his own safety concerns.<\/p>\n When asked why he was noticeably absent from Monday\u2019s service, Hudson told host Brandon Tatum he didn\u2019t want to take away from the true purpose of the funeral given the intense social media attention on the Mississippi teen\u2019s death.\u00a0<\/p>\n Warren Hudson, Nolan Wells\u2019 self-described best friend, revealed why he skipped his friend\u2019s funeral on Monday. The Officer Tatum\/youtube<\/p>\n \u201cWith everything going on on social media right now with people saying the crazy things that they\u2019re saying, I would never want to take the attention off of Nolan and his family,\u201d Hudson said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey don\u2019t deserve that.\u201d<\/p>\n Hudson, who was celebrating the Fourth of July at Horn Island with Wells when he mysteriously disappeared, added that his own personal safety was a key factor in his decision not to attend the funeral.<\/p>\n Nolan Wells vanished after celebrating the Fourth of July at Horn Island. via REUTERS<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you know, for my own personal reasons, I mean, I\u2019ve gotten thousands of death threats,\u201d Hudson said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMy family\u2019s got thousands of death threats,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd, you know, for my own safety, I\u2019m not going to put my own health and safety at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou know, it breaks my heart that I can\u2019t go. And it hurt me more than anything because, you know, obviously I want to say my last goodbyes to one of my best friends,\u201d the grieving pal said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBut I mean, if I\u2019m getting thousands of death threats of people saying they\u2019re going to kill me and do crazy things to my family\u2026I couldn\u2019t bring myself to go because, you know, I got to put my own safety first.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cYou know, it breaks my heart that I can\u2019t go,\u201d Hudson said of missing the funeral. The Officer Tatum\/youtube<\/p>\n \u201cAnd even if that means, you know, missing my friend\u2019s funeral. I mean, it\u2019s horrible and I wish I could have been there.\u201d<\/p>\n Wells\u2019 body was found on July 6 near where he vanished<\/a> without a trace from two days earlier. <\/p>\n While the college football star\u2019s death remains under investigation, preliminary findings from an independent autopsy<\/a>\u00a0were released Wednesday, with the teen\u2019s cause and manner of death listed as undetermined pending investigation. His date of death also listed as unknown.<\/p>\n