Independent Autopsy on Nolan Wells Comes Back Inconclusive, Family Attorney Says

An independent autopsy commissioned by the family of Nolan Wells came back inconclusive, attorney Benjamin Crump announced Wednesday at an NAACP gathering in Chicago. The 18-year-old was found dead earlier this month on Horn Island, off the Mississippi coast, two days after he and friends boated out for a Fourth of July party.

"These findings are inconclusive... pending further investigation," Crump said, according to NPR. The exam was conducted by Dr. Roger Mitchell, who was not present at the press conference to answer questions directly.

Crump said the body's condition prevented a complete forensic review. He acknowledged the autopsy turned up no evidence of wrongdoing, but stopped short of clearing the case as an accident. "This pathologist cannot rule out if any intervening non-accidental factors contributed to or caused the death of Nolan Wells," Crump said.

Given the body's condition, this may be the most honest answer a pathologist could provide. It does not allege a crime and does not rule one out either.

What the family is asking for

Wells' mother, Christine Wells-Wonsley, spoke briefly at the press conference. "The only question we have is what happened to our son?" she said. She said the wait for the official state autopsy, combined with what she called silence from investigators, has been "heartbreaking and concerning."

She also pushed back on how the case has been characterized publicly, saying local law enforcement appeared to conclude too quickly that her son's death was accidental. "Damage has already been done because that's the narrative that's being pushed by the general public," she said.

If investigators signaled early on that this looked like an accident before a full state autopsy was complete, that erodes trust with a grieving family quickly, regardless of what actually happened to her son. Families in cases like this have a legitimate interest in knowing the process was thorough before conclusions get repeated as fact.

NAACP President Derrick Johnson went further, accusing investigators of mishandling the case outright. "We are accusing them of being derelict in their duties to follow up and to ensure that, regardless of what happened, there was a proper investigation," he said.

No source here shows evidence of a botched investigation beyond the family's and NAACP's characterization of the pace and communication. The Jackson County Sheriff's Office has not responded publicly to that specific claim.

Where the official investigation stands

Mississippi authorities have not released an official cause of death. The state autopsy is still pending. In a statement released July 8, the Jackson County Sheriff's Office said Wells had last been seen near Horn Island and asked the public for help as the investigation continued.

"As with any active investigation, our investigators are working to establish the facts through eyewitness accounts, physical evidence, and other reliable information," the sheriff's office said in that statement.

NPR reported it reached out to the Jackson County Sheriff's Office following Wednesday's press conference but had not received a response. No update from Mississippi law enforcement has surfaced addressing Crump's or the NAACP's specific claims about the pace of the case.

Last week, the NAACP passed a resolution urging law enforcement, including the U.S. Department of Justice, to "complete an in-depth and openly transparent review" of how Wells ended up on the island and of all activity leading up to when his body was recovered.

What's unresolved

Wednesday's press conference, held alongside Crump and Rev. Al Sharpton at an NAACP gathering, produced no new physical evidence and no new timeline. It functioned mainly as public pressure on Mississippi investigators to move faster and communicate more.

The basic facts remain limited. An 18-year-old is dead, an independent autopsy cannot determine why, and a state autopsy that could settle the cause of death hasn't been completed or released. No charges have been filed. No crime has been alleged in any official capacity by Mississippi authorities. Whether the state autopsy, once finished, resolves the question the family is asking or leaves it just as open is the next concrete point in this case worth watching.