Nolan Wells' cause of death 'undetermined' after independent autopsy

An attorney for the family of Nolan Xavier Wells released the results of an independent autopsy into the 18-year-old’s death on Wednesday morning.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the family, says the autopsy revealed Wells' cause of death remains "undetermined pending investigation," vowing they would continue to push for a thorough investigation into his death.

"We have more questions than answers at this time," Crump said. "We don't want anything special, we just want equal justice."

Wells, who was Black, had traveled to Horn Island — a popular Fourth of July destination off the coast of Mississippi — with a group of friends from high school, all of whom are white. He did not return with them to the mainland that evening, officials said. A U.S. park ranger found his body two days later on July 6 off the island’s coast.

The preliminary findings were made public during a news conference held at the annual NAACP National Convention in Chicago.

The independent autopsy report concluded that more information is needed from Mississippi authorities who investigated Wells' death before a cause and manner and death can be determined. 

Dr. Roger Mitchell Jr., the forensic pathologist who conducted the report, said there were several limitations with the independent autopsy because the initial autopsy conducted four days after Wells' body was found removed and dissected his organs. Mitchell also serves as the president of the National Medical Association, the largest group of Black physicians in the country.

Mitchell's report said he was unable to determine any definitive circumstances of death because of the limitations.

"The most significant of the limitations was the inability to directly observe the airway and lungs for water and directly observe the stomach for gastric contents. In addition, the original toxicology results had not been received at the time of this report," the report said.

According to NBC News, the coroner's office is waiting on a toxicology report from the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office to be completed. Jackson County Coroner Bruce Lynd told NBC News on Tuesday that the state’s autopsy report was still not finished.

Mitchell said that information would be "especially important" in figuring out how Wells died, because it was unclear what happened to Wells or whether he was conscious before he entered the water.

The report could not determine if Wells had any bruises because of the state of decomposition, but noted there did not appear to be any cuts or fractures on his body. 

"Definitive circumstances of death are required to determine manner of death. For these reasons, this pathologist cannot rule out if any intervening non-accidental factors contributed to or caused the death of Nolan Wells," Mitchell said.

Crump led a chant of "Justice for Nolan Wells" after taking questions. 

"This narrative that this was an accidental drowning, 'nothing to see here,' is just not the case. You mean to tell me nobody saw anything on one of the few Black people that were out there that day? It just doesn't add up," Crump said. "We're going to keep fighting and digging until we get the accountability and transparency."

The second autopsy was arranged by the family and Crump, and paid for by former NFL player Colin Kaepernick. Crump said it would determine if Wells “had any physical injuries to his body beyond drowning.”

The still-unknown circumstances around Wells’ death have touched off rampant online speculation and prompted calls from Black leaders for transparency from local authorities. Wells, who was Black, had traveled to the island with a group of high school friends, all of whom are white.

A reward of $125,000 — jointly funded by the Rev. Al Sharpton, actor and producer Tyler Perry and former NFL player Terrell Owens — is now being offered in exchange for information leading to an arrest and conviction in connection with the death.

The autopsy announcement comes two days after Wells was laid to rest in his hometown of Ocean Springs, Mississippi.

In his eulogy, Sharpton lamented the “inconsistencies and unanswered questions” that had placed a dark cloud over the grieving family.

He questioned why Wells’ friends had left him behind, taken his phone and keys and failed to report him missing to police. And he suggested local investigators had spoken prematurely in statements to the press indicating that no crime was suspected.

“The reason that a lot of people across the nation are looking at this Nolan situation is because we’re looking at the history in Mississippi,” Sharpton added. “We can’t have someone in law enforcement saying there was no foul play before there was an investigation.”

Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said initial interviews suggested Wells chose to stay on the island and that his friends believed he would get a ride with someone else. He has said the friends were cooperating with the investigation, which remains ongoing.

“We are trying to be respectful and collaborative as much as we can,” Crump said. “But it’s always troublesome to all of us when these investigations just take forever.”