An autopsy has shed new light on the death of Nolan Wells, but the findings have done little to resolve the questions surrounding the college student’s final hours.
The Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office report, obtained by Oxygen through an attorney representing Wells’ family, reaches no definitive conclusion about how the 18-year-old died after attending a Fourth of July gathering on Mississippi’s Horn Island.
“This 18 year old male was found face down in the water at Horn Island,” the report states. “Because the circumstances surrounding this death are unknown, the cause and manner of death are best classified as undetermined.”
The examination found no internal or external injuries beyond two bruises, each approximately two inches wide, on the back of Wells’ head. It also reported “no internal organ abnormalities” that would explain his death.
Postmortem X-rays showed “no visible injuries of the skull or cervical spine.” The report further noted no damage to Wells’ larynx or hyoid bone and no fluid in his lungs.
A separate autopsy commissioned by Wells’ family also classified the cause and manner of death as inconclusive. However, according to People, that examination said Wells had sustained “acute blunt force injuries to the head and body prior to death.”
Grand Jury Concludes Nolan Wells Likely Drowned
The state report became public shortly after a grand jury unanimously issued a “no true bill” finding on Sept. 18. The decision means jurors determined there was insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges in connection with Wells’ death.
In a report released by the district attorney’s office, the grand jury said the bruising on the back of Wells’ head was “not a fatal injury.” The circumstances in which he suffered it, however, remain unknown.
One witness told the grand jury that Wells slipped “awkwardly off the side of a boat” at about 3:30 p.m. on July 4 while attending the island party with friends. The witness said Wells appeared to be acting normally afterward, and investigators have not established whether the fall caused the bruising.
Wells’ friends left the island a short time later, but the grand jury said he chose to stay behind “to socialize.” Jurors found “no credible evidence” that his friends engaged in criminal conduct connected to his death.
The panel determined that the position, location and timing of the discovery of Wells’ body on the shoreline two days later were “consistent with drowning,” according to the report.
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Nolan Wells Family Questions Official Findings, Drowning Claim
Despite the grand jury’s finding, Wells’ family continues to question what happened to him.
At a Sept. 24 news conference, family attorney Ben Crump said, “We are still trying to determine who or what caused the blunt force trauma to the back of Nolan Wells’ head.”
Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley, said at a Sept. 22 news conference that the family “do not believe that Nolan simply and accidentally drowned, and nobody saw anything, and no one knows anything,” according to People.
The family has also raised concerns about Wells’ cellphone, which was left on the boat while he remained on the island. His relatives have said he would never have voluntarily left the device behind.
Andrew Garrett, a forensic expert with Garrett Discovery, reviewed the phone after Wells’ friends returned it to Wonsley. Garrett said Nolan last used the device at approximately 2:18 p.m. that day, according to WLOX.
During the news conference, Garrett also said data had been deleted between Wells’ last use of the phone and the time it was given to his parents. He did not specify what information had been removed.
“We don’t know what happened to Nolan Wells,” Crump said, according to the outlet. “We’re not accusing anybody of anything nefarious. Even with the phone extraction, Mr. Garrett says he doesn’t know the intent of any of that stuff. But what we are saying… if you care anything about Nolan Wells, if you know anything, come forward. If you care anything about Nolan Wells, let’s focus on what killed Nolan Wells. Let’s don’t focus on the distractions. It is beneath our shared humanity.”
District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath responded in a statement provided to Oxygen, saying Crump’s team had previously told the DA’s office that “no one physically accessed Nolan’s cell phone after his last known use and before his parents received it.”
“The user action discussed by Mr. Garrett is from other snapchat users, not someone physically accessing Nolan Wells’ phone,” McIlrath added. “If the Crump team has evidence to the contrary, they have not provided it to us. The Grand Jury report outlined the other evidence they received, including cell phone downloads, surveillance data, GPS data, and the printed report of Nolan’s cell phone.”
She added, “The Crump team advised my office that they had no evidence of a crime against Nolan Wells. They never advised anything differently.”
