Nolan Wells Autopsy Complete as Teen Death Probe Continues

The official state autopsy for Nolan Wells has been completed, officials familiar with the investigation into the Mississippi teenager’s death said.

Findings from the autopsy, which was performed by the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office, have not been released publicly.

When the investigation is finished, case records — including the autopsy report — are expected to be submitted to a grand jury. That panel will determine whether the circumstances surrounding Wells’ death point to any criminal conduct.

Wells, an 18-year-old college student, disappeared after taking a Fourth of July boating trip with friends to one of the Gulf Coast’s barrier islands, officials said. He was last seen on Horn Island, located about 10 miles off the Gulf Coast. His body was found several days later.

A separate private autopsy requested by Wells’ family reached a preliminary conclusion that the cause and manner of death remain “undetermined pending investigation,” the family’s attorney said last week. The independent pathologist also noted several limitations in that report.

The Jackson County District Attorney’s Office has previously said the case will go before a grand jury once the local sheriff’s department completes its investigation into Wells’ death. Prosecutors have stressed that presenting the matter to a grand jury does not, by itself, indicate criminal wrongdoing, describing it as routine practice in the county for many unnatural or suspicious death cases.

Investigators are also reviewing audio from a tense phone call one of Wells’ friends placed to a local towing company, reporting that their boat was “sinking” and that they needed help. The friends have said Wells was not aboard during that return trip. Officials said investigators are conducting their own analysis of the call to determine whether it may contain additional clues. 

ABC News previously obtained the full recording of the call. In it, the caller says he wanted to “get this boat unsank and towed back,” tells the dispatcher that no one on board was injured and adds that “nobody here is over the age of 21.” Sea Tow, the company contacted, later said its services were ultimately not needed because the boat received help from another source.

The wells family attorney, Ben Crump, told reporters on Thursday that his team has the audio tapes from the call and plans to retain consultants and audio experts to analyze them.