Questions swirl in handling of Nolan Wells’ death investigation
Nancy Grace, host of “Crime Stories with Nancy Grace,” is raising questions about the unexplained death of 18-year-old Nolan Wells, whose body was found after a Fourth of July boating trip. Grace examined the investigation, focusing on findings that included deep red subcutaneous tissue on Wells’ occipital bone and the troubling absence of his lungs and throat when a second, independent autopsy was performed.
The investigation into the mysterious death of Nolan Wells has drawn renewed scrutiny after a recently obtained document described the missing teenager’s alcohol intake as “heavy” while officials were searching Horn Island during the Fourth of July weekend.
The document, a July 5 email from the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources Marine Patrol obtained by INC News, was sent to the U.S. Coast Guard as search crews worked to locate Wells.
In addition to Wells’ physical description and last known whereabouts, the email notes, “Alcohol intake: Heavy.” It does not say who provided that information.
Wells, an Ole Miss freshman from Jackson, Mississippi, vanished during a boating trip to Horn Island with friends. A broad search involving multiple agencies ended on July 6, when his body was found.
A newly released Marine Patrol email described 18-year-old Nolan Wells’ alcohol intake as “heavy” as authorities searched for him following his disappearance during a boating trip to Horn Island. (Christine Wonsley/Facebook)
Authorities have not publicly released a cause or manner of death. Results from the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s autopsy and toxicology testing are still pending.
The new information surfaced just days after a private autopsy requested by Wells’ family determined that his cause and manner of death remain “undetermined pending investigation.”
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During a July 22 news conference, civil rights attorney Ben Crump said an area of “red discoloration” was found on the back of Wells’ head but said Dr. Roger Mitchell, who performed the independent autopsy, could not determine a cause or manner of death pending further investigation.
“Crime Stories with Nancy Grace” host Nancy Grace later discussed the findings on her show, where she raised additional questions about the investigation.
She pointed to what she described as deep red tissue beneath the skin at the back of Wells’ head and said the independent pathologist did not receive Wells’ lungs or throat when conducting the second autopsy.
Grace also questioned whether those findings could be significant but emphasized that she did not know what caused Wells’ death and noted there were “many accidental possibilities.”
Nolan Wells’ body was found July 6, but both the official and independent autopsies have yet to determine how he died, while questions remain about discoloration on his head. (Jackson County Sheriff’s Department via Facebook)
“There is deep, red, subcutaneous tissue” on the back of Wells’ head, Grace said, adding that the discoloration was localized rather than consistent with postmortem blood pooling.
Grace then questioned why the lungs and throat were unavailable during the independent examination.
“When the second autopsy got the body, the lungs and the throat were missing,” Grace said. “I understand why they took the lungs to determine if he had drowned, but why was the neck missing? What about the interior of the throat sparked the initial medical examiner’s concern?”
She stressed that those questions remain speculative until investigators release additional findings.
“I don’t know,” Grace said. “There are many accidental possibilities.”
The Jackson County District Attorney has defended the investigation amid growing public scrutiny, saying authorities are following standard procedures and awaiting forensic testing before drawing conclusions.
Authorities have not announced whether foul play is suspected.
INC News has reached out to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office for comment.
