The Mississippi State Medical Examiner found two unexplained contusions on the back of Nolan Wells' head but could not determine what killed the 18-year-old college football player or how he died. The family released the state autopsy report on Thursday, days after a grand jury declined to bring criminal charges in the case.
Wells vanished during a July 4 boat trip with friends to Horn Island, a barrier island off the Mississippi coast. His body was recovered two days later, on July 6, face down in the water. Authorities in Jackson County said they suspected he drowned, but neither the state autopsy nor a separate private autopsy has confirmed that conclusion.
The state medical examiner's report, released by Wells' family and first reported by ABC News, described "two dark red-purple subcutaneous scalp contusions" on the back of Wells' head. Subcutaneous contusions sit beneath the skin's surface. The pathologist found no external scalp injuries and no skull fractures.
The report did not conclude how those contusions occurred. Its final determination was blunt:
"This 18 year old male was found face down in the water at Horn Island. Because the circumstances surrounding this death are unknown, the cause and manner of death are best classified as undetermined."
That language mirrors, almost word for word, the conclusion reached by an independent pathologist retained by the Wells family. That private autopsy, released in July, also classified the cause and manner of death as "undetermined pending investigation." The independent pathologist, Dr. Robert Mitchell, found "red discoloration" in soft tissue at the back of Wells' head but likewise found no skull fractures or skin lacerations, Breitbart reported.
Dr. Mitchell acknowledged multiple limitations in his findings. Body decomposition and other factors prevented him from ruling out "nonaccidental factors" contributing to the death. The independent autopsy was funded by former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, and attorney Ben Crump announced the preliminary results at the NAACP National Convention in Chicago.
Earlier in the week, a 23-member Jackson County grand jury released a report finding that no criminal charges were warranted. The panel heard testimony from 43 witnesses and reviewed phone forensics, autopsy findings, and other physical and digital evidence, Fox News reported.
The grand jury found that Wells' death was "consistent with drowning" and that the bruising on the back of his head was "not a fatal injury." It also found no evidence that the death involved criminal conduct or racial motivation.
One witness testified under oath that Wells slipped "awkwardly" off the side of a boat around 3:30 p.m. on July 4 but continued socializing afterward and did not appear injured, the New York Post reported. The grand jury also noted that Wells had purchased alcohol with a fake ID and that his phone returning to the mainland without him was not unusual given the group's movements.
The report left room for future action. The grand jury stated that if "credible evidence comes to light in the future that suggests Mr. Wells' death was non-accidental, this matter should be represented to the Jackson County Grand Jury for further consideration." Mississippi has no statute of limitations on homicide cases.
The grand jury took the unusual step of addressing conspiracy theories that had circulated online about the friends who accompanied Wells on the boat trip. The report described those allegations as "malicious, false" and having "no truth in fact or evidence."
District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath reinforced the finding in a statement. "There is absolutely no evidence to support the allegations that Nolan's death and disappearance were racially motivated," McIlrath said.
Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter had said earlier in the investigation that there was no initial indication of a crime. He stressed that investigators were "working diligently to determine exactly what occurred" and said the sheriff's office welcomed the family's independent investigation.
Wells' family and their attorney rejected the grand jury's conclusions. Crump called the findings an attempt to shut the case down prematurely.
"Today, the State of Mississippi is attempting to close the chapter on Nolan Wells' death without getting to the truth."
Crump had struck a similar tone when announcing the independent autopsy results in July. "This is only another part of the puzzle, and even though it tells us significant information, we still have more questions than we have answers at this time," he said then.
Wells' mother, Christine Wonsley, spoke to reporters in July about the weight of the loss. "Losing a child, it truly breaks your heart... especially someone like Nolan, who brought so much joy and light and life to everyone," she said. Her other public statement was a single, direct question: "The only question we have is, what happened to our son?"
Rev. Al Sharpton, actor Tyler Perry, and former NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens have jointly funded a $125,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case. Sharpton criticized the initial law enforcement response. "We can't have someone in law enforcement saying there was no foul play before there was an investigation," he said.
Two autopsies have now returned "undetermined" findings. The state pathologist identified subcutaneous contusions but could not explain them. The independent pathologist flagged similar discoloration but could not rule out nonaccidental causes. Neither report established drowning as the definitive cause of death, even as the grand jury concluded the evidence was "consistent with drowning."
Investigators have not publicly confirmed the specific circumstances under which Wells came to remain on Horn Island after his friends departed. The independent autopsy was further complicated by the fact that Wells' throat was missing following the official post-mortem examination, a detail that limited Dr. Mitchell's analysis.
The names of the friends who accompanied Wells on the boat trip have not been publicly released by authorities. Investigators have not said whether any additional forensic testing or witness interviews are planned.
The case remains open. Two medical examiners could not say what killed Nolan Wells. A grand jury says no crime occurred. His family says the truth has not been found. Somewhere between those conclusions, an 18-year-old's death sits without an answer, and the system that owes his family one has yet to deliver it.
