Grand Jury Declines to Indict in Nolan Wells Death, Family Demands Answers

A Mississippi grand jury found no evidence of criminal conduct in the July 4 death of Black teenager Nolan Wells. His family and civil rights attorneys are pushing for the investigation to continue.

No Indictment in Nolan Wells Case as Questions Over Cause of Death Persist

A Mississippi grand jury has declined to bring charges in the death of Nolan Wells, an 18-year-old Black teenager whose body was recovered off the Mississippi coast in early July, NPR National reports. Activists, civil rights attorneys, and Wells' family say the absence of an indictment does not resolve the central questions surrounding his death.

The grand jury, which convened from Sept. 14 to Sept. 18, concluded that Wells' cause of death was undetermined but "consistent with drowning," based on the condition of his body and the location where it was found. The panel issued more than 100 subpoenas, heard from over 40 witnesses, and reviewed a broad range of evidence — including GPS data, cellphone extractions, and photos and videos taken on Horn Island, the barrier island off the Mississippi coast where Wells was last seen alive.

"The Grand Jury finds no credible evidence to support the public allegations that any persons who rode to or from Horn Island on July 4, 2026 on the Triton, the Palm Beach, or the Tideline engaged in any criminal conduct related to the death of Mr. Wells," the partially redacted report states.

Wells had traveled to Horn Island with a group of friends on July 4 to celebrate Independence Day. He was the only member of the group who did not return. His body was discovered on July 6, two days after his disappearance. The grand jury report characterized his decision to remain on the island as "not unusual or suspicious for individuals to return from the island on boats they did not travel on."

Civil Rights Attorney Presses on Head Injuries

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Wells' family, held a press conference Tuesday in which he highlighted bruising documented on the back of Wells' head — an injury noted in the medical examiner's report as non-fatal.

"Nolan Wells' parents deserve answers," Crump said. "What really happened to Nolan Wells? What caused the blunt force trauma to his head? That is the crux of the matter."

Crump also released his team's independent autopsy report Monday night. That report, conducted by forensic pathologist Dr. Roger Mitchell, concluded — in agreement with the state medical examiner — that the cause and manner of Wells' death is "undetermined," with drowning listed as a "diagnosis of exclusion." The independent report recommends keeping the investigation open, citing uncertainties about the circumstances under which Wells entered the water and the condition he was in at the time.

"Mississippi's own pathologist found two bruises on the back of this young man's head and informed investigators of them early in this investigation," Crump wrote in a statement. "An independent autopsy documented traces of blood and recent blunt force injuries to the back of Nolan's head and his back. To this day, not one person has explained how they got there."

Crump had previously claimed that Mitchell lacked access to portions of Wells' body during the independent autopsy. The grand jury report disputes that, stating Mitchell had full access, with the sole exception of internal neck structures held by the state medical examiner.

DA Rejects Racial Bias Allegations

Wells was the only Black teenager among the group that traveled to Horn Island that day. His family has repeatedly raised the question of whether his race affected both the circumstances of his death and the subsequent investigation.

Jackson County District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath, in a recorded statement released alongside the grand jury report, rejected those concerns as unfounded.

"The family, the Crump team, and anyone close to Nolan knew that his disappearance and death were not the result of racial hate or violence," Myers McIlrath said. "Yet the flames of that narrative set against the backdrop of Mississippi's terrible history were fanned by both people who knew the truth and those who didn't."

The grand jury report also pushed back against "public assertions" that Wells was the only Black person present on the island that day, stating those claims were false and "led to misidentification, speculation, and rumors concerning the death of Mr. Wells."

The Rev. Al Sharpton, who delivered Wells' eulogy, issued a written statement after the grand jury's decision. "We will not confuse the absence of an indictment with the presence of an answer," Sharpton wrote, adding that the jury's finding "is not an answer to how 18-year-old Nolan Xavier Wells left for an outing with friends and never came home."

NAACP Calls for Full Public Disclosure

The NAACP is now pressing the district attorney's office to release its own autopsy report to the public, following Crump's publication of the independent findings.

"Nolan's family deserves nothing less than a full, fair, and independent investigation that is exhaustive and leaves no stone unturned," wrote Kristen Clarke, NAACP general counsel. "We urge the District Attorney to continue the investigation, release the full autopsy report from the state's medical examiner, and make the investigative file public."

The grand jury noted that a "thorough search" of Horn Island had been conducted on July 5, the day before Wells' body was found. "The Grand Jury is confident that had his body been on the island at that time, it would have been discovered during the extensive search," the report reads.

Wells' mother and stepfather, Christine Wonsley and Elmore Wonsley, appeared at the National Urban League's annual conference in Nashville on July 30 to share updates on the case. The investigation formally remains open, with Crump and the NAACP both calling on the district attorney to continue pursuing answers.

Source: NPR National