{"id":3062,"date":"2026-07-22T14:41:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T14:41:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=3062"},"modified":"2026-07-22T14:41:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T14:41:12","slug":"nolan-wells-independent-autopsy-results-in-undetermined-cause-and-manner-of-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=3062","title":{"rendered":"Nolan Wells\u2019 independent autopsy results in \u2018undetermined\u2019 cause and manner of death"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>A preliminary independent autopsy report commissioned by the legal team representing Nolan Wells\u2019 family found the teenager\u2019s cause and manner of death were \u201cundetermined\u201d pending investigation.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=3061\">Mexican man killed after ICE encounter in Florida was on vacation, officials say<\/a><\/p>\n<p>But the doctor who performed the autopsy said in the report that he could not rule out foul play, according to the family\u2019s lawyer, Ben Crump, who revealed the findings at a news conference Wednesday at the 117th NAACP National Convention.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Crump added that the report, which was prepared after two autopsies, also found red discoloration on the back of Wells\u2019 head. But the report appeared to have gaps due to what Crump said were missing body parts and incomplete procedures. <\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<h2>More coverage of Nolan Wells&#8217; death<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Before Nolan Wells\u2019 death, Mississippi island was full of fun, friends, and an unspoken danger<\/li>\n<li>New audio sheds light on malfunction that hit boat Nolan Wells\u2019 friends were aboard<\/li>\n<li>False claims and speculation fill an information void around Nolan Wells\u2019 death<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The autopsy was performed by Dr. Roger Mitchell, a board-certified forensic pathologist and the president of the National Medical Association \u2014 the oldest and largest group of Black physicians in the U.S., Crump said. <\/p>\n<p>It did not include a toxicology report, Crump said Wednesday. <\/p>\n<p>Crump said the autopsy was performed July 10 \u2014 six days after Wells disappeared and four days after his body was found on the northwestern shore of Horn Island. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>The Jackson County coroner also performed an autopsy on the body of the 18-year-old football player. Those results have not yet been released, as the coroner\u2019s office is waiting on a toxicology report from the medical examiner\u2019s office to be completed. <\/p>\n<p>Jackson County Coroner Bruce Lynd told NBC News on Tuesday that the state\u2019s autopsy report was still not finished. <\/p>\n<p>Mitchell could not determine whether Wells was conscious when he entered the water \u2014 or how he ended up in the water, according to the report.<\/p>\n<p>Crump called Wells\u2019 condition before he entered the water the \u201ccrux of the matter,\u201d adding, \u201cIt would be of utmost importance to be able to determine a cause and manner of death.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Also, due to the level of decomposition of Wells\u2019 body when Mitchell received it, Crump said, it could not be determined whether there was any bruising on the body, citing the report. <\/p>\n<p>Wells was last seen July 4 sometime in the afternoon, though the exact time isn\u2019t clear. He had gone to the island, which is accessible only by boat, to celebrate the holiday with a group of high school friends. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>His friends have told police that when they had to leave early because their boat started taking on water, Wells told them he would stay and catch a ride back later with others. <\/p>\n<p>Wells didn\u2019t return home that night, and his mother reported him missing around midnight. His body was found July 6 by a U.S. park ranger. <\/p>\n<p>Little else has been revealed about the circumstances surrounding his death, including from law enforcement, leaving plenty of holes in a case that has captured the nation\u2019s attention. <\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=3057\">Venezuela\u2019s Nicol\u00e1s Maduro back to court for pretrial hearing in his US drug trafficking case<\/a><\/p>\n<p>In the autopsy report presented by Crump, Mitchell noted that parts of Wells\u2019 throat were not in his body when it was received for review.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTherefore, this pathologist cannot rule out injury to the neck as a contributor or a cause of death,\u201d Crump said, calling on local law officials to share with Mitchell their findings from the state autopsy. <\/p>\n<p>Crump added that Mitchell should be included when a Mississippi grand jury hears results of the death investigation.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Wells\u2019 parents, Christine Wells-Wonsley and Elmore Wonsley, spoke before the results were revealed in front of the crowd at the NAACP Convention. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s so many people out in the public asking all of these questions, but the only question that we have is what happened to our son,\u201d Wells-Wonsley said. <\/p>\n<p>She added that the fact that the state-run autopsy report has not yet been released is part of the reason why she and her family decided to move forward with an independent autopsy. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is our hope that our local authorities will do what they need to do, because us having the preliminary autopsy results and hearing nothing from them \u2014 it\u2019s heartbreaking, and it\u2019s concerning,\u201d she said. \u201cWhich again is why we are here, why we have asked for this help.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Wonsley also echoed calls for the truth, noting that \u201cwe just want honesty.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe want to know what happened to our son because the things that you\u2019re telling us \u2014 that\u2019s not the character of our son. We know our son,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Crump and Wells\u2019 parents have rejected notions from law enforcement that the teenager drowned, launching their own investigation into his death, including the autopsy. They have said that he was a good swimmer with an athletic build and that the story did not add up. <\/p>\n<p>But those who know Horn Island well told NBC News that it would not be unsurprising to learn that Wells was quickly pulled into a current and drowned, especially on the western side of the small island. <\/p>\n<p>Civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton, former NFL player Terrell Owens and actor and producer Tyler Perry have offered a combined $125,000 for any information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for Wells\u2019 death, Crump said in a Tuesday release. <\/p>\n<p>Wells was laid to rest Monday in a ceremony in his hometown of Ocean Springs, Mississippi. A party for his friends, family and teammates followed. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cNolan had such a gentle, calming spirit about him. He had a way of making people feel seen, welcome, and valued,\u201d Wells-Wonsley said during the funeral service at Center Pointe Church. \u201cHe could lift your confidence with just a few words and make you feel like you belonged.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=3055\">Trump approves landmark U.S.-Saudi nuclear deal<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A preliminary independent autopsy report commissioned by the legal team representing Nolan Wells\u2019 family found the teenager\u2019s cause and manner of death were \u201cundetermined\u201d pending investigation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2636,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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