An independent autopsy commissioned by the family of 18-year-old Nolan Xavier Wells has concluded that his cause and manner of death remain “undetermined” pending further inquiry, civil rights attorney Ben Crump announced Wednesday. Addressing an audience at the NAACP National Convention in Chicago, Crump stated that board-certified forensic pathologist Dr. Roger Mitchell was unable to establish how the Mississippi teenager died after disappearing off the coast of Horn Island.
The secondary examination, performed on July 10, revealed no bone fractures or deep tissue trauma. However, Mitchell identified a “focal area of red discoloration in the soft tissue of the back of the head, occipital region” that warrants further study. Due to decomposition and the state medical examiner’s retention of internal neck structures—noted in Mitchell’s report as “a common forensic pathology practice”—the independent pathologist could not ascertain whether Wells was conscious upon entering the water, writing that he could not eliminate the possibility that “non-accidental factors contributed to or caused the death of Nolan Wells.”
Wells was last seen alive on July 4 after traveling to the barrier island with a group of friends. His companions informed authorities that they returned to the mainland without him when their boat began taking on water, assuming Wells would secure another ride home. A national park ranger recovered his body two days later along the island’s northwestern shore. Official results from the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office remain incomplete as investigators wait for full toxicology reports.
The independent autopsy was conducted in Washington, D.C., with financial support from former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick. During Wednesday’s press conference, Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley, spoke on the emotional burden facing the family, sharing, “Losing a child truly breaks your heart. It is a pain, you just can’t measure it.” Crump emphasized that the family pursued the second examination in a “ferocious search for the truth of what really happened to Nolan Wells,” acknowledging that they currently have “more questions than answers at this time.”
Community leaders and civil rights figures have called for heightened transparency as local authorities continue their review. A combined $125,000 reward, financed in part by Rev. Al Sharpton, actor Tyler Perry, and former NFL player Terrell Owens, has been offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case. Law enforcement officials say the investigation remains active as they gather additional evidence.
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