Doctor 'cannot rule out foul play' after performing autopsy on Nolan Wells

An independent autopsy found that the manner and cause of death of 18-year-old student-athlete Nolan Xavier Wells are undetermined pending further investigation, civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump announced in a press conference Wednesday.

Wells’ body was found face down and fully clothed when it was found off the northwest tip of Horn Island on July 6, according to Crump.

The attorney said the United Cajun Navy released that information, but the Cajun Navy disputed those facts.

“We didn’t say Nolan was fully clothed when found,” the group said in a social media post. “He was wearing only swim trunks. Please don’t misrepresent our words.”

Forensic pathologist Roger A. Mitchell Jr. conducted the independent autopsy.

According to Crump, Mitchell’s examination was limited because it was performed after the Mississippi state autopsy, when Wells’ body had already undergone significant decomposition and certain organs had been retained by the original medical examiner that need further testing. Additionally, toxicology results are pending.

“For this reason, this pathologist cannot rule out if any intervening non-accidental factors contributed to or caused the death of Nolan Wells.

“Understand, he said, based on the examination of the body, he cannot rule out foul play. That is significant.”

In addition, Crump said, the second autopsy performed on Nolan Wells revealed marked decomposition or changes, explaining that advanced decomposition made it impossible to determine whether bruises or abrasions had originally been present on the skin.

Because of those limitations, Mitchell conducted a far more extensive internal examination than had been performed during the initial autopsy.

That included the dissection of Wells’ face, back of the head and neck, ribs, pelvis, back, buttocks, arms and legs to rule out blunt-force trauma.

“He did all of this to rule out things,” Crump said. “He ruled out there were no fractures or deep tissue injuries identified. This was very important because he wanted to be very thorough and very transparent.”

Crump announced the preliminary results during a press conference in Chicago, Illinois, during the 117th NAACP National Convention.

Well’s parents, Elmore and Christine Wonsley, joined Crump at the press conference along with Derrick Johnson, president and chief executive officer of the NAACP, and others.

Organs missing and head injury?

Although Mitchell found no fractures or significant deep tissue injuries, Crump highlighted one finding the pathologist considered important enough to include in his preliminary report.

During a head and neck dissection, Mitchell discovered what the report described as a 12-by-8-inch area of red discoloration in the deep soft tissue on a bone over the back of Wells’ head.

“He talked about how he found red discoloration when he cut open into the back of his head toward the bone,” Crump said. “It’s significant. You can’t help but notice why is this dark red (area) in the back of his head.”

There are other questions that remain as a result of the independent autopsy.

According to the report, there were no visible skull fractures or lacerations over the area, and decomposition prevented Mitchell from determining whether the finding represented an injury that occurred before death.

Other limitations noted

Crump said Mitchell identified another significant limitation: the front structures of Wells’ neck - including the trachea, larynx and hyoid bone - were not provided with the body for the second autopsy.

“The throat was not received with the body when he got Nolan Wells’ body in Washington, D.C., to perform the second autopsy,” Crump said.

Mitchell noted that retaining those structures after an initial autopsy is common practice when further examination is needed.

However, Crump said Mitchell does not know why they were withheld in this case and that could be because Mississippi authorities are looking into that further.

Without examining those structures, Mitchell concluded he could not exclude neck injuries as a contributing factor in Wells’ death.

“He said he would need to have the medical examiner in Mississippi allow him to review the throat,” Crump said.

Crump said Mitchell also was unable to independently evaluate several findings commonly used to determine whether someone drowned because the organs had already been removed and examined during the initial autopsy.

In addition, Crump said the pathologist could not determine the condition of his stomach contents, and what the original toxicology testing will show.

“We have heard from my call center people saying the body wasn’t waterlogged,” Crump said. “We need to know those things, but unfortunately ... those are things we can only get from the initial autopsy.”

Crump warned of autopsy limitations

After Wells’ funeral service Monday, Crump said in a press conference that there were “limitations” in what could be found during the independent autopsy. After the autopsy in Mississippi the day after his body was found, Wells’ body was turned over to the funeral home.

Crump then had the body flown to Washington for the independent autopsy.

Questioning their son’s death

Wells, 18, was reported missing after he did not return home from a Fourth of July trip to the island. The Black teen traveled by boat to the island with at least three white friends.

The friends returned from the island with Wells’ cellphone and keys. His mother said it was unlikely her son would leave his cellphone behind when he was miles from shore.

The Wonsleys question the circumstances surrounding their son’s death and hired Crump to represent them in a fight to find out what happened to the 18-year-old student athlete.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department is heading up the death investigation with assistance from agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office performed an autopsy on Wells on July 7, the day after his body was found at the northwest tip of Horn Island.

The results of that autopsy are pending the results of toxicology testing.

Since Wells’ death, former NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens, the Rev. Al Sharpton and actor and producer Tyler Perry have contributed a total of $125,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.