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(NewsNation) — The results of a private autopsy of 18-year-old Nolan Wells have come back inconclusive. Preliminary findings show the Mississippi teen’s cause and manner of death are undetermined and require further investigation, according to an independent autopsy report by Roger Mitchell, the president of the National Medical Association.
Wells’ family decided to pursue their own autopsy after being faced with several unanswered questions following the discovery of their son’s body a few days after he went on a trip with friends to an island off the Mississippi coast. The state medical examiner’s office has completed its own autopsy but hasn’t released results.
Second autopsy faced critical limitations
A report from Mitchell said the autopsy faced many limitations, as Wells’ organs, including his brain, were removed during the first autopsy, as well as parts of Wells’ neck, which the report said was “common forensic pathology practice.” The body was also decomposed. The report said the cause and manner of Wells’ death is undetermined and requires further investigation.
“The most significant of the limitations was the inability to directly observe the airway and lungs for water and directly observe the stomach for gastric contents,” the report said.
Mitchell said he also hadn’t received the original toxicology results. His report said both injury to the neck and non-accidental factors contributing to Wells’ death cannot be ruled out.
The family’s attorney, Ben Crump, shared the results Wednesday morning at the NAACP’s national convention in Chicago. Wells’ funeral was held Tuesday.
Wells disappeared during a July 4 boat trip with friends to an island off the Mississippi coast. He didn’t return with the group, and his body was found two days later.
The family arranged for their own autopsy, funded by former NFL player Colin Kaepernick. Crump said the exam would show whether Wells had injuries to his body before drowning.
The case has drawn national attention, and speculation has swirled as the investigation continues.
During a news conference where the findings were presented, Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley, said not receiving the official state autopsy results was “concerning.”
“We just want honesty,” his father, Elmore Wonsley, added. “The things we’re being told — that wasn’t Nolan.”
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