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An 18-year-old whose body was found floating off a Mississippi island may have died of a broken neck, his family's lawyer has suggested.
The claim came after a private second autopsy of Nolan Wells's remains came back inconclusive.
Benjamin Crump, a noted civil rights attorney, shared the findings of Dr Roger Mitchell, the chair of pathology at Howard University College of Medicine, who said 'interior neck parts' removed during the initial autopsy had not been given to them for the second procedure.
Examining these body parts is usually only done after someone dies of a broken neck, Mitchell wrote, with Crump saying that meant foul play could not be ruled out. Wells died during a July 4 boating trip to Horn Island, off the coast of Mississippi.
He was the only black teenager in a group of white friends and his family now says they fear he met with foul play.
Jackson County Sheriff's Office said 'no foul play was suspected,' which infuriated Wells's parents, who accused deputies of rushing to a conclusion. The official investigation into his death continues.
The autopsy report, Crump said, showed no evidence of fractures or deep tissue injuries. It described a 'red discoloration' in the back of Wells' skull as 'inconclusive' and meriting further investigation.
Mitchell wrote in his report that he could not rule out the possibility that 'non-accidental factors contributed to or caused the death' without further investigation.
Mitchell said he did not identify any fractures or deep tissue injuries, but did find 'red discoloration' on the back of the teenager's head.
He could not determine the cause of the discoloration, but noted it could be indicative of 'intracranial hemorrhaging,' the report said.
Crump, during his press briefing, said the red discoloration was 'something of great concern' for Mitchell.
The pathologist also pointed to several challenges that arose from the examination being the second autopsy on the body, including the decomposition of the remains.
Mitchell 'could not directly view the airway and lungs for water,' Crump said, citing the removal of parts of Wells' neck in the previous autopsy.
'He could not directly view the stomach for contents or gastric gases. He could not see the condition of the body when it was pulled from the water.'
Mitchell was also not provided with the results of the original toxicology report conducted by the Mississippi coroner.
The autopsy report further highlighted outstanding questions about whether Wells was conscious when he entered the water.
It said, 'When a death occurs in or around a body of water, with suspicion from drowning, it is important to confirm how that person entered the water,' according to Crump.
'This is the crux of the matter; it's especially important for the deaths of those persons who can swim, such as Nolan Wells.'
Crump noted how Mitchell 'does not know the condition of Nolan Wells, did not know if he was conscious, whether he was forced into the water or unforced in the water.'
'All that information is very important in determining the cause and manner of death,' he added.
The attorney said that due to this alleged lack of information, Mitchell could not rule out whether 'any intervening non-accidental factors' contributed to Wells' death.
'So, he cannot rule out foul play,' Crump concluded.
Crump said Mitchell needs to review the original autopsy before he can provide a definitive answer and then called on state officials to provide that evidence for the family to review as part of their own independent investigation.
The Mississippi State Medical Examiner's Office has not released the results of the state autopsy, but authorities initially believed that Wells died from drowning.
Wells allegedly stayed behind on the island while his friends returned to the mainland on a boat, according to authorities. His body was found after his mother filed a missing person report on July 5.
Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said authorities do not suspect foul play and believe that Wells chose to stay on the island.
Ledbetter has said the teenager's friends are cooperating with the investigation.
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