SerpApi.Org
“We will persist, persist, persist” in finding answers, his family’s attorney says
NEED TO KNOW
- Nolan Wells’ family has released their independent autopsy in the wake of his mysterious disappearance and death
- The 18-year-old football player vanished on July 4 after traveling to a Mississippi island with a group of friends for a large party
- According to their autopsy, they could not rule out foul play but did not find any fractures or deep tissue injuries on the teen’s body — and say important questions remain
The family of 18-year-old student-athlete Nolan Wells, who publicly questioned key details surrounding his death following a Fourth of July party, has now released the results of his independent autopsy.
At a news conference on Wednesday, July 22, their attorney, Ben Crump, presented the preliminary findings from Dr. Roger J. Mitchell.
Mitchell said Wells’ manner and cause of death could not yet be determined without further investigation.
Mitchell said he could not rule out foul play but did not find any fractures or deep tissue injuries on the teen’s body.
His report noted several limitations to his findings — chiefly lack of access to Wells’ body in the immediate aftermath of his death, the lack of access to some parts of Wells’ body which remain with law enforcement and a lack of answers about how Wells may have drowned and whether he was conscious at the time.
Mitchell noted that Wells’ body was so decomposed by the time of his second autopsy that he might have missed signs of bruising or abrasions.
But he identified “red discoloration in the soft tissue of the back of [Wells’] head,” behind his ears, according to Crump, who called that “significant.”
Mitchell said the cause of this discoloration, which was quite large, was unknown.
He did not see any cuts or fractures in the same area.
He was also not able to examine Wells’ lungs or stomach for their contents, such as signs of drowning, because investigators had already dissected Wells’ organs and removed his throat structures as part of the official investigation, which Mitchell said was standard.
The results of the official autopsy and toxicology have not been released. Mitchell did not conduct his own toxicology.
At the end of his report, Mitchell outlined seven key questions.
These include how Wells went into the water before being found on the beach of Horn Island two days after his party; what his body’s position was when it was found; did he have water in his airway; and was there any evidence of injuries to his neck.
The remaining key questions, according to Mitchell, are: was there evidence of intracranial hemorrhaging (or bleeding), what was in Wells’ stomach and what did the toxicology determine.
“We will persist, persist, persist” in finding answers, Crump told reporters.
Crump previously said during a interview on Good Morning America that the independent report was conducted in Washington, D.C., because the family wanted it performed by a pathologist with no ties to Mississippi law enforcement.
Crump said the examination was at least partially funded by former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick and that his legal team would also be conducting its own investigation.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Wells was last seen on Horn Island, a barrier island off the Mississippi Gulf Coast, around 3 p.m. local time on July 4, according to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.
Wells’ mother previously told reporters that she had called authorities to report him missing that Saturday night but was told she needed to contact another agency.
She later learned that one of the people who had been with Wells on the boat had already contacted the U.S. Coast Guard that evening to report him missing.
Additionally, she has said she got a call from one of her son’s friends who was with him that day, alerting her to what had happened.
His body was discovered in the water near the northwest end of Horn Island two days after he was last seen.
Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter previously told the Associated Press that it appeared Wells chose to remain on the island longer than his friends.
“From the people we’ve talked to, it sounds like he chose to stay on the island with the assumption that he was going to ride back to the mainland with someone else,” he said.
But Wells’ family says some of what they have been told isn’t “adding up.”
During a news conference on July 10 with Wells’ family, Crump said that a young woman whom Wells’ friends said he intended to stay behind with had, actually, said he planned to return to the boat rather than remain on the island.
They also had questions surrounding Wells’ cellphone and why it ended up with his friends. (His family later had to get it from them.)
“What teenager would leave their phone behind if they’re going to stay on this island?” Crump said. “What teenager wouldn’t take their phone?”
In an interview that aired on Good Morning America days later, Wells’ friend Tracestin Shepherd told ABC News that Wells left his phone in a boat, along with many others, due to the fact that he would be spending time in the water.
As their own investigation continues, local law enforcement — who have said Wells’ friends have been cooperating — maintain they didn’t initially find indications of foul play or wrongdoing but note that an official cause of death has yet to be determined.
An autopsy was conducted on July 7, but Jackson County Coroner Bruce Lynd told PEOPLE that it could be weeks before the results will be released and declined to share additional details.
Wells, who would have turned 19 in August, attended Southwest Mississippi Community College where he played wide receiver on the football team.
His mother has remembered as a peacemaker who wanted everyone to feel included, while dad Elmore Wonsley said Wells was someone who could make a friend anywhere he went.
“He was focused on what he wanted. He wanted to make life better for his family,” said Elmore. “He’s going to be really missed.”
Read the original article on People
