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(WKRG) — A second, independent autopsy of Nolan Wells – the teen who was found dead after disappearing during a Fourth of July trip to an island off of Mississippi – was “inconclusive” because of missing information that the medical examiner said is vital to the investigation, according to Ben Crump, attorney for Wells’ family.
Dr. Roger Mitchell, chair of pathology at Howard University College of Medicine, conducted an independent autopsy after Wells’ body was sent to him following an initial autopsy in Mississippi.
In his report, Mitchell said there were critical things missing that made it difficult to conclude what caused Nolan Wells’ death.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said Wells was last seen on July 4 on Horn Island. The teen traveled by boat to Horn Island with a group of friends and did not return with them. Wells’ mother reported him missing that night. His body was located on the island on July 6.
Most notably, the interior neck parts, including the thyroid bone and trachea, were not sent with the body. Because of that, Mitchell said he could not rule out a neck injury. He said if he were to do an autopsy for an investigation, the only reason he would hold out those bones would be because of neck fractures.
Mitchell said there was red discoloration in the back of Wells’ head, but he could not determine what caused that discoloration. He said it could indicate intracranial hemorrhaging.
The red discoloration was “something of great concern for him,” according to Crump.
Other issues arose from it not being the initial autopsy.
He “could not directly view the airway and lungs for water,” Crump read from Mitchell’s report. “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.”
Crump said witnesses have said the body was not waterlogged, but that information could not be obtained during a second autopsy. He said that would have to come from the Mississippi medical examiner.
“We hope the Mississippi medical examiner will share photos of the original autopsy with Dr. Mitchell,” Crump said. He said photos would have more of that information that is lost when the autopsy is done.
Additionally, toxicology results have not been received.
Crump said some unanswered questions had to do with the circumstances around Wells going into the water.
“(Mitchell) 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,” Crump said. “This is the crux of the matter; it’s especially important for the deaths of those persons who can swim, such as Nolan Wells.”
“This pathologist 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,” Crump said.
Because of the lack of information, “this pathologist cannot rule out if any intervening non-accidental factors caused or led to the death of Nolan Wells,” he said.
“So, he cannot rule out foul play,” Crump said.
He said representatives from the Cajun Navy said Wells’ body was found face down, fully clothed.
“What was the composition of stomach contents,” Crump said. “When was he found, how long had he been in the water, how long since his last meal. These are things that would come from that initial autopsy.”
Crump said Mitchell needs to review the original autopsy before giving a definitive answer.
“While this gives us significant information, it still leaves more questions than answers,” he said.
He said he hopes the Mississippi District Attorney will call Mitchell to give his findings to a grand jury.
He, Nolan’s parents and others on their team will not stop until they get the answers they want, Crump said.
“We will get the answers to these questions. We will persist, persist, persist,” he said.
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