Nolan Wells’ family shares autopsy findings, raises new questions after grand jury decision
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The Wells family’s legal team says the official autopsy found no water in his lungs or airways while calling for more answers.
Attorney Ben Crump has shared the findings of the autopsy of Nolan Wells. The official autopsy, performed by the Mississippi State Medical Examiner, revealed that the examination found no water in Wells’ lungs or airways, although the grand jury report suggested Nolan Wells’ death was an accidental drowning. During a press conference on Thursday (Sept. 24), Attorney Liza Park, who is part of the legal team representing the Wells family, explained the forensic conclusions made in the official report.
“It’s about three pages, much shorter than the independent autopsy, but there are some things of note that we wanted to go ahead and share with the media,” detailed Park.
She continued to explain that “no fluid or debris” was found in the airways after relaying potential head and neck injuries. “There’s no water in the stomach. There’s no water in the lungs. And there’s no water in the throat. And yet, the grand jury, if you read through that, especially at the end, what they want to determine an accidental drowning. This is their own medical examiner’s report.”
Additionally, an independent forensic examination of the 18-year-old’s cellphone revealed new digital evidence. Crump and digital forensic investigator Andrew Garrett shared their analysis of Wells’ phone, which recovered more than 1 million digital artifacts, including Snapchat, Instagram, and GPS data, phone records, as well as information from Apple Health.
“I can’t talk to intent,” Garrett detailed. “But I can tell you from a digital standpoint, things were deleted.”
“We don’t know what happened to Nolan Wells,” Crump added. “If you know anything, come forward.”
The press conference comes days after a grand jury found no credible evidence of criminal activity or racial motivation. Earlier this week, a Jackson County grand jury returned a “no true bill” in relation to the Wells’ death. Witness testimony, physical AND digital evidence, GPS data, cellphone records, videos, and investigative reports were provided to the jury as it reached a conclusion. Additionally, toxicology reports confirmed Wells did not have any drugs in his system, nor was there any evidence of a fatal injury or organic disease.
Wells initially disappeared on July 4 after traveling with friends to Horn Island off the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The family and the public continue to call for answers as investigations continue.