Trump says White House is ‘looking at’ FBI investigation into Nolan Wells’ death
TheGrio...
The president’s remarks come after Wells’ family and attorney Ben Crump called for a full federal investigation into the 18-year-old’s death.
President Donald Trump suggested he would call on the FBI to open an investigation into the death of Nolan Wells, the 18-year-old found dead at Horn Island, Mississippi, after going missing for days following a July 4 boat trip with a group of white friends.
When asked by a reporter at the White House on Wednesday whether he would call on the federal agency to investigate Nolan’s mysterious death, Trump said: “Well, we’re looking at that. Yes, we are.”
Trump’s remarks come after the FBI said it would not investigate the teen’s death due to lacking evidence of foul play, as reported by People. After a Jackson County grand jury in Mississippi declined to bring any indictment in connection with Nolan’s death, citing no credible evidence of criminal conduct or foul play, Nolan’s parents, Christine Wells-Wonsley and Elmore Wonsley Sr., and their attorney, Ben Crump, called for a full and transparent FBI investigation.
An independent autopsy conducted by forensic pathologist Dr. Roger A. Mitchell Jr., the president of Howard University Hospital, on behalf of Nolan’s family, determined that there was no evidence of a drowning due to an absence of water in Wells’ stomach, lungs, and throat. The autopsy also determined bruising on the back of Nolan’s head, back, his left shoulder, and his buttocks.
“We do not believe Nolan drowned, and the blunt force trauma to his head cannot be ignored or explained away,” Crump said in a statement. “Nolan’s family deserves the truth, and we will keep fighting until every question is answered and justice is served.”
TheGrio reached out to family attorney Ben Crump and the FBI following President Trump’s remarks, but did not immediately receive a response.
Other aspects of the Nolan Wells case has raised suspicions, including his phone being in the possession of one of the teens who traveled on the boat with Nolan to Horns Island. A digital forensics expert determined that messages from Nolan’s Snapchat account were deleted or unsent. Nearly 300 Snap messages were recovered from the forensics investigation, including some that discussed how some on Horn Island can be racist.
Jackson County District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath said there was no evidence to suggest that Wells’ disappearance and death were racially motivated.
In a previous interview with theGrio, Scott Colom, a Mississippi district attorney and Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, called on the Jackson County district attorney to release as much evidence from the grand jury investigation as possible.
“At some point there was a breakdown in trust between the family and law enforcement, and that distrust spread to the broader community. And the only way to combat that trust is transparency,” said Colom.