The Grand Jury will not pursue charges for Nolan Wells' death, despite injuries found during the autopsy

Nolan and friends

The Jackson County Grand Jury has decided against bringing forward criminal charges for the death of 18-year-old Nolan Wells in Mississippi. Nolan mysteriously died after attending a boating excursion on Horn Island during the Fourth of July with several teens and others from Ocean Springs, Mississippi.

The District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath recently addressed the case by stating, “Nolan chose to stay on the island that day, and there is not a scintilla of evidence to contradict that. The family, the Crump team, and anyone close to Nolan knew that his disappearance and death were not the result of racial hate or violence. Yet, the flames of that narrative, set against the backdrop of Mississippi’s terrible history, were fanned by both people who knew the truth and those who didn’t,” she said.

Nolan’s family retained Attorney Ben Crump following the teen’s death. Attorney Crump has expressed many frustrations with the investigation since July. In response to the Grand Jury’s ruling, Crump said the Mississippi medical examiner found injuries to Nolan’s head, but neglected to take pictures of his head. During a recent press conference, he emphasized that injuries were found on Nolan’s remains.

According to Yahoo, an independent autopsy commissioned by the family of Nolan Wells revealed that the 18-year-old suffered blunt force trauma to the back of his head and body, including injuries that were not reported in the initial autopsy. The second autopsy also reportedly had limited findings due to marked decomposition that began to appear on the corpse.

Attorney Crump also stated that the second autopsy was unable to examine his stomach and throat. A discrepancy arose over whether all of his organs were delivered with the body during the second examination. The Crump team was also reportedly upset about the timing of the initial autopsy results.

Yet, both autopsies reportedly ruled his death undetermined and inconclusive. Authorities advised keeping the case open.

Other suspicious evidence emerged during the case. Boat occupants said Nolan decided to stay on the island, yet his cell phone remained on the boat. An audio call from the boat Nolan was traveling on to a rescue team, Sea Tow, also emerged. The boat’s occupants appeared to be in distress, thinking the boat would sink, and therefore called Sea Tow for help. In the background of the call, occupants could be heard saying Nolan’s name, and it sounded like someone was also saying, “Is he dead?” TMZ obtained a copy of the audio. Click here to listen.

Nolan’s mother, Christine Wonsley, said during Tuesday's press conference that she got a text from the District Attorney regarding the Grand Jury’s decision. She said the DA, Myers McIlrath, then shared the update on Facebook. Christine found the Facebook share to be unprofessional and a disregard for Nolan’s case.

https://youtube.com/shorts/urNpHE5IlBw?si=0UxZxqs0Q1Gn2KPU

His mother, who is a medical practitioner herself, stated, “How can a jury come to the conclusion of drowning, despite knowing that there was trauma to his body, and despite hearing many inconsistencies?” Noah’s mother doesn’t believe that, out of a large group of people who attended the trip, nobody on the island knows what happened to her son.

This story will be updated.

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