PASCAGOULA, Miss. — A grand jury has found there wasn't evidence to bring charges in the death of Nolan Wells, a Black teen who was found dead after a July 4 boating trip off the Mississippi Gulf Coast — a conclusion swiftly questioned by Wells' family.
The decision announced late Monday by Angel Myers McIlrath, the district attorney overseeing Wells' case, comes after months of intense speculation about how the 18-year-old disappeared from a bustling party and why the friends who ferried Wells to the island left without him.
The grand jury in Jackson County, Mississippi, found no evidence of criminal conduct and noted that examinations of his body by the Mississippi medical examiner's office and an independent forensic pathologist hired by Wells' family found the cause and manner of death to be undetermined.
“If credible evidence comes to light in the future that suggests Mr. Wells’ death was non-accidental, this matter should be represented to the Jackson County Grand Jury for further consideration,” the panel’s report said.
Lawyers for Wells' family, including civil rights attorney Ben Crump, said the grand jury's report leaves more questions than answers and accused the district attorney of ending the investigation despite not determining what caused blunt force trauma on the back of Wells' head and body.
They also renewed their request that the U.S. Department of Justice conduct an independent investigation and called on McIlrath to release the investigation file and the full autopsy report by the medical examiner.
“Today, the State of Mississippi is attempting to close the chapter on Nolan Wells’ death without getting to the truth,” Crump said in a statement.
Crump, Wells' family and the NAACP planned a news conference Tuesday.
McIlrath, in a 15-minute social media video posted Monday night, expressed frustration about inaccurate speculation by some members of the public about what happened to Wells. She also said that lawyers for Wells' family told her office last month that their own investigation found no evidence of crimes.
“What I cannot accept, what I cannot ignore, is that false narratives that Nolan’s death was somehow racially motivated, and that this is a case of another young Black man denied justice by a racist, corrupt system, were perpetuated and allowed to spread. There is not a shred of evidence to support these narratives,” she said.
Wells disappeared while celebrating the Fourth of July with friends on Horn Island, an island off Mississippi's Gulf Coast. His body was discovered on the island's northwestern tip two days after he was last seen.
Shortly after, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office officials said investigators did not suspect foul play, sparking widespread concerns about whether law enforcement would conduct a thorough investigation in a state with a brutal history of racism and civil rights violations. McIlrath repeatedly promised a fair and thorough investigation into his death.
Wells' parents and their lawyers voiced suspicions after Wells' friends left the island without him, saying he wanted to stay behind and talk to a girl. Wells' phone was on the boat that took him to the island, which was later towed partway back to the mainland after taking on water.
Crump and Wells’ parents have cast doubt on why a teenager would choose to stay on an island without his phone. They also speculated that messages on his phone were tampered with and alleged his friends were reluctant to turn over his keys. Lawyers for Wells’ friends said the friends are cooperating with authorities.
The grand jury also debunked public assertions that Wells was the only Black person on Horn Island on July 4.
“These false assertions have led to misidentification, speculation and rumors concerning the death of Mr. Wells,” it said.
The report concluded with the panel expressing sympathy for Wells’ family. “The evidence received in this matter convinced the Grand Jury of Mr. Wells’ outstanding character,” it said.
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