Nolan Wells autopsy: Family reveals undetermined cause
The Nolan Wells autopsy commissioned by his family preliminarily found the Mississippi teen died of undetermined causes, attorney Ben Crump said Wednesday at the NAACP national convention in Chicago. Official state results have not been released, and the Jackson County investigation into the 18-year-old’s July 4 disappearance remains open.
Wells vanished after a holiday boat trip to Horn Island with high school friends. His body was recovered two days later. Authorities have said they believe he may have drowned and that there was no initial indication of a crime, while stressing they are still working to determine exactly what occurred.
Key Takeaways
- Preliminary findings from the family-commissioned Nolan Wells autopsy cite an undetermined cause of death, Crump announced Wednesday in Chicago.
- The independent exam was arranged after the family sent Wells’ body to Washington, D.C., and was funded by former NFL player Colin Kaepernick.
- The state medical examiner’s findings have not been released to the public, a delay Wells’ mother called “concerning.”
- Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter has said the office welcomes the family’s independent work as the official probe continues.
- At Monday’s funeral in Ocean Springs, Wells’ parents and civil rights leaders vowed to keep pressing for answers.
What did the Nolan Wells autopsy find so far?
According to NewsNation, Wells’ family says preliminary results from a private autopsy show he died of undetermined causes. Crump shared those results Wednesday morning during the NAACP’s national convention in Chicago.
Fox News also covered the update as Crump announced preliminary findings from the independent autopsy. The family has framed the private exam as a way to learn whether Wells had injuries beyond drowning while they wait on Mississippi’s official report.
NewsNation reported the independent autopsy was conducted by Roger Mitchell, president of the National Medical Association. Crump had said the exam would help show whether Wells had injuries to his body before drowning.
Parents Christine and Elmore Wonsley appeared alongside their attorney as the findings were discussed. Christine Wonsley said not receiving the official state autopsy results was “concerning.” Elmore Wonsley said the family wants honesty, adding that “the things we’re being told — that wasn’t Nolan.”
Why does this independent exam matter right now?
Wells, an 18-year-old college football player from Ocean Springs, went missing on July 4 after traveling by boat with friends to Horn Island, just south of Ocean Springs. Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said the friends returned without him and, from what investigators understand, Wells chose to stay on the island.
His body was recovered two days later, ABC News reported. Officials said they believe the teen drowned. Ledbetter said there was no initial indication of a crime, but investigators are “working diligently to determine exactly what occurred.”
ABC News reported Wells’ family was desperate for answers and sent his body to Washington, D.C., for an independent autopsy. NewsNation said the private exam was funded by Colin Kaepernick.
Ledbetter told ABC News the sheriff’s office welcomes the family’s independent investigation. “Nolan Wells’ family deserves a thorough and factual investigation, and that’s exactly what they’re going to get,” he said last week.
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What have family and officials said about the investigation?
At Wells’ funeral on Monday at Center Pointe Church in Ocean Springs, Christine Wonsley thanked God for “the beautiful 18 years” her family had with her son. “We will miss everything about him, from his quiet nature to the corny jokes,” she said, adding that the family “will continue to fight” for him.
Elmore Wonsley recalled coaching his son in football and nicknaming him “Mr. Cool Hands.” Rev. Al Sharpton delivered a eulogy and said mourners wanted both to celebrate Nolan and to demand a full and thorough investigation. Crump led a chant of “Nolan’s life matters” and said the family would keep “ringing the justice bells” until they get answers, truth, and justice.
Actor and director Tyler Perry paid for the funeral, and Spike Lee was among those who attended, Sharpton said, according to ABC News. The case has drawn national attention as the family presses for transparency while the official inquiry continues.
NewsNation reported that Mississippi’s state medical examiner’s office has completed its own autopsy but has not released the results. Separately, ABC News noted at the time of the funeral that the coroner’s office autopsy had not yet been completed. Either way, the public still lacks a final official cause-of-death report from the state side.
What happens next in the Nolan Wells case?
Crump’s Wednesday update puts the private Nolan Wells autopsy findings into the public record while the Jackson County investigation remains active. Sheriff Ledbetter has emphasized diligence over early conclusions, and he has stressed that investigators are still determining exactly what occurred.
The family’s attorney has cast the independent exam as part of a broader push for clarity, not a substitute for a complete official investigation. Officials have said there was no initial indication of a crime, even as Wells’ parents continue to question the account they have been given.
For now, the clearest public takeaway from the family-commissioned work is limited but consequential: preliminary private findings cite an undetermined cause of death. That leaves the central question—what happened to Nolan Wells—still unanswered as both the independent and official tracks continue.
BlasterPost will continue following verified updates from primary reporting as more autopsy and investigative details become available.