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The independent Nolan Wells autopsy could not determine how the 18-year-old college football player died or rule out the possibility that non-accidental factors contributed to his death.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump announced the preliminary findings Wednesday at the NAACP National Convention in Chicago. The report classified both the cause and manner of Wells’ death as “undetermined pending investigation”, directly challenging early assurances that his death appeared to be an accidental drowning.

The findings do not establish that Wells was murdered. However, they confirm that significant medical and investigative questions remain unresolved more than two weeks after he disappeared from Horn Island and was later found face down in the water.

Nolan Wells Autopsy Leaves Cause Undetermined

Dr. Roger Mitchell conducted the independent examination in Washington, D.C., on July 10 after Wells’ family questioned the circumstances surrounding his death. The preliminary report was completed July 19.

Mitchell found no skull fractures, skin lacerations or deep tissue injuries. Still, decomposition and the condition of the body prevented him from determining whether Wells had bruises, abrasions or other less obvious signs of trauma.

The pathologist also could not determine Wells’ exact date of death. Although his body was recovered on July 6, the report did not establish when he entered the water or whether he was alive and conscious at that time.

Those unanswered questions are central to the case. A finding that someone died in water does not, by itself, explain how that person got there.

Missing Evidence Limited the Second Examination

The independent Nolan Wells autopsy took place after Mississippi’s medical examiner had already completed the state examination. As a result, Wells’ body arrived without organs or neck structures needed for several critical assessments.

The removal of organs and tissue during an autopsy is not inherently unusual, particularly when additional examination or testing is required. However, Dr. Roger Mitchell did not have those materials or the completed state findings available during the independent examination.

Without the internal neck structures, Mitchell could not independently determine whether Wells had suffered a neck injury. The missing materials also prevented him from assessing whether water entered Wells’ lungs or reviewing other evidence that could help establish whether drowning occurred.

That limitation prevented the independent pathologist from confirming drowning as the cause of death. It also prevented him from excluding other factors that may have occurred before Wells entered the water.

Red Discoloration Requires More Investigation

The Nolan Wells autopsy documented a large area of red discoloration in the soft tissue on the back of his head. Crump described the area as approximately 12 inches by 8 inches and said the finding was significant enough to require further review.

Mitchell did not classify the discoloration as proof of blunt-force trauma. Decomposition can alter tissue appearance, and the report described the finding as inconclusive.

The pathologist requested records and additional information from the Mississippi medical examiner to determine whether the discoloration reflects an injury, postmortem change or another process.

That distinction matters. The finding should not be inflated into evidence of an assault, but it also cannot be dismissed before the requested information is examined.

The Autopsy Does Not Prove Homicide

The phrase “cannot rule out foul play” carries significant weight, but it does not mean the independent pathologist concluded that Wells was killed.

Mitchell reported no fractures or deep tissue injuries. He also did not identify a definitive fatal wound or other physical finding that independently established homicide.

Instead, the Nolan Wells autopsy says the available evidence is incomplete. Mitchell wrote that he could not exclude the possibility that “intervening non-accidental factors” contributed to or caused Wells’ death.

That is a narrower and more careful conclusion than many social media posts have suggested. It means investigators still need to determine Wells’ condition before he entered the water, whether he entered voluntarily and whether another person played any role.

Earlier Contradictions Remain Unresolved

Wells traveled to Horn Island on July 4 with three white friends he knew from high school. They returned to the mainland without him, and his mother reported him missing that night.

His body was recovered two days later near the northwestern end of the island. He was reportedly fully clothed and floating face down in the water.

The friends reportedly said Wells chose to remain on the island with a young woman. According to Crump, the woman gave a conflicting account and said Wells intended to return to the boat.

Wells’ phone and keys were also not recovered with his body. His phone was reportedly in the possession of one of the friends who returned to the mainland.

USA Herald previously reported on the conflicting accounts, unresolved cellphone questions and concerns about the early dismissal of foul play.

The new Nolan Wells autopsy does not resolve any of those issues. Instead, it increases the importance of witness interviews, phone records, photographs, videos and a complete reconstruction of the group’s movements on July 4.

Family Challenges Early Accidental-Drowning Theory

Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley, has criticized Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter for publicly suggesting an accidental drowning before the investigation was complete.

At Wednesday’s press conference, Wonsley said declaring the death accidental so early created concern that investigators had settled on a conclusion before collecting all available evidence.

Ledbetter has said initial interviews indicated Wells chose to remain on the island and that his friends believed he would return with someone else. The sheriff’s department has maintained that the investigation remains active and that the friends have cooperated.

The independent findings do not prove the sheriff’s initial assessment was wrong. They do show that the medical evidence available to the family’s pathologist does not support a definitive accidental-drowning ruling at this stage.

State Autopsy and Toxicology Remain Pending

The Mississippi medical examiner has not publicly released the state autopsy or final toxicology findings.

Those records could answer several questions the independent examination could not. They may reveal whether water was present in Wells’ airways, whether substances were detected in his system and whether the removed neck structures showed evidence of injury.

The state examiner’s photographs, tissue samples, microscopic findings and organ examinations will also be necessary for Mitchell to complete his independent assessment.

Until those materials are reviewed together, any declaration of accident, homicide or another manner of death remains premature.

Grand Jury Will Review the Completed Investigation

Once the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office completes its investigation, the district attorney’s office says it will present the findings to a grand jury.

A grand jury presentation does not mean prosecutors have identified a suspect or concluded that a crime occurred. It gives the evidence another level of review in a case now facing intense national scrutiny.

Crump and the Wells family have continued asking people who were on Horn Island to come forward. Estimates suggest between 300 and 400 people may have been present during the July 4 gathering.

A reward totaling $125,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction. The reward includes contributions from the Rev. Al Sharpton, filmmaker Tyler Perry and former NFL player Terrell Owens.

Nolan Wells Autopsy Deepens the Demand for Answers

The independent Nolan Wells autopsy does not provide the definitive answer his family wanted. It does something equally important: it establishes that the evidence currently available does not justify closing the case with a simple explanation.

There is no medical finding in the independent report proving Wells was assaulted. There is also no completed public record proving he accidentally drowned.

What remains is an incomplete timeline, conflicting witness accounts, unresolved questions about his phone and keys, missing medical information and uncertainty about his condition when he entered the water.

Wells’ family should not have to choose between accepting an unsupported theory and embracing speculation as fact. They are entitled to the full state autopsy, complete investigative records and an evidence-based explanation of what happened to their son.

Until that work is completed, the Nolan Wells autopsy leaves the most important question exactly where it began.

How did an 18-year-old college athlete travel to Horn Island with friends and become the only one who never came home?