PASCAGOULA, Miss. (AP) — 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.
The decision announced 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 Jackson County grand jury 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.
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.
Ben Crump, a prominent civil rights attorney, 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.
