Preliminary independent autopsy results for Nolan Wells’ death are released

The cause of death for Nolan Wells, an 18-year-old whose body was found July 6 along the shoreline of Horn Island off the Mississippi coast, has not been determined, according to preliminary independent autopsy results announced Wednesday.

An independent investigator ruled the manner of death to be undetermined pending investigation, family attorney Ben Crump said.

The independent autopsy, which was requested by Wells’ family and was privately funded, is separate from the official autopsy performed by the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office on July 7. Results from the state’s autopsy investigation have not been released, pending the outcome of standard toxicology tests.

Crump released the findings from Dr. Roger Mitchell during a Wednesday news conference at the NAACP National Conference in Chicago.

Mitchell said that he did find discoloration in the soft tissue at the back of Wells’ head. He said it was unclear what caused it.

An autopsy had been performed in Mississippi before Mitchell received the body in Washington, D.C., on July 10. Mitchell noted in his report that because it was the second autopsy and the body had decomposed, he could not tell if there were bruises or abrasions.

Mitchell also said he could not examine Wells’ throat and lungs because they were not included with the body. The results of the first autopsy and the toxicology report have not been released.

“We have more questions than answers,” Crump said. “We will continue to persist.”

Wells and his friends went on a Fourth of July boat trip to Horn Island – an uninhabited stretch of federally protected land off the Mississippi coast that authorities said was busy with holiday revelers.

When photos from the trip showed the Black teen surrounded by white friends, his death sparked nationwide attention and speculation that race may have played a role.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.