Justice for Nolan Wells · Chapter 05
Evidence
Autopsies, forensics, what is unreleased
The autopsies
Two exams. No answer.
Neither autopsy found how Nolan died. Neither ruled out an accident. Neither ruled out something else.
State medical examiner
Undetermined
- Cause and manner of death undetermined.
- Two dark red-purple bruises under the scalp on the back of the head. How they happened was not determined. They were not fatal.
- No skull fractures and no external scalp injuries.
- Called drowning a diagnosis of exclusion and did not rule out accidental drowning.
Independent autopsy
Undetermined
- Performed in Washington, D.C., by forensic pathologist Dr. Roger A. Mitchell Jr., with no ties to Mississippi law enforcement. Funded by Colin Kaepernick.
- Red discoloration on the back of the skull, cause undetermined. The family's team later described blunt-force injuries to the back of the head and back.
- No bone fractures or deep tissue injuries.
- Could not rule out non-accidental factors.
Why it stayed unclear
Limits
- Decomposition after two days in the heat and water.
- The state autopsy had already removed his lungs and neck structures, so the second exam could not check them for water or neck injury.
- The area has strong currents, according to the volunteer search group.
Chapter three
The evidence nobody outside the county has seen
A closed case is not the same as a solved one. This is what exists and has not been released, disputed, or independently checked.
Snapchat's server records
The only way to know who deleted what, and when. Snapchat keeps logs the phone does not. Requires a subpoena or warrant.
Not obtained, as far as the public record shows.
The full 30-hour phone extraction
The examiner says the DA has it. The DA says she received a 300-page summary. The complete file has never been independently reviewed.
Disputed.
Transcripts of the 43 grand jury witnesses
Grand jury testimony is secret under Mississippi law. The family has not seen what the friends said under oath.
Sealed.
The friends' phones
Crump asked prosecutors to bring in outside authorities to examine phones belonging to the friends who traveled with Nolan. No examination has been announced.
No public confirmation.
Metadata on the pool photo
A photo circulated as Nolan on July 4 was, a friend says, from June 27. The file's metadata would settle it in minutes.
Not released.
The ranger's report and the body's position
The grand jury said the body's position, condition and location are consistent with drowning. The underlying report has not been released.
Not released.
Both full autopsy reports
The state and independent reports have been summarized, not published. The description of the head injury differs between them.
Summaries only.
GPS and records from the other boats
The grand jury cleared the occupants of three boats. Only one boat's GPS has been reported publicly.
One of three.
Sources: Mississippi Free Press, Insight News, ABC News, grand jury report, PBS NewsHour, Death of Nolan Wells (compiled)
Getting it right
What has been corrected
Nolan's family deserves facts. These claims spread online and were later disputed or corrected. Sharing them hurts the case.
Viral videoA clip shows Nolan shouting for his phone during an argument.
The friend who filmed it says the voice is his own, from a separate dispute, and that Nolan is off camera. Others present backed that account. The sheriff said the video was under review.
Pool photoA photo of Nolan at a pool was taken on July 4.
A friend says it was taken June 27, a week earlier.
Body found clothedNolan was found face down and fully clothed.
The volunteer search leader later corrected this. Nolan was wearing swim trunks.
AI videoA video of his mother circulating online.
It was generated by AI and debunked.
Understanding the case
Plain answers to common questions
What does "undetermined" mean?
It means the medical examiners could not say with confidence how Nolan died or whether it was an accident. It is not a finding of drowning, and it is not a finding of homicide. Both the state and the independent autopsy reached it.
Why didn't the autopsies just say drowning?
Drowning is what doctors call a diagnosis of exclusion. There is no single test that proves it, so it is concluded only after other causes are ruled out. Decomposition after two days, and organs already removed in the first autopsy, limited what the second exam could check.
What is a "no true bill"?
It is a grand jury's decision not to bring charges. In Nolan's case, the jury found no credible evidence that anyone traveling to or from the island committed a crime related to his death.
Can the case be reopened?
A no true bill is not an acquittal. As a general rule, prosecutors can bring new evidence to a future grand jury. The family is asking federal agencies to look for that evidence.
Why ask federal agencies instead of the state?
Horn Island is federal land managed by the National Park Service, which has its own investigators. Federal agencies can also subpoena records, like Snapchat data, that the family cannot get on their own.
What were the injuries on his head?
Both autopsies found bruising under the scalp on the back of his head. The state autopsy said it was not fatal and found no skull fracture. Neither exam determined how it happened.
Join the movement
People over power.
Officials count on families fighting alone. Join and get one five-minute action a week for Nolan and the other Mississippi cases, updates the moment something moves, and invitations to calls, vigils and events.
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Support pays for records requests, independent experts and travel to stand with families. The Devin Kennedy Foundation is not yet a registered nonprofit, so gifts are not tax-deductible, and no money is collected in Nolan's name.
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