A Jackson County grand jury has declined to indict anyone in connection with the death of Nolan Wells, the 18-year-old college football player who disappeared during a Fourth of July boating trip near Horn Island, concluding that the circumstances of his death were “consistent with drowning.”
The 23-member grand jury reached its decision after hearing from 43 witnesses and reviewing physical and digital evidence, police reports, interviews, videos, images and maps, according to a report released Monday by District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath.
Wells vanished on July 4 after traveling with friends to Horn Island, a barrier island off Mississippi’s Gulf Coast. Searchers recovered his body in the waters off the island two days later following a multi-agency search effort.
The grand jury’s report stated that the “position of, condition of, time of discovery, and location” of Wells’ body were consistent with drowning, and found “no credible evidence” that anyone traveling to or from the island had committed a crime related to his death.
Investigators also examined bruising found on the back of Wells’ head, concluding it was “not a fatal injury.” The report said there was no evidence of a fatal wound or organic disease, though investigators were unable to determine how the bruise occurred.
One witness told the grand jury that Wells was seen slipping “awkwardly off the side of a boat” around the time he was last seen. That witness could not say whether Wells hit his head during the fall, and said he continued socializing afterward without appearing injured. The report added that Wells was not involved in any physical altercation or argument that day.
Private Autopsy and Alcohol Questions
A private autopsy commissioned by the Wells family had previously listed his cause and manner of death as “undetermined pending investigation.” At a July 22 news conference, civil rights attorney Ben Crump said the private examination found an area of “red discoloration” on the back of Wells’ head, but pathologist Dr. Roger Mitchell was unable to determine a cause or manner of death.
Questions had also surrounded Wells’ alcohol consumption. A Mississippi Department of Marine Resources Marine Patrol email from July 5, obtained earlier by Fox News Digital, described his alcohol intake as “heavy” during the search, though the email did not identify the source of that characterization.
The grand jury found that Wells had purchased alcohol using a fake ID and that no adults of legal drinking age had supplied him with alcohol on the island. It also said toxicology testing was “not particularly informative,” since decomposition fluid is considered an unreliable basis for determining substance levels in a body. The report found no cocaine in Wells’ system and no evidence he had ever used the drug.
Cellphone Left Behind
The report also addressed Wells’ cellphone, which returned to the mainland without him. The grand jury said it was not unusual for visitors to Horn Island to come back on different boats or to leave phones and belongings behind while socializing, noting that Wells’ phone was not the only one that made it back to shore without its owner.
Wells’ death drew national attention and considerable online speculation. The grand jury addressed allegations that had spread to target the occupants of the three boats involved in the trip, as well as their relatives and friends, describing the “public attacks” as “malicious, false,” and having “no truth in fact or evidence.”
Wells’ family was given the chance to present findings from its own private investigation. According to the report, attorneys for the family said that investigation had turned up no witnesses or evidence they reasonably believed pointed to criminal activity warranting referral for prosecution.
The matter is not necessarily closed for good. Mississippi has no statute of limitations on homicide, and the grand jury’s report noted the case could be brought back before a Jackson County grand jury if new evidence emerges.
“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 report said.
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