Final independent autopsy report for Nolan Wells has findings his family and Attorney Ben Crump want answers for

Crump is calling for the release of investigative records and a continued review of how Wells died, as the findings leave unresolved questions about Wells’ injuries.

An independent autopsy commission by the family of Nolan Wells revealed that the 18-year-old suffered blunt force trauma to the back of his head and body, including injuries that were not reported in the initial autopsy.

The release of the independent autopsy to the public comes hours after a Mississippi grand jury declined to press charges in relation to Wells’ death on July 4th weekend.

Attorney Ben Crump, who held a press conference on Tuesday alongside Elmore and Christine Wells Wonsley, Nolan’s parents, released a statement regarding the findings, acknowledging negligence by the state’s medical examiner.

“The cause of those injuries and their contribution to Nolan’s death remain unexplained,” Crump wrote. “The state medical examiner neglected to take photographs of the back of Nolan’s head.”

Ahead of the full report being released by Dr. Roger A. Mitchell Jr., Crump requested that Jackson County District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath release the full autopsy report from the state’s medical examiner and called on McIlrath to leave the investigation into Wells’ death open and release the investigative file.

“We don’t know how Nolan died, and neither does the State of Mississippi,” Crump wrote. “Mississippi must keep investigating, and if it will not pursue this to the end, the Department of Justice should.”

In its decision, the grand jury also did not have an answer for how Wells died, yet it believed drowning was an option. A witness who testified during the grand jury proceedings stated that Wells slipped and fell awkwardly but could not say whether he hit his head.

In the autopsy report performed by Mitchell, a 12×8 inch area of discoloration was found on the back of Wells’ head, confirmed to be blunt force trauma. There was additional bruising found on Wells’ back and left shoulder blade, things that were not disclosed in the original autopsy report.

The final autopsy report remained consistent with one conducted by the medical examiner that Wells’ cause of death was undetermined, nor did it establish if Wells got in the water voluntarily or by force, if he was conscious or impaired and whether he was able or not to get himself out of the water.

During a press conference on Tuesday, Christine Wells Wonsley maintained her skepticism surrounding her son’s death and wanted answers.

“Elmore and I do not believe that Nolan simply and accidentally drowned, and nobody saw anything, and no one knows anything,” she said. Wonsley also questioned why McIlrath would release the findings on Facebook rather than through more traditional, less confrontational channels.

“To me, that showed a lack of empathy and a need to get this case done and over with,” she said. “How can a jury come to the conclusion of drowning, despite knowing that there was trauma to his body, and despite hearing many inconsistencies?”