The body of Nolan Wells, an 18-year-old college football player, will be transported over 800 miles for an independent autopsy, his family's attorney announced. The decision follows concerns raised about "deleted messages" found on Wells' cell phone.
Wells was found dead on Monday, several days after he disappeared during a Fourth of July boating excursion to Horn Island, Mississippi. According to police, his friends left the island without him.
The family has retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump to lead an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Wells' death, which Crump described as containing "contradictions."
Authorities were told by Wells' friends that he wanted to remain on the island, where he was last seen speaking with a young woman. Crump stated to ABC News that the friends took Wells' cell phone. "That's not adding up to them. The fact that when the family gets the cell phone back... they're saying they are trying to understand why there are deleted messages and so it's very concerning to them," Crump said.
Crump also highlighted conflicting accounts regarding Wells' departure from the island. The woman Wells was last seen speaking to reported that he intended to return to the boat. However, the friends on the boat stated that Wells told them he would stay with her. "She's saying he went and got on the boat. They saying he didn't get on the boat. So which is it?" Crump questioned.