A grand jury has found insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges in the death of Nolan Wells, an 18-year-old Black man found dead on Mississippi's Horn Island following a July 4 boating trip. The decision was announced Monday by Jackson County District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath.
The Jackson County grand jury’s decision comes after months of scrutiny surrounding how Wells disappeared from a crowded party on the island and why the friends who brought him there left without him. Examinations by the Mississippi medical examiner’s office and an independent forensic pathologist hired by Wells’ family both determined the cause and manner of death to be undetermined.
"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 grand jury’s report stated.
Lawyers for Wells' family, including civil rights attorney Ben Crump, expressed disappointment with the grand jury's findings, asserting that the investigation concluded without clarifying the cause of blunt force trauma found on Wells' head and body. They reiterated their call for the U.S. Department of Justice to conduct an independent investigation and urged McIlrath to release the full autopsy report.
Wells disappeared while celebrating the Fourth of July with friends. His body was discovered two days later on the island's northwestern tip. Initial statements from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office suggesting no foul play was suspected raised concerns, given Mississippi's history regarding racial tensions and civil rights. McIlrath had pledged a thorough and impartial investigation.
Wells' family and their legal team had previously voiced suspicions after his friends departed the island without him. They questioned why Wells would remain on the island without his phone, which was on the boat that later took on water and was partially towed back to the mainland. Crump and Wells' parents also raised doubts about the integrity of messages on his phone and alleged reluctance from friends to surrender keys.
According to the grand jury's report, it also debunked claims that Wells was the only Black person on Horn Island that day, stating, "These false assertions have led to misidentification, speculation and rumors concerning the death of Mr. Wells."
The grand jury concluded its report by expressing sympathy to Wells' family and noting that the evidence received "convinced the Grand Jury of Mr. Wells’ outstanding character."