Mississippi Grand Jury Declines Charges in Nolan Wells' Death
A Jackson County grand jury found insufficient evidence to charge anyone in the death of Nolan Wells, the Black teen who vanished during a July 4 boating trip off Mississippi's Gulf Coast.
A grand jury in Jackson County, Mississippi, has concluded that no criminal charges are warranted in the death of Nolan Wells, the Black teenager who was found dead after a July 4 boating trip off the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
The decision, announced Monday by District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath, followed months of public scrutiny over how the 18-year-old became separated from a crowded island gathering and why the friends who had taken him there returned to the mainland without him.
According to the grand jury's report, examinations conducted by the Mississippi medical examiner's office and by an independent forensic pathologist retained by Wells' family both determined the cause and manner of death to be undetermined. The panel said it found no evidence of criminal conduct.
The report left open the possibility of revisiting the case, stating that if credible evidence later emerges suggesting Wells' death was not accidental, the matter should be presented to the Jackson County Grand Jury again.
Wells was last seen celebrating the Fourth of July with friends on Horn Island, a barrier island off Mississippi's coast. His body was recovered two days later at the island's northwestern tip.
When the Jackson County Sheriff's Office said shortly afterward that investigators did not suspect foul play, the statement drew widespread concern about whether authorities would pursue a rigorous investigation — unease rooted in Mississippi's long history of racism and civil rights abuses. McIlrath had repeatedly pledged a fair and thorough inquiry.
Wells' parents and their legal team raised suspicions about the circumstances of his disappearance, pointing to the fact that his friends left the island without him. They said Wells had wanted to remain behind to speak with a girl. His phone was aboard the boat that had carried him to the island, which later took on water and was towed partway back toward the mainland.
Ben Crump, a prominent civil rights attorney, and Wells' parents questioned why a teenager would choose to stay on an island without his phone. They also suggested that messages on his phone had been tampered with and alleged that his friends were reluctant to hand over his keys. Attorneys for the friends have said they are cooperating with authorities.