Grand Jury Finds No Evidence of a Crime in Nolan Wells’ Death as Both Autopsies Leave Cause Undetermined

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Nolan Wells Scott Olson | Getty Images Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on Pocket A Jackson County, Mississippi, grand jury has unanimously declined to indict anyone in the death of 18-year-old Nolan Wells, finding no evidence of criminal conduct in a case that drew national attention after he vanished during a July 4 boating trip to Horn Island. The decision, announced Monday by District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath’s office, leaves the medical record where both autopsies left it: cause and manner of death undetermined.

According to court documents reported by WLOX, Mississippi’s chief medical examiner and the independent forensic pathologist hired by Wells’ family agreed on that classification. The documents noted that accidental drowning remains consistent with the evidence and was not ruled out.

For grieving families, and for parents of teens and young adults who spend summers on open water, the case shows how difficult drowning can be to prove at autopsy. It also shows that an undetermined ruling is not the same as a hidden finding of foul play.

The 23-member grand jury reviewed phone forensic reports, GPS logs, security camera footage, 132 subpoenas, and testimony from 43 witnesses, WLOX reported. The Wells family’s legal team also reported finding no evidence of criminal activity to refer to prosecutors.

No signs of fatal physical trauma were found, WSMV reported. Both examiners documented nonfatal bruising on the back of Wells’ head. A witness testified under oath that Wells slipped awkwardly off the side of a boat but kept socializing and did not appear hurt, though the grand jury could not say with certainty that the fall caused the bruising, according to the Mississippi Free Press.

Toxicology found no evidence of cocaine, contradicting online rumors. The grand jury also found that Wells bought his own alcohol with a fake ID and that no adults over 21 provided alcohol to him or his friends, WSMV reported.

The grand jury concluded that the position, condition, timing of discovery, and location of Wells’ body were consistent with drowning. It also determined that he chose to stay on the island after the group’s boats left, and that his phone returned to the mainland without him, as other passengers’ phones did on different boats. One of the group’s three boats took on water on the trip back and had to be towed, WLOX reported.

Wells’ family and their attorney, Ben Crump, had pressed for answers for months and questioned whether his death was accidental. Mississippi has no statute of limitations on murder, so credible new evidence could still be presented to a future grand jury.

The state medical examiner’s findings described drowning as a diagnosis of exclusion, the Mississippi Free Press reported. A Journal of Forensic Sciences paper indexed by the Justice Department explains that pathologists reach that diagnosis by ruling out other causes and matching autopsy findings to the circumstances. Signs such as fluid in the lungs or stomach can support drowning, but none proves it on its own.

Time in warm Gulf water adds difficulty, because decomposition can obscure subtle findings. Wells’ body was found July 6, two days after the boating trip.

The family’s independent autopsy was performed by forensic pathologist Dr. Roger A. Mitchell, who sent his findings to Crump on July 19, the Mississippi Free Press reported. His conclusion matched the state’s: undetermined pending further investigation. The two examiners, working separately, reached the same classification.

An undetermined manner of death means the evidence could not support a single category with enough certainty, whether accident, homicide, suicide, or natural causes. It describes the limits of the evidence, not a concealed conclusion.

Horn Island is an undeveloped barrier island about 10 miles south of Ocean Springs that can be reached only by boat. Remote islands like it have no lifeguards, and help can take time to arrive.

Nationally, the CDC counts more than 4,000 unintentional drowning deaths each year. Most adult drownings happen in natural water such as lakes, ponds, and oceans, the Associated Press reported in July, noting that the CDC laid off its drowning prevention staff last year. CDC has long identified alcohol use as a major risk factor for drowning among adolescents and adults. No blood alcohol level has been publicly reported in Wells’ case, and alcohol has not been identified as a cause of his death.

Families can take practical steps before a boat trip. Agree in advance on who is responsible for a headcount before any boat leaves an island, and make sure no one stays behind without a confirmed ride and a working phone. Encourage life jackets on boats, avoid alcohol around water, and swim only where currents are known. A missing person should be reported to 911 or the U.S. Coast Guard right away rather than after hours of searching.

Anyone pulled from the water who then has coughing, trouble breathing, confusion, or unusual sleepiness should get emergency care, even if they seemed to recover. People struggling after a sudden loss can ask a primary care clinician about grief support, and anyone in emotional crisis can call or text 988.

It unanimously returned a no true bill, meaning no one will be criminally charged in Nolan Wells’ death based on the current evidence.

Both the state medical examiner and the family’s independent pathologist listed the cause and manner of death as undetermined. Court documents said accidental drowning remains consistent with the evidence.

Both examiners found nonfatal bruising on the back of his head. No signs of fatal physical trauma were found.

Why was drowning not listed as the official cause?

Drowning is a diagnosis of exclusion with no single definitive autopsy sign, and decomposition can limit what pathologists can confirm.

Toxicology found no cocaine. The grand jury said Wells bought alcohol, but no blood alcohol level has been publicly reported, and alcohol has not been named as a cause.

Mississippi has no statute of limitations on murder, so credible new evidence could be presented to another grand jury.

Plan headcounts before boats depart, wear life jackets, avoid alcohol near water, and report a missing swimmer to 911 or the Coast Guard immediately.