Nolan Wells’ independent autopsy results in ‘undetermined’ cause and manner of death - NBC News

What the report says

NBC News reported that a preliminary independent autopsy commissioned by lawyers for Nolan Wells’ family found the 18-year-old’s cause and manner of death could not yet be determined, with the findings pending further investigation. Attorney Ben Crump presented the results Wednesday at the NAACP National Convention in Chicago, saying the pathologist who conducted the review also could not exclude foul play.

According to NBC News, Crump said the second autopsy was performed July 10 by Dr. Roger Mitchell, a forensic pathologist, after Wells disappeared July 4 and was found July 6 on the northwestern shore of Horn Island off Mississippi’s Gulf Coast. The report noted red discoloration on the back of Wells’ head, no apparent fractures or lacerations, and limitations caused by decomposition and by prior removal and dissection of organs during the state autopsy. Crump said the independent review did not include toxicology.

The Jackson County coroner also conducted an autopsy, but those results have not been released, NBC News reported. Coroner Bruce Lynd said the state report was not complete and that officials were awaiting toxicology results from the medical examiner’s office. Wells’ family has pressed authorities for more information, saying they pursued an independent review because they still do not know what happened.

Wells, a football player from Ocean Springs, had gone to Horn Island with friends for the July Fourth holiday. Friends told police they left early after their boat began taking on water and that Wells planned to find another ride back. NBC News noted that the case has drawn national attention amid limited official details, public speculation and competing accounts about the circumstances surrounding his death.