CHICAGO — During a July 22 press conference at the 117th NAACP National Convention, civil rights attorney Ben Crump and others joined the family of 18-year-old Nolan Xavier Wells to release the findings of an independent autopsy. The report concluded that the cause and manner of Wells’ death remain undetermined pending further investigation.
The independent examination was conducted by Dr. Roger Mitchell Jr., a board-certified forensic pathologist, president of the National Medical Association, and former chief medical examiner for the District of Columbia.
Mitchell’s report indicates the available evidence does not establish whether Wells was conscious or unconscious when he entered the water, whether he entered the water voluntarily or was forced into it, or what circumstances led to his death. Those unanswered questions remain central to the investigation.
The independent autopsy documented a 12-by-8-centimeter area of red discoloration in the soft tissue over the occipital region at the back of Wells’ head. Although no skull fractures or external lacerations were identified, the report establishes that this is unexplained. As a result, the report states that foul play cannot be ruled out. Likewise, the pathologist could not rule out the possibility that non-accidental factors contributed to Wells’ death.
The second autopsy was also limited because several critical anatomical structures, including the trachea, larynx, hyoid bone, and portions of the thyroid cartilage, were not returned with the body following the original autopsy. In an autopsy, it was explained that those structures are sometimes retained for additional examination when investigators are evaluating concerns with the state of the structures. The independent forensic team was not informed why those tissues had been withheld, preventing a complete evaluation.
Because of those limitations, the independent report classified Nolan Wells’ death as “Undetermined, Pending Investigation.”
During the press conference, Wells’ parents, Christina Wonsley with husband Elmore at her side, said they simply want to know what happened to their son. Wonsley expressed concern that authorities appeared to dismiss the possibility of foul play early in the investigation before many critical questions had been answered.
Among the questions that remain unresolved are what circumstances led Wells into the water, the position of his body when it was recovered, whether water was present in his airway, whether there were injuries to the anterior neck structures, whether intracranial hemorrhaging occurred, the composition of his stomach contents, and the pending toxicology findings.
Since the press conference, additional developments have emerged. A recording of a distress call to Sea Tow, reportedly made by one of the young men aboard the boat, has circulated through several news outlets. In the recording, the caller urgently requests assistance, reporting that the boat was taking on water after its bilge pump failed. The audio captures what has been described as a chaotic situation in the background and has fueled public speculation about whether Nolan Wells was still on the boat at the time of the call and, if so, what his condition may have been. Those questions remain unanswered.
At the same time, tensions have continued to escalate publicly between the Wonsley family’s legal team, led by Ben Crump and co-counsel, Al Sharpton, and Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves. Reeves has accused Crump and the Rev. Al Sharpton of contributing to heightened tensions surrounding the investigation, while the Wonsley family and their attorneys continue to call for a complete, transparent investigation and answers about what happened to Nolan Wells.
Federal authorities have also become involved. Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell confirmed that the FBI is investigating reported threats directed at public officials, possible witnesses, individuals who were with Wells before he disappeared, and members of their families.