After weeks of mounting pressure, the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office has completed Nolan Wells‘ autopsy. But the public won’t learn the results of it anytime soon! It will remain sealed until a grand jury gets eyes on it first. During the wait for the completion, social media users had already demanded that the lead examiner step down after digging into her history of “accidental” rulings.
RELATED: Father Of Friend Who Traveled To Horn Island With Nolan Wells Reportedly Offers $50K Reward For Information In His Death
Nolan Wells’ Formal Autopsy Completed, What’s Next?
NBC News was the first to report the completed autopsy, citing direct confirmation from the officials involved. The Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office reportedly conducted the autopsy on July 7, one day after his body was recovered. Wells traveled to Horn Island via boat with friends on July 4, but never made it home. Amid a mass search, a park ranger discovered his body two days later in the water near the island. While local law enforcement quickly suggested the 18-year-old might’ve accidentally drowned, the Black community in particular, including his parents, didn’t fully buy into that narrative.
There’s been a heavy demand, from Nolan’s loved ones too, for transparency in the investigation and the autopsy results. And finally, as of Thursday, Mississippi has concluded the autopsy procedure. However, the public, Nolan Wells’ parents and even their legal rep, Ben Crump, won’t be seeing the final results for a hot minute.
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That’s because last week the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office announced the results will remain sealed. DA Angel Myers McIlrath said a grand jury will be first to review the report after the death investigation is completed. The DA revealed that it’s standard practice for non-natural deaths to be presented to a jury. Additionally, McIlrath defended the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office prioritizing the investigation and withholding some information, despite the pressure. “The pressure for answers does not change what the work requires,” the DA added.
What Did The Independent Autopsy Show?
While the official autopsy is just wrapping, the public learned the findings of the independent autopsy last week. With the financial assistance of Colin Kaepernick, Nolan Wells’ family sent his body to Washington, D.C. for an independent autopsy. Dr. Roger Mitchell completed the procedure and Attorney Ben Crump announced the findings last Wednesday (July 22), revealing the autopsy was conducted on July 19.
Ultimately, the report cited Nolan Wells’ cause of death as “undetermined pending investigation.” Also, the date of his death is “unknown.” Furthermore, the report cited a “12×8-inch ‘soft tissue’ with red discoloration at the back of Nolan’s head. Crump called that “significant,” citing pictures he had reviewed.
One part of the independent autopsy that rocked social media was the missing body parts, per Dr. Mitchell. Wells’ body was sent to D.C. while missing “interior inner neck structures” and other parts of his neck, such as the trachea. Crump and team believe the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office retained the structures for evaluation. At a press conference this week, Crump revealed that his team is working to obtain the missing body parts and other information for Dr. Mitchell’s evaluation.
Another standout note from the autopsy was that Nolan Wells’ body had “marked decomposition.” This made it impossible to determine whether Nolan had bruises or abrasions. Overall, Dr. Mitchell could not rule out whether any “intervening non-accidental factors contributed to or caused” Nolan’s death. He requires more information, including photos, from the state medical examiner to get more conclusive results.
