Private autopsy finds Nolan Wells' cause of death 'undetermined,' foul play not ruled out

The disappearance and discovery

Nolan Wells, an 18-year-old college football player from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, was last seen alive on July 4, 2026, during a boat trip to Horn Island, a 10-mile-long barrier island off the Mississippi coast. He traveled with three friends, all of whom are white, according to his family's attorney Ben Crump. The friends returned to the mainland without him; one later said Wells had stayed behind because he had met a girl on the island. When he did not come home that night, his mother Christine Wonsley reported him missing. After a multi-agency search, a park ranger found his body on July 6, face down in the water. Accounts of his clothing differ: Reuters reported he was fully clothed, while the United Cajun Navy later clarified he was wearing only a bathing suit.

Independent autopsy findings

At the NAACP National Convention in Chicago on July 22, Crump announced preliminary results of a private autopsy commissioned by the family and funded by former NFL player Colin Kaepernick. The examination was performed on July 10 by Dr. Roger Mitchell, a forensic pathologist and president of the National Medical Association. Mitchell's report listed the cause of death as "undetermined pending investigation." It found no fractures or deep tissue injury, but noted a "focal area of red discoloration in the soft tissue in the back of the head" with no underlying skull fractures or skin lacerations. Decomposition of the body and the fact that parts were retained by the state medical examiner limited the analysis. Toxicology results are still pending.

The pathologist wrote he 'cannot rule out if any intervening nonaccidental factors contributed to or caused the death of Nolan Wells.'

The Mississippi State Medical Examiner's Office conducted its own autopsy on July 7 but has not released the results. The Jackson County Sheriff's Department, which is leading the investigation with assistance from the FBI, has said it believes Wells drowned and does not suspect foul play, though the investigation continues.

Questions and calls for transparency

The case has drawn national attention, fueled by unanswered questions and Mississippi's history of racial injustice. Crump invoked Emmett Till, the 14-year-old Black boy lynched in 1955, and stressed that the family's concerns rest on a lack of information rather than hard evidence.

Somebody knows something. Transparency, that leads to truth. The truth is the foundation for accountability and justice.

The sheriff has urged the public not to spread unverified information, while Crump and other prominent figures have called for greater transparency from local authorities.

Reward and investigation

A $125,000 reward, jointly funded by Rev. Al Sharpton, actor and producer Tyler Perry, and former NFL player Terrell Owens, is now being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction. Wells was laid to rest in Ocean Springs on July 20, two days before the autopsy announcement. His mother, speaking at the press conference, said she remains focused on finding out what happened to her son.