The family of 18-year-old Nolan Xavier Wells on Wednesday released the preliminary findings of an independent autopsy. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump said the examination found evidence that raises questions about the circumstances surrounding the Mississippi teenager’s death and warrants a more thorough investigation.
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The official autopsy by the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office has not yet been released, and authorities have not announced an official cause or manner of death. The investigation remains ongoing.
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Speaking at a press conference during the NAACP National Convention in Chicago, Crump announced that the independent autopsy concluded Wells’ death was not consistent with an accidental drowning.
According to the family’s legal team, the examination identified blunt force injuries to the head, neck and torso, and the forensic pathologist determined the cause of death to be homicide, citing blunt force trauma with drowning as a contributing factor.
Wells disappeared on July 4 after traveling by boat with friends to Horn Island, a barrier island off Mississippi’s Gulf Coast. His body was recovered on July 6 near the island’s northwestern tip following a two-day search.
The family’s independent autopsy was commissioned separately from the state’s investigation and, according to multiple US media reports, was funded by former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
The case has drawn nationwide attention, with civil rights leaders demanding greater transparency from investigators. Earlier this week, Rev Al Sharpton announced a $50,000 reward through the National Action Network for information leading to an arrest and conviction, telling mourners at Wells’ funeral, “Somebody saw something and knows something.”
Sharpton also urged the public not to jump to conclusions about the circumstances surrounding Wells’ death, saying, “We cannot say it was racist, but we cannot say it was not racist. So let’s not judge either way until all the evidence is in.”
Separately, the NAACP has adopted a resolution urging local, state and federal authorities, including the US Department of Justice, to conduct a comprehensive and transparent investigation into Wells’ death.
