Following a grand jury’s decision not to seek criminal charges in the death of a Mississippi teen, the attorney for his family will reveal data extracted from his phone.
A grand jury in Jackson County unanimously returned a “no true bill” in the death of Nolan Wells earlier this week.
A “no true bill” means that a grand jury decided there is not enough evidence to prove probable cause, meaning the criminal case will not move forward with that indictment.
At 10:30 a.m., Ben Crump, who is representing Wells’ family, will be holding a news conference with a forensic analyst to reveal findings from Wells’ phone.
The person who conducted the forensic investigation of Wells’ phone is expected to go over the findings, which were included as evidence given to the grand jury.
The news conference begins at 10:30 a.m.
Below is everything we know about the investigation:
Nolan Wells’ family reacts to grand jury decision:
Crump, along with other attorneys working the case, was critical of the grand jury’s decision, specifically citing injuries to the back of Wells’ head.
Crump said the team believed the grand jury did not consider the circumstances involving how the injuries were caused when making the decision.
VIDEO: Ben Crump demands justice for Nolan Wells
He also stressed that the injuries were noted in both the independent autopsy and that the Mississippi medical examiner’s report identified the injuries to Wells’ head.
“It just does not add up. If it was your child, would they accept what that grand jury said?” Crump said. “If they wouldn’t accept it, Nolan’s parents don’t have to accept it.”
According to Crump, his team will not stop seeking information on what caused Wells’ death.
Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley, also spoke, stating that she felt the grand jury could not determine her son’s death was an accidental drowning when his death certificate says his cause of death is undetermined.
VIDEO: Nolan Wells’ mother weeps while reacting to grand jury decision:
Wonsley said she felt like her son did not receive a fair or transparent investigation due to narratives that were circulating online regarding her son’s death.
VIDEO: Nolan Wells’ phone records will be released this week:
Grand jury decision:
Wells was found dead on Horn Island over the Fourth of July weekend.
According to the grand jury report, the grand jury engaged in a thorough and complete investigation into Wells’ death, including reviewing witness testimony, physical and digital evidence, GPS data, cellphone records, videos, and investigative reports.
The report states that the grand jury recognizes the public assertion that Wells was the only Black individual on Horn Island on July 4, but it found that he was not the Black person there that day and says that these false assertions have led to misidentification, speculation and rumors concerning Wells’ death.
In a video statement, the Jackson County district attorney also addressed those concerns, stating, “The narrative that three white boys and a Black boy went to an island and only the white friends returned spread like wildfire; this was false.”
The grand jury found that Wells traveled to Horn Island on July 4 with a group of friends on three different boats and chose to remain at Horn Island after the three boats departed the island.
No credible evidence was found to support allegations that any persons who rode to or from Horn Island on the three boats July 4 engaged in any criminal conduct related to Wells’ death, according to the grand jury.
The report also states that the grand jury acknowledges that there is no statute of limitations on homicide cases in the state of Mississippi and that if credible evidence comes to light in the future that suggests Wells’ death was nonaccidental, the matter should be presented to the grand jury for further consideration.
Preliminary autopsy results:
Preliminary autopsy results for a Mississippi teen who died on Horn Island over the July Fourth weekend were announced Wednesday morning.
Crump joined Wells’ family at a news conference at the 117th NAACP National Convention in Chicago.
Crump announced that Wells’ autopsy results were inconclusive, noting that discoloration was found on the back of his neck. The doctor who conducted the autopsy said the finding was significant because it was not possible to determine why there was red discoloration behind the brain.
The family is awaiting the autopsy results and toxicology reports done in Mississippi for the official cause of death.
Officials said the findings were limited primarily because of the condition of the body and other examination constraints.
The doctor said the examination was also hindered by marked decomposition, which limited what forensic experts were able to assess. In addition, interior neck structures were absent, meaning that area could not be fully evaluated during the second autopsy.
VIDEO: Explaining Nolan Wells’ autopsy results:
According to the report, that can be normal if the original medical examiner removed tissue for further examination of the neck.
Examiners also said they were unable to determine whether there was water in Wells’ airway because the airway could not be examined, and neither could his stomach.
The autopsy also could not determine whether Wells was conscious or unconscious when he entered the water.
During the press conference, the family and their attorney said several important questions remain unresolved.
Those included the position of Wells’ body when he was found, whether there was water in his airways, whether there is evidence of injuries to his neck, what the intracranial imaging shows, the composition of the stomach contents, and the details of the toxicology report.
NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Owens is offering $25,000 to anyone with information about Wells’ death.
This brings the total reward to $125,000, which includes contributions from the Rev. Al Sharpton and Tyler Perry.
Wells’ funeral was held Monday morning.
No arrests or formal charges have been announced in connection with the case.
What was the cause of death?
Two concurrent autopsy investigations are underway to determine Wells’ cause and manner of death.
The Mississippi state medical examiner’s office is conducting the official autopsy investigation, Jackson County Coroner Bruce Lynd said.
There were no immediate, obvious signs of foul play or trauma on Wells’ body, Lynd said. But due to the uncertain circumstances, “we asked for an autopsy (at) the state medical examiner’s office so that they could do the full autopsy and be able to tell if there was any foul play or trauma,” he said.
VIDEO: Nolan Wells’ family calls for federal investigation into his death:
The state medical examiner’s office performed an autopsy July 7 and has been waiting for results from toxicology tests, Lynd said. It can take weeks to receive results from toxicology tests, which are standard in death investigations.
Separately, Wells’ parents sent their son’s body out of state for an independent autopsy, Crump said.
“We had his body flown from Mississippi to Washington, D.C., because his family wanted to make sure that they had a doctor who had no ties to Mississippi law enforcement to do an independent examination of their son’s body,” Crump said.
Results from the independent autopsy are still pending, Crump said.
READ MORE:LIVE: Ben Crump, forensic expert will reveal data from Nolan Wells’ phone
