Nationwide — Nolan Wells’ death remains unexplained after a state autopsy found no water in his lungs, throat, or stomach. A review of his cellphone also found that some data had been deleted after his last recorded use. The new findings were presented during a September 25 press conference as his family continues to seek answers about what happened to the 18-year-old. He traveled to Horn Island, Mississippi, with friends for the July 4 holiday. He never returned home, and his body was found on the island’s shore two days later. Both the state and independent autopsies listed his cause and manner of death as undetermined. A grand jury later returned a no true bill, although its report said accidental drowning was consistent with the evidence and could not be ruled out.
The autopsy revealed several details about Wells’ condition when he died. Liza Park, an attorney working with his family, said the state examination found two bruises, each about two inches wide, on the back of his head. The independent autopsy found similar injuries. Park said doctors found no white blood cells around the injuries, which indicated they occurred shortly before his death. The state report also found no fractures or bleeding involving the larynx or hyoid bone and no significant injuries to the spine. It found no other internal or external injuries that contributed to his death. His stomach was empty, and doctors found no fluid or debris in his airways. “What this means is that there’s no water in the stomach. There’s no water in the lungs. There’s no water in the throat,” Park said, according to WISTV.
The cellphone examination added another timeline to the case. Forensic expert Andrew Garrett said GPS records showed that the phone remained on the boat throughout the day. Wells last accessed it at about 2:18 p.m., but the device showed activity after that point and before his parents recovered it. Investigators found more than 1 million pieces of digital data, including location records, calls and messages. Garrett also confirmed that some data had been deleted during that period. He said he could identify the deletion but could not determine who deleted the information or why. Wells primarily used Snapchat and Instagram, which Garrett said accounted for about 90% of his communications. Investigators were also able to recover group-chat messages from the phone.
Those messages included conversations about people Wells and his friends encountered around Horn Island. Family attorney Ben Crump read part of a Snapchat exchange in which friends discussed two men seen in boats behind them. The conversation included claims that one of the men was a felon and mentioned a warning from a sheriff about being left alone with them while they were heavily intoxicated. Crump also said some of Wells’ friends had expressed concerns about racism on the island. The family’s legal team said the messages and deleted data do not establish that anyone committed a crime.
The handling of Wells’ cellphone also became a point of disagreement between his family and investigators. His parents initially agreed to a joint examination with Jackson County officials at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. Park said the family later learned that only law enforcement would be permitted inside the lab. They were then given 48 hours to turn over the phone, but the sides had not agreed on all the conditions. Park said the family never intentionally prevented authorities from examining the device. The family’s attorneys also said they did not receive the state autopsy report until September 23 after confusion over when it would be released. Crump said the family still does not know what happened to Wells and asked anyone with information to come forward.