Nolan Wells’ parents and their attorneys called for the state of Mississippi to continue pursuing a fuller picture of the “truth” in the teenager’s death at a press conference Tuesday.
The press conference was held a day after the Jackson County district attorney said a Mississippi grand jury will not pursue charges in the teenager’s Fourth of July death.
“Jackson County District Attorney Angel Myers McArthur will have you accept that Nolan Wells’ death can be summarized in three words: ‘We’ll never know,’” Attorney Ben Crump said. “But Nolan’s family offers three other words: ‘We’ll never stop.’”
Crump, in his remarks, insinuated that the district attorney’s investigation was not exhaustive and should continue until the cause of Wells’ death is made clear.
Wells’ mother, Christine Wells-Wonsley, said she received a text message from the district attorney at 7:54 p.m. Monday, and that the report was released shortly after.
“To me, that action shows a lack of empathy,” Wells-Wonsley said.
She continued: “What we have learned is that we still have no answers, and the report reinforced the fact that Nolan was not given a thorough, transparent and honest investigation.”
Wells, 18, was last seen celebrating the July 4 holiday with friends on Horn Island, a barrier reef off Mississippi accessible only by boat. The friends he was with that day have said they had to leave the island early because their boat was taking on water, and that Wells opted to stay behind for the rest of the day. His mother has said he never returned home, even though he told those friends he planned to catch a ride back to the mainland with others.
His body was found at the northwestern tip of the island July 6, Crump has said.
In the aftermath of Wells’ death, Crump pointed the blame toward the friends Wells was with on July 4, all of whom were white, and alleged that race was involved. Wells appeared to be one of the only Black people on the island that day, according to photos and videos shared of the celebrations.
District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath attempted to put that idea to rest with Tuesday’s statement.
In a video message, Myers McIlrath said the grand jury returned a “no true bill,” meaning it did not find sufficient evidence to indict anyone with a crime. A partially redacted copy of the grand jury report was also posted to the DA’s Facebook page.
“There is absolutely no evidence to support the allegations that Nolan’s disappearance and death were racially motivated,” Myers McIlrath said. “Nolan’s friends loved Nolan, and Nolan loved them. Nolan chose to stay on the island that day, and there is not a scintilla of evidence to contradict that.”
Myers McIlrath also took aim at Crump and his team in the statement, saying they also previously informed her office that they’d found no evidence a crime had been committed against Wells.
Crump, in turn, said in a statement that “This grand jury result leaves us with more questions than answers. Nolan’s family will not rest until we know what happened to him, and neither will we.”
Rev. Al Sharpton, who has been an advocate for the family, said skepticism is warranted from Wells’ parents and those following the case. “Mississippi’s history painfully teaches us exactly why families should never be expected to simply accept unanswered questions surrounding the death of a young Black person,” Sharpton said in a statement Tuesday.
Crump, along with Wells’ parents, commissioned an independent autopsy, which found the cause of the teenager’s death was “undetermined.” It did, however, find two bruises on the back of Wells’ head.
“To this day, not one person has explained how they got there,” Crump added in the statement. “We don’t know how Nolan died, and neither does the state of Mississippi. Mississippi must keep investigating.”
Crump and Wells-Wonsley both spoke about the apparent blunt force trauma again Tuesday at the news conference and called for answers.
Crump called on the district attorney to release the full autopsy report from the medical examiner’s office.
Coroner Bruce Lynd will not be releasing the state’s autopsy report, telling NBC News “the autopsy report, which may include a toxicology report, cannot be released because the release of autopsy reports” is limited by Mississippi law.
The grand jury, which investigated the case, concluded that there was no evidence that Wells had any sort of physical altercation or argument with anyone the day he was last seen. It added “that the position of, the condition of, time of discovery, and location of Mr. Wells’ body is consistent with drowning.”
Crump and Wells’ parents have previously rejected the theory that he simply drowned, citing the teen’s athleticism and ability to swim. Those who know the area well, though, told NBC News it is not uncommon for even a good swimmer to be swept away by the currents in the area.
The state’s chief medical examiner and a forensic pathologist retained by Wells’ family both “opined that the cause and manner of Mr. Wells’ death is undetermined and that drowning is a diagnosis of exclusion,” according to the grand jury report. It noted, however, that neither has ruled out accidental drowning as a cause.
Crump said there will be another press conference in Orlando, Fla., later this week to discuss the investigation into Wells’ cell phone, which was taken back to the mainland with his friends from Horn Island on July 4.
Kenzi Abou-Sabe contributed.
Rev. Al Sharpton joined the family of 18-year-old Nolan Wells and their attorney, Ben Crump, to demand answers as to how the Mississippi teen died after celebrating the Fourth of July with friends. “This smacks of some of the worst fears that we’ve had historically, not only in Mississippi, but in this country.”
