Nolan Wells’ autopsy report and cellphone data raise more questions about his death, says attorneys

Attorneys for the family of Nolan Xavier Wells say newly released autopsy findings and digital forensic data raise more questions in the 18‑year‑old’s July death. Wells was found near Horn Island two days after he disappeared during a July 4 boat trip.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump released Mississippi’s report Thursday during a ljve press conference saying the autopsy found no water in Wells’ lungs, airway or stomach, despite earlier conclusions that his body position was consistent with drowning.

The autopsy also documented two contusions on the back of Wells’ head, injuries Crump’s team said require further explanation.

Both the state medical examiner and an independent pathologist classified Wells’ cause and manner of death as undetermined.

Grand jury declines charges

Unheard Voices recently reported a Jackson County grand jury returned a no true bill after reviewing:

• testimony from 43 witnesses
• issued 132 subpoenas, and
• examined GPS data, phone records, photos and videos

The said panel they found insufficient evidence of criminal conduct. Furthermore, said Wells’ body position was “consistent with drowning,” though decomposition limited physical findings.

Crump said the ruling does not resolve the circumstances of Wells’ death.

“We don’t know what happened to Nolan Wells,” he said.

Digital forensic review reveals deleted Snapchat data and detailed GPS timeline

Garrett Discovery, the Florida digital forensics firm hired by Wells’ parents, extracted more than 1 million digital artifacts from Wells’ phone. This information included:

• Snapchat and Instagram data,
• GPS information
• Apple Health records and
• phone logs

GPS data showed Wells visited a McDonald’s before 8:24 a.m. on July 4, then went to a friend’s house. By 10:30 a.m., his phone was on a boat headed to Horn Island, where it remained for several hours.

Andrew Garrett, the firm’s CEO, said Wells last used his phone around 2:20 p.m. while still on the boat. Friends said Wells chose to stay on the island and was last seen that afternoon. Around 4:30 p.m., his friends returned to the mainland with Wells’ phone.

Wells’ parents retrieved the phone the next day. They noticed few photos or videos from the outing, despite Wells’ habit of taking them, and questioned whether files had been deleted.

Garrett confirmed that Snapchat content was deleted between the last time Wells used the device and when it was returned to his family.

Snapchat group messages continued syncing to the phone after Wells’ death, including conversations where friends expressed concern that “people on Horn Island can be racist” and mentioned two “sketchy‑looking” men.

Dispute over phone examination process

Liza Park, a member of the family’s legal team, also addressed District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath’s claim that her office was accused of refusing to cooperate in a mutual phone examination. Park said the family never withheld the phone and that the state later changed parameters, including selecting a location that would have barred the family from attending.

Garrett wrote in a letter that public comments created the false impression that the family walked away from an agreement.

Wells’ parents and attorneys continue to call for the investigation to remain open and for the U.S. Department of Justice to conduct an independent review.