Grand jury finds no evidence of criminal wrongdoing in Nolan Wells’ death

By Lauren Mascarenhas, Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN

(CNN) — A grand jury unanimously found that there was no evidence to support bringing charges in the death of Nolan Wells, an 18-year-old who was found dead after a Fourth of July trip with friends off the coast of Mississippi.

The grand jury said in a report released Monday by the Jackson County District Attorney’s office that it found no criminal or racially motivated wrongdoing, after it conducted a comprehensive investigation involving witness testimony, physical and digital evidence, as well as GPS and cellphone data.

The grand jury “finds that the position of, the condition of, time of discovery, and location of Mr. Wells’ body is consistent with drowning,” it said.

The announcement comes after months of speculation about the circumstances of Wells’ death, after photos circulated widely of the Black teen surrounded by White friends during the trip to Horn Island, a remote barrier island that is a popular holiday destination.

“There is absolutely no evidence to support the allegations that Nolan’s death and disappearance were racially motivated,” District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath said in a video statement released alongside the report.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the Wells family, said the grand jury’s decision is an attempt “to close the chapter on Nolan Wells’ death without getting to the truth.”

“This grand jury result leaves us with more questions than answers,” Crump said, citing bruises on Wells head and body that he said had not yet been explained.

In its report, the grand jury said there was bruising on the back of Wells’ head “which was not a fatal injury,” but that the exact cause of the injury remained uncertain. It found “no evidence of any fatal injury or organic disease to Mr. Wells’ body,” it added.

“The cause of those injuries and their contribution to Nolan’s death remain unexplained,” Crump’s office said in a statement.

Wells’ body was found July 6 in the water near the coast of Horn Island. There were no immediate signs of trauma or foul play, Jackson County Coroner Bruce Lynd told CNN. But given the uncertain circumstances, Lynd’s office asked for a full autopsy at the state medical examiner’s office to determine Wells’ cause and manner of death.

The state’s autopsy was performed July 7, and a separate, out-of-state autopsy requested by Wells’ family — which described his manner of death as undetermined pending further investigation — was performed July 10.

Wells’ family has continued to press for transparency and answers throughout the investigation, amid speculation fueled against the backdrop of Mississippi’s fraught history of racial violence.

The county coroner said he was not allowed to share any information about the state autopsy report until the grand jury completed its review of the case.

In his statement, Crump urged the district attorney’s office to release the state’s medical examiner’s full autopsy report and to keep the investigation open.

“Nolan’s family will not rest until we know what happened to him, and neither will we,” he said.

In the weeks since Wells’ body was discovered, questions around his manner of death had fueled conjecture and fractured a once tight-knit community.

Three of Wells’ friends – Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo, and Morgan Seymour – had said they were on Horn Island as part of a 30-person boating party and that Wells decided to stay behind when they went home, according to a letter from their attorneys. The letter denied their involvement in Wells’ disappearance or death.

“The narrative that three white boys and a Black boy went to an island and only white friends returned spread like wildfire,” the district attorney said. “This was false.”

“Nolan’s friends loved Nolan and Nolan loved them,” the district attorney said. “Nolan chose to stay on the island that day and there is not a scintilla of evidence to contradict that.”

Edward Paltzik, an attorney representing the friends, praised the grand jury’s findings. “We said it all along: Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo, and Morgan Seymour were always completely innocent. There was never any doubt. They are terrific people,” Paltzik said in a post on X.

Speaking to CNN exclusively, Paltzik and Tyler Cox, an attorney also representing the friends, said the three men and their families were relieved by the grand jury’s findings and were taking time to process the information before determining their next steps.

The grand jury, however, acknowledged that if evidence emerges in the future “that suggests Mr. Wells’ death was non-accidental,” it would be presented to and taken into consideration, noting that there is no statue of limitations on homicide cases in Mississippi.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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CNN’s Celina Tebor, Ryan Young, Lex Harvey and Kelly McCleary contributed to this report.