In a quest for clarity over the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of Mississippi teenager Nolan Wells, a private autopsy has preliminary results indicating his cause and manner of death remain “undetermined pending investigation.” This announcement, made by the family’s attorney Ben Crump on Wednesday, highlights the complex nature of the investigation as it unfolds, acknowledging various limitations in the autopsy report conducted by an independent pathologist.
Driven by an urgent need for answers, Wells’ parents, Christine and Elmore Wonsley, opted to transport their son’s remains to Washington, D.C., for a detailed private autopsy.
Meanwhile, the official autopsy conducted by the State Medical Examiner’s office in Mississippi has yet to be finalized. According to Jackson County Coroner Bruce Lynd Jr., this crucial report will be forwarded to the local coroner upon completion. However, the private autopsy, ordered by Wells’ family, flagged several challenges stemming from the body’s condition, which impede pinpointing an exact cause of death.
A significant observation in the follow-up autopsy on Nolan Wells was the presence of pronounced decompositional changes, complicating the investigation further.
Through additional dissections conducted during the autopsy, experts did not find any fractures or deep tissue injuries that could suggest an immediate cause of death.
The preliminary report for the private autopsy
"With suspicion of drowning, it is important to confirm how that person entered the water," Crump said. "... At the time of this report, this forensic pathologist does not know the condition of Nolan Wells. He did not know whether he was conscious or unconscious when he entered the water -- he said that would be significant. He said he did not know whether he was forced into the water or unforced into the water -- he said that would be significant. So he said the condition of Nolan Wells before he entered the water would be the crux of the matter. It would be of utmost importance to being able to determine a cause and manner of death."
"The only question we have is, what happened to our son?" she said.Wells went missing on the 4th of July after going on a boat trip with friends to Horn Island, according to authorities. It appears Wells stayed behind on the island after his friends left, officials said.
The college football player's body was recovered on July 6, and authorities said they suspect Wells drowned. Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said there was no initial indication of a crime, but he stressed that investigators are "working diligently to determine exactly what occurred."
"Nolan Wells' family deserves a thorough and factual investigation, and that's exactly what they're going to get," he told ABC News last week.
Ledbetter also said the sheriff's office welcomes the family's independent investigation.
ABC News' Sabina Ghebremedhin and Deena Zaru contributed to this report.