The results of a second autopsy performed on Nolan Wells have raised questions about a possible injury the teenager may have suffered, as well as criticized authorities for not handing over all of Wells’ remains to be examined during the independent investigation. So far, however, this new medical examination was unable to draw a firm conclusion about how he died, even as the new report adds to criticism of the way local authorities have handled the legal and medical investigations into the teen’s death.
Autopsy identifies unexplained head discoloration, raises unanswered questions about teen’s death
The findings of the second autopsy of Nolan Wells were presented Wednesday morning at a press conference held by attorney Benjamin Crump, who is representing Wells’ family, and the NAACP.
This new examination of Wells’ body was performed by Dr. Robert Mitchell, president of the National Medical Association, director of the Howard University Center of Excellence for Trauma and Violence Prevention and former chief medical examiner for Washington, D.C.
The primary new finding of the second autopsy was the discovery by Dr. Mitchell, who was not present at the press conference, of a “12 by 8 inch focal area of red discoloration of deep soft tissue overlaying the occipital bone” at the back of Wells’ head. However, as Crump shared from Mitchell’s findings, the second autopsy did not find “lacerations of the overlaying skin nor fractures of the underlying skull,” leaving the cause of the notable discoloration undetermined.
The second autopsy of Wells’ body was requested by the Wells family after the initial autopsy did not determine the circumstances of Wells’ death. Activist and former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick paid for the new examination.
The decomposition of the body by the time of the second autopsy, which was performed July 10, did not allow Mitchell to determine whether there were bruises or other notable injuries to the surface of Wells’ body.
Mitchell’s report and Crump’s remarks also criticized the initial medical examiners, noting that the inner parts of Wells’ neck, which were removed during the initial July 7 autopsy, were not delivered to Mitchell along with the rest of his remains.
In addition to this unexplained absence, Crump called for the initial examiners to share their toxicology report, as well as information about water in Wells’ throat and lungs and the contents of his stomach. That information would have been determinable during the first autopsy but could not be established during the second examination.
With so much information undetermined, “this pathologist cannot rule out if any intervening non-accidental factors contributed to or caused the death of Nolan Wells,” Crump read from the report summarizing the second autopsy conducted on Wells’ body.
“Based on the examination of the body, he cannot rule out foul play. That is significant.”
Pleas for more information as authorities criticized for handling of Wells investigation
The press conference discussing the findings of the second autopsy featured attorneys representing Wells’ family, including Crump and Lisa Park, as well as NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson and Chairman Leon Russell.
Wells’ parents, Christine and Elmore Wonsley, described their son as a kind, funny and charismatic high schooler.
“You don’t find too many genuine people like him,” Wells’ mother said.
Crump compared Wells’ death to the 1955 murder of Emmett Till while also noting the cases of two other 18-year-old Black men who died under mysterious circumstances during separate outings with white peers on July 4.
Crump criticized Mississippi authorities for being derelict in their duties to carry out a proper investigation into Wells’ death, and he called on any of the hundreds of people who were near Horn Island on July 4 to submit information they may have about Wells’ death.
Crump revealed newly publicized details about Wells, including the claim by a member of the United Cajun Navy that Wells’ body was found face down and fully clothed despite the last known image of Wells showing him shirtless. However, the United Cajun Navy has disputed that detail, claiming it was misquoted and that Wells was found wearing only swim trunks.
As Blavity previously reported, 18-year-old Wells disappeared on July 4 while celebrating the holiday with friends on Mississippi’s Horn Island. Wells’ body was discovered two days later.
The circumstances leading up to Wells’ death remain a mystery, and his family has expressed deep concerns about the lack of a clear account from Wells’ friends explaining how the teen was left alone as the rest of his group returned from the island. The family also wants to know how Wells, who knew how to swim, would have drowned during the trip.
The Wells family sought the independent autopsy as part of their efforts to learn the truth about the teen’s death, given the lack of information from authorities and the teens who accompanied Wells on July 4.
During Wells’ funeral Monday, Al Sharpton pledged a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for Wells’ death. Sharpton later announced that Tyler Perry had agreed to match the reward with an additional $50,000.
The reward offered by Sharpton and Perry adds to the calls from Crump and others for information about Wells’ final hours and the circumstances of his death. The second autopsy has added some information but has mostly raised unanswered questions about how and why Wells died as his family continues to seek the truth.
