Nolan Wells’ household and their attorneys mentioned they won’t surrender on discovering justice a day after a grand jury found that no criminal charges are warranted in his demise, they mentioned at a press convention on Tuesday.
The 18-year-old vanished after he and mates had gone out celebrating the Fourth of July vacation on barrier islands off the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. His body was recovered within the waters off Horn Island two days later.
The Mississippi State health worker carried out the preliminary post-mortem on Wells’ physique. The teenager’s household commissioned a private autopsy earlier than outcomes from the state post-mortem had been launched.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Division launched this picture throughout the seek for Nolan Xavier Wells, 18, in Mississippi.
Jackson County Sheriff’s Division
The grand jury that reviewed the proof in Wells’ demise discovered unanimously that therethat there was inadequate proof to convey legal costs within the case, in accordance with the Jackson County Grand Jury Report.
The report mentioned that the “place of, situation of, time of discovery, and site” of the 18-year-old’s physique off the coast of Mississippi this July is “in step with drowning.”
The report additionally mentioned there was no credible proof of legal conduct by the chums, who’re white, who traveled with him to an island off the Mississippi coast on July 4.
The grand jury heard from 43 witnesses and reviewed supplies together with bodily proof collected on the scene, the state health worker’s post-mortem, digital proof, police reviews and interviews, movies, photographs and maps collected throughout the investigation.
However the household questioned the conclusion of the grand jury report.
“Please keep in mind that each medical experts, in addition to his demise certificates, states that the trigger and method of his demise is undetermined,” Christine Wonsley, Wells’ mom, mentioned on the press convention. “So, my query is: How can a jury come to the conclusion of drowning, regardless of figuring out that there was trauma to his physique?”
“Later, the impartial post-mortem carried out for the household by forensic pathologist Dr. Roger A. Mitchell Jr. discovered that Nolan sustained latest, unexplained blunt drive accidents to the again of his head and extra areas on his again,” the household legal professional mentioned.
The grand jury’s report nevertheless discovered that the bruising on the again of Wells’ head was “not a deadly damage” and it was unclear how he received it.
One witness testified beneath oath that across the time of his final being seen, they noticed Wells “slip awkwardly off the aspect of a ship” however “couldn’t say whether or not Mr. Wells struck his head throughout the fall,” and that he “continued to socialize after the autumn and didn’t seem injured,” in accordance with the grand jury report.
The state health worker has not launched their official post-mortem, however the grand jury report mentioned that the “place of, situation of, time of discovery, and site” of Wells’ physique off the coast of Mississippi this July is “in step with drowning.”
The grand jury of 23 individuals, convened final week, discovered “no credible proof to assist the general public allegations” that anybody using to or from the island that day surrounding Wells “engaged in any legal conduct associated to” his demise.
That Wells drowned is a conclusion by the method of elimination, the grand jury report mentioned, including that the situation of the physique made it more durable to determine.
On the press convention, the household’s attorneys mentioned that they’ll have the chance to reopen the investigation in a civil case.”He deserved to be in school proper now,” Wonsley, Wells’ mom, mentioned. “We must be getting textual content messages and telephone calls. However most significantly, Nolan deserved to stay. On the finish of the day, there is just one sufferer, and it’s our son, Nolan Xavier Wells.”
The grand jury report mentioned Wells’ household was given the chance to provide proof from their non-public investigation into Wells’ demise and the household’s legal professionals suggested that their investigation “revealed no witnesses or proof whom the authorized staff moderately believes possess info germane to potential legal exercise that warrants referral.”
It additionally famous that there is no such thing as a statute of limitations on murder instances in Mississippi.
“If credible proof involves mild sooner or later that means Mr. Wells’ demise was non-accidental, this matter must be represented to the Jackson County Grand Jury for additional consideration,” the report mentioned.
ABC Information’ Sabina Ghebremedhin, Synai Ferrell and Sasha Pezenik contributed to this report.
