Nolan Wells’ Death Was ‘Consistent with Drowning’ and Not Racially or Criminally Motivated, Grand Jury Finds Amid Ongoing Theories

Nolan Wells’ death was “consistent with drowning,” and there was no evidence of foul play, a grand jury in Mississippi found after examining the official autopsy and other evidence in the closely watched case. A Jackson County grand jury determined that the evidence presented to them did not support filing criminal charges over Wells’ death.

Wells, 18, was found floating in the water on July 6 after he and his friends took a boat trip along the Mississippi Gulf Coast near Horn Island. Wells’ death drew widespread national attention, as his grieving family continued to push for an investigation even after authorities determined there was no evidence of foul play.

Mystery Unraveled

Al Sharpton and The View co-host Sunny Hostin are among those who have faced threats of defamation lawsuits over comments they made about Wells’ death. A report issued by the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office said the grand jury determined that the position, condition, discovery time and location of Wells’ body were consistent with drowning.

“After a thorough and exhaustive investigation, your grand jury met last week concerning the death investigation of Nolan Wells and unanimously returned a no true bill,” District Attorney Angel Myers Mcllrath said.

“The death of Nolan Wells has devastated our community. Outsiders and influencers have attempted to exploit Nolan’s death to divide and create chaos here but we are better together.”

The state’s Chief Medical Examiner and another physician determined that the cause of the teenager’s death was “undetermined,” noting that “drowning is a diagnosis of exclusion.”

The documents said Wells had bruising on the back of his head, but the injury was not fatal. The doctor and state medical examiner also disagreed over additional bruising found on his back and shoulder.

A witness testified under oath that he saw Wells dangerously fall from the side of a boat at around 3:30 p.m. on July 4, according to the report. However, the witness could not determine whether Wells hit his head when he fell.

The witness said Wells continued socializing afterward and showed no obvious signs of injury.

The grand jury also found that Wells was not the only person of color on Horn Island that day, contrary to some speculation. “There is absolutely no evidence to support the allegations that Nolan’s disappearance and death were racially motivated,” Mcllrath said.

“The Grand Jury finds no credible evidence to support the public allegations that any persons who rode to or from Horn Island on July 4… engaged in any criminal conduct related to the death of Mr Wells,” the report said.

All Doubts Cleared

The investigation also found no evidence that Wells had been involved in a fight or argument on July 4. Instead, he remained on the island with others to “socialize.”

The report said the Triton carrying Wells and his group across the water experienced problems with its bilge pump and motor on July 4 and was “actively taking on water and sinking.”

“The Grand Jury conducted a comprehensive inquiry into the death of Mr Wells and is confident in the extensive investigation done by both Federal and State law enforcement agencies,” the report stated.

The findings were released following a wave of theories surrounding Wells’ death that circulated across social media and among media personalities.

The View co-host Sunny Hostin was among those who raised questions about the circumstances surrounding Wells’ death and suggested his friends could have been involved.

Attorneys Morgan Seymour, Jax Pitalo and Warren Hudson sent Hostin a letter demanding that she retract and remove the statements they considered defamatory and issue an apology within 10 days, or face potential legal action.

Paltzik and Cox specifically pointed to comments Hostin allegedly made about the case on The View’s Behind the Tale podcast on July 13, as well as remarks made during a segment of the talk show the following day.

According to the lawyers, Hostin said on the podcast that there were “a lot of inconsistencies” involving Wells’ cellphone and “social media profiles being erased.” The comments appeared to reference claims that Snapchat messages may have been deleted from Wells’ phone, while a photograph of Pitalo, Seymour and Wells was shown on screen.

Hostin also questioned why “the three boys he was on the boat with” had not been interviewed separately by police. “I don’t know that that’s happened here and that is shocking to me,” she said.