Grand Jury Declines Criminal Charges in Mississippi Teen’s Death

A grand jury has declined to bring criminal charges against anyone in the death of a Mississippi teenager, found dead two days after a boating trip with friends on July 4.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, hired by the family, expressed concern that Nolan Wells, a Black man, “ended up dead after going out on a boat with three young white men,” citing conflicting witness statements.

Jackson County District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath stated that the grand jury indicated insufficient evidence to charge anyone in Wells’ death.

In a statement to US media, Crump said the grand jury’s decision “leaves us with more questions than answers.”

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

Authorities initially stated Wells accidentally drowned, while his friends claimed he chose to stay behind on Horn Island after they decided to leave early due to a boat issue.

A grand jury report posted on the district attorney’s social media on Monday found that the “position, condition, time of discovery, and location of Mr. Wells’ body is consistent with drowning.”

“There is absolutely no evidence to support the allegations that Nolan’s death and disappearance were racially motivated,” Myers McIlrath said in a video message.

The report noted that 25 grand jurors heard from 43 witnesses, including a forensic pathologist hired by Wells’ family to conduct an independent autopsy.

“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, 2026 … engaged in any criminal conduct related to the death of Mr. Wells,” the report stated.

The report added that those who traveled with Wells were fully cooperative, providing GPS devices, surveillance footage, cell phones, and other evidence.

It also noted that it is not unusual for visitors to Horn Island to stay and leave on different boats than they arrived on during crowded holiday days.

Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley, was the first to raise the alarm after her son, who played American football at Southwest Mississippi Community College and was described by his coach as a “happy-go-lucky kid,” failed to return on the evening of July 4.

Authorities discovered his body off the coast of the island on July 6, following a search involving multiple local, state, and federal agencies.

Source link