CHARLOTTE AMALIE, ST. THOMAS, V.I. – In a late September press conference, legal rights attorney Ben Crump and a team of forensic specialist discuss the new findings of an autopsy and cellphone extraction concerning the unsolved death of 18-year-old Nolan Wells.
The story of the 18-year-old victim’s disappearance from Horn Island, Mississippi on July 4, 2026, sparked major discourse as the subsequent discovery of his body raised the suspicion of foul play. In the ensuing court hearing the Jackson County grand jury decided against the pursuit of criminal indictments determining the cause of death to be consistent with accidental drowning.
At a press conference held on September 24, 2026, legal rights attorney Ben Crump along with digital forensic specialist Andrew Garrett presented new evidence where they compared the findings of the independent autopsy, and the state issued autopsy as well as the extracted artifacts from Nolan’s cellphone.
The results of the independent autopsy, like those of the previous, revealed the official cause of death to be undetermined however, attorney Lisa Park noted that the findings of the independent report showed that there was no water or debris present in Nolan’s lungs, stomach or airways. Moreover, the autopsy also revealed that Nolan sustained two distinct bruises at the back of his head shortly before his death.
These inconsistences demonstrate the social and legal implications of surrounding the victim’s death as evidence shows that the grand jury’s decision not to pursue indictment may allow a potential murder to remain unsolved and a potential culprit to walk free among the masses without punishment.
In response many have taken to social media to voice their views on the proceedings of the case. One creator , voice her opinions of the case through videographic AI generated monologues created from the perspectives of both Nolan Wells and his mother. Each video detailed a heartbreaking plead for answers and an unwavering cry for action during this dark time.
