Independent Autopsy of Missing Black Teen Nolan Wells Finds Cause Undetermined, Foul Play Not Ruled Out

An independent autopsy report has raised further questions surrounding the suspicious death of Nolan Wells, a Black college freshman who went missing on July 4 near Mississippi's Horn Island.

Disappearance and Discovery

Wells was attending a boat party with approximately 300 other young people when he disappeared in the water. According to Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter, Wells remained on the island with a young woman after the friends he arrived with departed, apparently expecting a ride home from someone else. His friends returned with his phone and keys—but not him. His body was discovered two days later.

Autopsy Findings

Sheriff Ledbetter announced that foul play was likely not involved before completing an official autopsy, prompting civil rights lawyer Ben Crump to intervene and call for an independent examination. The independent autopsy, funded by former NFL quarterback and activist Colin Kaepernick, was conducted on July 10.

The independent autopsy found Wells's cause and manner of death to be "undetermined" but did not rule out foul play. Notably, it revealed "red discoloration" on the back of Wells's head, just above the start of his neck.

The toxicology report remains pending. While the state also performed an autopsy, its findings have not been made public.

Questions of Race and Foul Play

Several factors have fueled speculation that race played a role in Wells's death:

• Ledbetter's premature dismissal of foul play
• The involvement of a local judge's son
• The absence of photos or videos from the day of the disappearance on Wells's phone
• A photo shared by Wells's mother on social media, showing him smiling with three white peers on the day he vanished

"We are in Mississippi," Crump said during a speech at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta on Sunday. "These were three young white men. Nolan was the only young Black man. Had the roles been reversed, we know this investigation would be going differently. It would be like the first 48. They would be interrogating those young, Black boys."

Historical Context

Claims of foul play or racism are not without precedent. Mississippi has a long, disturbing history of anti-Black racism, from the murder of Emmett Till 71 years ago to more recent decisions by state medical examiners to ignore police brutality and other misdeeds during autopsies.

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Related: Trump Comments on Soldiers Killed in Iran War

President Trump claimed Wednesday that U.S. soldiers killed in the Iran war all agreed with his stated mission.

Trump made the remarks as he was about to board Air Force One and head to Dover Air Force Base for a dignified transfer ceremony honoring the remains of four soldiers killed in the Iran war over the last week.

"Some of you are going with us to honor our heroes, and they are indeed great heroes actually. All of them said very strongly, 'We can't let, we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon.' They won't have a nuclear weapon. So we're going to honor them," Trump said.

While it is common for a president to assert that troop deaths were not in vain, claiming that all soldiers proudly spoke in favor of the war is another matter. Military service compels troops to follow orders and deploy wherever they are told, regardless of personal opinion.

Iran has responded to U.S. and Israeli strikes on its territory with missile strikes across the Middle East, including on Israel, oil infrastructure, international business targets, and U.S. military bases. This has placed U.S. troops on the front lines of the war, with at least 18 American soldiers killed so far.