Grand Jury Declines Charges in Nolan Wells Death

The grand jury in Jackson County declined to bring charges in the death of 18‑year‑old Nolan Wells, a Black teenager found dead after a July 4 boating trip on Horn Island off the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The decision was announced by District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath late Monday. The jury found no evidence of criminal conduct and noted that examinations by the state medical examiner and an independent forensic pathologist hired by Wells’ family left the cause and manner of death undetermined. The report stated that if credible evidence later emerges suggesting a non‑accidental death, the case should be presented again to the grand jury.

Wells disappeared from a Fourth‑of‑July party on Horn Island and was recovered two days later on the island’s northwestern tip. His body showed blunt‑force trauma to the back of the head and body, but the autopsies did not determine a cause of death. The investigation also found no indication of foul play and rebutted claims that Wells was the only Black person on the island that day. The grand jury expressed sympathy for the family and noted Wells’ “outstanding character,” but it did not find evidence to support the family’s allegations of a racially motivated crime.

Lawyers for Wells’ family, including civil‑rights attorney Ben Crump, said the report leaves more questions than answers. They accused the DA of ending the investigation before determining the source of the blunt‑force injuries and urged the U.S. Department of Justice to conduct an independent inquiry. The family also requested that McIlrath release the full investigation file and the complete autopsy report. Crump stated, “Today, the State of Mississippi is attempting to close the chapter on Nolan Wells’ death without getting to the truth,” and the family, Crump, and the NAACP planned a news conference the following day.

In a 15‑minute social‑media video, McIlrath expressed frustration with public speculation that Wells’ death was racially motivated. She said that the family’s own investigation found no evidence of crime and that there was “not a shred of evidence to support these narratives.” McIlrath reiterated her commitment to a fair and thorough investigation, noting that the sheriff’s office had not suspected foul play and that the investigation had been conducted in a state with a history of civil‑rights violations. The grand jury’s report concluded that the evidence convinced it of Wells’ character and expressed sympathy for the family.