{"id":5165,"date":"2026-07-22T16:08:50","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T16:08:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5165"},"modified":"2026-07-22T16:08:50","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T16:08:50","slug":"private-autopsy-of-nolan-wells-offers-little-insight-into-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5165","title":{"rendered":"Private autopsy of Nolan Wells offers little insight into death"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p>A private autopsy commissioned by the family of Nolan Wells provided little new insight into the teen\u2019s mysterious death earlier this month.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5163\">As Palo Alto resident investigates disturbance outside, stranger enters house<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Attorney Ben Crump announced the findings during a news conference held at the annual NAACP National Convention in Chicago on Wednesday. He said Wells\u2019 cause and manner of death, per the independent report, are both undetermined, pending further investigation.<\/p>\n<p>Crump added that there was \u201cred discoloration\u201d to the tissue in the back of Wells\u2019 head, though what caused it is still unknown. He also noted Wells\u2019 body was in a state of decomposition when it arrived for autopsy, making it difficult for the forensic pathologist to uncover and identify relevant evidence in the case.<\/p>\n<p>The autopsy, which was paid for by former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, was conducted by former Washington, D.C. chief medical examiner Dr. Roger Mitchell. It was performed after the state carried out its own autopsy, meaning most organs as well as the throat and larynx did not come with the body.<\/p>\n<p>Wells seemingly vanished during a Fourth of July boating trip with friends to an island off the coast of Mississippi. His body was found in the water on July 6 by Horn Island, located about 10 miles south of the mainland, after a search by the U.S. Coast Guard, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and the National Park Service.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5161\">Victim, alleged attacker ID\u2019d after fatal stabbing at Santa Cruz County mall<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis has been a difficult journey,\u201d Wells\u2019 mother, Christine Wonsley, said Wednesday. \u201cLosing a child truly breaks your heart. It is a pain, you just can\u2019t measure it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The mourning mother also demanded local authorities step up their probe, calling the lack of information \u201cconcerning.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe only question we have is \u2018What happened to our son?\u2019\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said initial interviews suggested Wells chose to stay on the island and that his friends believed he would get a ride back on his own. He also noted the friends were cooperating with the investigation, which remains ongoing.<\/p>\n<p>A reward of $125,000 \u2014 jointly funded by the Rev. Al Sharpton, actor and producer Tyler Perry and former NFL player Terrell Owens \u2014 is also being offered in exchange for information leading to an arrest and conviction in connection with Wells\u2019 death.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5154\">The East Bay gets a groovy, sonic sculpture inspired by an electronic musician<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>With News Wire Services<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A private autopsy commissioned by the family of Nolan Wells provided little insight into the teen&#8217;s mysterious death earlier this month.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5164,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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