A 23-person grand jury in Mississippi has unanimously decided that no criminal charges should be brought in the case of Nolan Wells, the 18-year-old who died over the Independence Day weekend while partying on a small island in the Gulf of America.
The ruling comes after the grand jury reviewed the official autopsy report from the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office, which found the teen's cause and manner of death to be undetermined, but that it was "consistent" with a drowning.
“The Grand Jury finds that the position of, the condition of, time of discovery, and location of Mr. Wells’ body is consistent with drowning,” according to the report filed Friday in Jackson County. The jury found no credible evidence that anyone committed a crime against the teenager.
Jackson County District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath announced the decision Monday night after the grand jury returned what's known as a "no true bill," meaning the jurors did not find probable cause to bring criminal charges against anyone who was with Wells that day.
Nolan Wells death 'consistent with drowning,' no evidence it was criminal or racially motivated, grand jury finds https://t.co/xWjGEI8RTv pic.twitter.com/Kd0VyggUFe
— New York Post (@nypost) September 22, 2026
As RedState has previously reported, Wells and a group of friends boated over to Horn Island, which is 10 miles off the coast of Mississippi, on July 4 to celebrate the holiday along with hundreds of others. The boys discovered an issue with their boat and decided to head back to the mainland before it became worse. Wells chose to remain on the island.
What happened after the friends returned home is unclear. Wells was seen talking to a girl, partying, and possibly taking a nasty fall off a different boat. His body was found July 6 in the water off the north side of the island.
The case attracted national attention after race baiter Ben Crump became involved as a representative for Wells' family. Crump and the family called into question whether race played a role in their son's death; Wells was black, and his friend group included white, Hispanic, and mixed-race young men.
The grand jury seems to have found no evidence to support that. According to its report, 132 subpoenas were issued, and jurors heard testimony from 43 witnesses while also reviewing physical and digital evidence, cell phone information, photographs, videos, GPS data, maps, investigative reports, and other evidence.
Not good enough, said Crump after the findings were made public Monday evening. “The State of Mississippi is attempting to close the chapter on Nolan Wells’ death without getting to the truth,” Crump said in a statement
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