Nolan Wells' cause and manner of death 'undetermined,' state autopsy report finds
Nolan Wells died after going on a boat trip with friends on the 4th of July.
The family of Nolan Wells on Thursday released the Mississippi State Medical Examiner's autopsy report, which found that the cause and manner of death are "undetermined."
"This 18 year old male was found face down in the water at Horn Island. Because the circumstances surrounding this death are unknown, the cause and manner of death are best classified as undetermined," the state autopsy report states.
The state autopsy report indicated that the pathologist found "evidence of injury" to the back on Wells' head that is described as "two dark red-purple subcutaneous scalp contusions."
The report did not conclude how this injury occurred. It also found that there were "no external scalp injuries" and "no fractures" in the skull.
The State Medical Examiner's office report comes after a grand jury reviewing the evidence in Wells' death found that no criminal charges are warranted at this point, according to the report released on Monday night.
The state autopsy report's conclusion matches the findings of the private autopsy commissioned by Wells' family, which was released in July. It preliminarily ruled his cause and manner of death as "undetermined pending investigation,"with the independent pathologist acknowledging multiple limitations in the report.
"Losing a child, it truly breaks your heart ... especially someone like Nolan, who brought so much joy and light and life to everyone," Wells' mother, Christine Wonsley, told reporters in July.
"The only question we have is, what happened to our son?" she said.
The circumstances surrounding Wells' death garnered national interest after the college football player went missing on the 4th of July after going on a boat trip with friends to Horn Island. Officials said it appeared Wells stayed behind on the island after his friends left.
The teen's body was recovered on July 6, and authorities said they suspect he drowned.
Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbettersaid there was no initial indication of a crime, but he stressed that investigators were "working diligently to determine exactly what occurred."
Ledbetter also said the sheriff's office welcomed the family's independent investigation.
