
September 22nd, 2026
A grand jury in Mississippi found no evidence of a crime in the death of Nolan Wells.
He was an 18-year-old Black man.
Wells went missing during a July 4 boating trip and party on Horn Island.
His body was found two days later.
It was on the island's northwestern tip.
District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath announced the decision late Monday.
The grand jury said Wells' death was "consistent with drowning."
They looked at the position and condition of his body.
The Mississippi medical examiner's office found the cause of death undetermined.
An independent pathologist hired by Wells' family also found it undetermined.
The grand jury sent 132 subpoenas.
They heard from 43 witnesses.
They looked at cellphone data, forensic reports, videos and GPS data.
Lawyers for Wells' family said the report raised more questions than answers.
One of them is civil rights attorney Ben Crump.
They said McIlrath ended the investigation.
They said she did not explain blunt force trauma to the back of Wells' head and body.
They asked again for an independent U.S. Department of Justice investigation.
They also asked McIlrath to release the investigation file and the full autopsy report.
McIlrath said in a video that she could not accept false stories.
She said the stories said Wells' death was about race.
She said lawyers for Wells' family told her office last month that their own investigation found no evidence of crimes.
Attorneys for three of Wells' friends said the report cleared their clients.
The Rev. Al Sharpton said transparency and accountability matter.
He said Nolan's life mattered.
September 22nd, 2026

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