Louisiana coroner provides explanation on why there was no water in Nolan Wells’ body
ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. —
A Louisiana coroner is weighing in on a recently revealed autopsy report linked to a Mississippi teen’s death.
Nolan Wells’ family attorney, Ben Crump, shared that they received the state autopsy report from the Mississippi medical examiner Wednesday night.
Crump read parts of the report out loud and described it as a three-page report.
According to Crump, the state medical examiner documented two red-purple contusions on the back of Wells’ scalp. Each measured about 2 inches. The medical examiner also included a diagram of the injuries, which Crump showed on a printed piece of paper.
Attorney Liza Park said the report found no fractures involving Wells’ larynx, thyroid bone or spine. Park said the report also documented no fluid or debris in the airways, no water in the throat or stomach, and an empty stomach.
According to Park, the state medical examiner classified Wells’ death as undetermined. Crump and Park both questioned how that finding aligned with the grand jury’s determination that Wells’ death was an accidental drowning.
According to the grand jury decision released by the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office, the grand jury did not conclude Wells drowned, rather that the position, condition of, time of discovery, and location of Wells’ body was consistent with drowning.
Dr. Roger Mitchell, who conducted an independent autopsy for the family, reportedly found no white blood cells associated with the injured areas. According to Park, that finding could indicate that the injuries and bleeding occurred close to or shortly after Wells’ time of death.
Mitchell is expected to discuss and compare the state and independent autopsy findings at a separate news conference next week in Atlanta.
Jackson County District Attorney Angel McIlrath said in a statement that both the state’s autopsy and an independent examination found no evidence of a fatal injury or disease. She added that neither examination ruled out drowning.
Dr. Christopher Tape, the St. Tammany Parish coroner, explained that the classification means there is no certainty about what caused Wells’ death.
“Neither one of them found conclusional evidence of drowning, but each of them noted there are decompositional changes, which makes the conclusion difficult, including with drowning,” Tape said.
After reviewing the state’s autopsy results, Tape said the classification of undetermined is appropriate.
Tape said that the findings align with the independent autopsy ordered by Wells’ family, which also classified the cause of death as undetermined pending further investigation.
He also addressed the two contusions found on the back of Wells’ scalp, stating they were not fatal injuries.
Tape also explained why water was not present in Wells’ throat, lungs or stomach.
“Paradoxically, you won’t find water in the airways for some of these drownings for someone who’s been dead for a while necessarily,” said Tape. “After a few days, the water is going to distribute everywhere, so it becomes difficult to conclude.”
This development comes just days after a grand jury determined there was insufficient evidence to charge anyone with a crime.
Tape said the lingering questions that remain are how Wells got into the water and why he could not get out of the water.
“He’s young and healthy, doesn’t have gunshot wounds, doesn’t have strangulation that we can tell. It doesn’t seem like he was beat up. I can’t rule that out,” Tape said.