{"id":303535,"date":"2026-07-23T05:39:47","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T05:39:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/303535\/"},"modified":"2026-07-23T05:39:47","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T05:39:47","slug":"nolan-wells-preliminary-autopsy-results-reveal-7-unanswered-questions-after-teen-vanished-on-trip-with-friends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/303535\/","title":{"rendered":"Nolan Wells\u2019 preliminary autopsy results reveal 7 unanswered questions after teen vanished on trip with friends"},"content":{"rendered":"

The independent autopsy of Nolan Wells<\/a> is sparking even more questions after the preliminary findings were released Wednesday \u2014 though the NAACP head conceded that the teen\u2019s tragic death may have been an accident.<\/p>\n

Wells\u2019 parents had\u00a0flown their 18-year-old son\u2019s body over 800 miles to Washington, DC, for an independent autopsy<\/a> following an initial post-mortem in Mississippi, where he was last seen alive during a Fourth of July trip to Horn Island with friends.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0college football player \u2014 who\u00a0was found dead on July 6<\/a>, two days after he vanished \u2014 had\u00a0a 12-by-8-inch red discoloration to the back of his head, according to the autopsy performed by Dr. Roger Mitchell, President of the National Medical Association.<\/p>\n

Attorney Ben Crump announcing the results of the preliminary autopsy of Nolan Wells alongside Wells\u2019 parents, Elmore Wonsley and Christien Wells-Wonsley, at NAACP headquarters in Chicago on July 22, 2026. Getty Images<\/p>\n

A diagram of Wells\u2019 head from the independent autopsy. RAM Consulting LLC<\/p>\n

The autopsy\u2019s preliminary findings were released on Wednesday, July 22, 2026. RAM Consulting LLC<\/p>\n

The red discoloration in the soft tissue of the back of Wells\u2019 head could indicate head trauma \u2014 however, decomposition and a lack of associated injuries meant the findings were inconclusive, the report states.<\/p>\n

Wells\u2019 cause and manner of death were listed as undetermined pending investigation, with the date of death also unknown.<\/p>\n

The doctor also highlighted seven unanswered questions in his autopsy report.<\/p>\n

These include: what were the circumstances that led to Wells entering the water, what position was the body in when found, and was there any water in the airway, which would indicate drowning.<\/p>\n

Famed civil rights attorney Ben Crump claimed that Wells\u2019 body was found face down and fully clothed, despite photos from the day showing him shirtless, wearing swimming trunks.<\/p>\n

Wells (second from right) vanished after a boating trip on the Fourth of July. Facebook\/Christine Wonsley<\/p>\n

The pathologist added that he still wants to know if there is any evidence of injuries to the front of the neck or throat, or evidence of a brain bleed.<\/p>\n

Damage to the throat couldn\u2019t be ruled out as a cause or contributory factor to Wells\u2019 death, because it had been removed during the initial autopsy, Dr. Mitchell wrote.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the latest on the disappearance and death of Mississippi teen Nolan Wells: <\/p>\n

Finally, the pathologist highlighted the need to discover the composition of Wells\u2019 stomach contents and the toxicology report findings.<\/p>\n

With the removal of the stomach as well as other organs before the second autopsy, examining Wells\u2019 stomach contents was unable to be carried out, the doctor said.<\/p>\n

Wells\u2019 mother wiping away tears during the announcement of her son\u2019s autopsy results. REUTERS<\/p>\n

NAACP members participating in a prayer after the end of the press conference. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Despite the unanswered questions, the NAACP conceded that it couldn\u2019t rule out that Wells\u2019 death may have been an accident.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it was truly an accident, then the families will have the necessary answers that any family deserves in this situation,\u201d NAACP President Derrick Johnson said while kicking off the press conference.<\/p>\n

Police have said nothing points to foul play, at least yet, and they suspect Wells likely drowned after his friends\u00a0left the island without him<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, speaks during the press conference. REUTERS<\/p>\n

Dr. Michael Baden, former Chief Medical Examiner of New York City, told The Post after reviewing Wells\u2019 preliminary autopsy results<\/a> that \u201cthere\u2019s nothing dependent on foul play,\u201d but added that investigators are still awaiting crucial details from a toxicology report.<\/p>\n

The teen\u2019s body was positively identified on July 7 using dental records.<\/p>\n

Jackson County Coroner Bruce Lynd Jr. told The Post at the time that results from the official post-mortem could take weeks while they await the findings from toxicology tests.<\/p>\n

A photograph of Wells on display at his funeral at Center Pointe Church in Ocean Springs, Miss. on July 20, 2026. Christopher Oquendo for NY Post<\/p>\n

Wells had been drinking alcohol on the day he disappeared<\/a> but seemed \u201ccompletely fine,\u201d his self-described \u201cbest friend\u201d claimed.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody\u2019s drinking, you know?\u201d Warren Hudson told conservative YouTuber Brandon Tatum<\/a>. \u201cI mean, it\u2019s Fourth of July, everyone\u2019s just trying to enjoy themselves and, you know, it\u2019s a big party, basically.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI talked to Nolan, and you know, Nolan was drinking. Everybody was drinking, most of everybody, and, I mean, Nolan seemed completely fine every time I talked to him,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

Wells was\u00a0laid to rest in a closed casket Monday<\/a>\u00a0at a packed hometown funeral exactly two weeks after his body was found in the water just off the barrier island.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will miss everything about him and his quiet nature, the corny jokes, his gentle smile and the way he made everyone around feel loved, comfortable and at ease,\u201d Christine Wonsley told mourners through tears.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The independent autopsy of Nolan Wells is sparking even more questions after the preliminary findings were released Wednesday…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":303536,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7373,16880,9,11,10,115054,58],"class_list":["post-303535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-missing-persons","tag-mississippi","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news","tag-nolan-wells","tag-us-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=303535"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/303535\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/303536"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=303535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=303535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=303535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}