Jackson County DA Withholds 18-Year-Old Nolan Wells Autopsy Until Grand Jury Review
Updated
Updated · WLOX · Jul 23
Jackson County DA Withholds 18-Year-Old Nolan Wells Autopsy Until Grand Jury Review
3 articles · Updated · WLOX · Jul 23
Summary
Jackson County District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath said Nolan Wells’ autopsy report will stay sealed until a grand jury reviews the case, despite mounting public pressure for answers.
Mississippi prosecutors routinely present county deaths to a grand jury unless they involve natural causes or non-criminal car wrecks, and McIlrath said disclosure limits are meant to protect the investigation’s integrity.
Wells, 18, was found dead in the water off Horn Island on July 6 after he was reported missing following a July 4 boating trip with friends.
An independent autopsy by Dr. Roger Mitchell could not determine Wells’ cause of death because key organs had already been removed in the state autopsy—a step he said is common practice.
$125,000 has been offered by Al Sharpton, Terrell Owens and Tyler Perry for information leading to an arrest and conviction, underscoring how the case has drawn national attention since Wells’ family hired Ben Crump.