{"id":12524,"date":"2026-09-22T12:02:17","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T12:02:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.euro-tv.ro\/news\/mississippi-grand-jury-declines-to-indict-anyone-in-death-of-18-year-old-who-vanished-in-coastal-waters\/"},"modified":"2026-09-22T12:02:17","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T12:02:17","slug":"mississippi-grand-jury-declines-to-indict-anyone-in-death-of-18-year-old-who-vanished-in-coastal-waters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.euro-tv.ro\/news\/mississippi-grand-jury-declines-to-indict-anyone-in-death-of-18-year-old-who-vanished-in-coastal-waters\/","title":{"rendered":"Mississippi grand jury declines to indict anyone in death of 18-year-old who vanished in coastal waters"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

A Mississippi grand jury found no evidence of criminal conduct in the death of 18-year-old Nolan Wells<\/a>, concluding that the college football player\u2019s body was found under circumstances “consistent with drowning” after his disappearance during a Fourth of July boating trip.<\/p>\n

The 23-member Jackson County grand jury found no criminal charges were warranted after hearing from 43 witnesses and reviewing physical and digital evidence, police reports, interviews, videos, images and maps, according to the grand jury report released by District Attorney<\/a> Angel Myers McIlrath on Monday.<\/p>\n

Wells disappeared July 4 after traveling with friends to Horn Island, a barrier island off Mississippi\u2019s Gulf Coast. His body was recovered in the waters off the island two days later after a multi-agency search.<\/p>\n

NEW AUDIO RELEASED FOLLOWING NOLAN WELLS DISAPPEARANCE DOESN’T SHOW ‘ANYTHING NEFARIOUS’: RETIRED FBI AGENT<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The report said<\/a> the “position of, condition of, time of discovery, and location” of Wells\u2019 body were consistent with drowning and that there was “no credible evidence” anyone traveling to or from the island committed a crime related to his death.<\/p>\n

The grand jury also found that bruising on the back of Wells\u2019 head was “not a fatal injury.” The report said there was no evidence of a fatal injury or organic disease, though investigators could not determine how Wells suffered the bruise.<\/p>\n

One witness testified that Wells was seen slipping “awkwardly off the side of a boat” around the time he was last seen. The witness could not say whether Wells struck his head during the fall and said Wells continued socializing afterward and did not appear injured.<\/p>\n

The report also said Wells was not involved in a physical altercation or argument that day.<\/p>\n

SHARPTON OFFERS $50K FOR NOLAN WELLS CASE ARREST WITH LAWYER TO RELEASE AUTOPSY AT NAACP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

A private autopsy<\/a> commissioned by Wells\u2019 family had previously listed his cause and manner of death as “undetermined pending investigation.”<\/p>\n

During a July 22 news conference, civil rights attorney Ben Crump said the examination found an area of “red discoloration” on the back of Wells\u2019 head, but pathologist Dr. Roger Mitchell could not determine a cause or manner of death.<\/p>\n

Questions had also been raised about Wells\u2019 alcohol consumption<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A July 5 Mississippi Department of Marine Resources Marine Patrol email previously obtained by Fox News Digital listed Wells\u2019 alcohol intake as “heavy” while authorities searched for him. The email did not identify the source of that information.<\/p>\n

The grand jury found that Wells bought alcohol using a fake ID and that no adults of legal drinking age provided him with alcohol on the island.<\/p>\n

The report said toxicology testing was “not particularly informative” because decomposition fluid is an unreliable source for determining substance levels in a body. It also said there was no cocaine in Wells\u2019 system and no evidence he had ever used the drug.<\/p>\n

The report also shed light on Wells\u2019 cellphone, which was taken back to the mainland without him.<\/p>\n

CAJUN NAVY LEADER WARNS NOLAN WELLS’ SEARCH AREA HAS DEADLY ‘WASHING MACHINE’ CURRENTS: ‘LOTS OF DROWNINGS’<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The grand jury said it was not unusual for people visiting the island to return on different boats or leave phones and other belongings aboard boats while socializing. Wells\u2019 phone was not the only one that returned to the mainland without its owner, according to the report.<\/p>\n

Wells\u2019 death attracted national attention and widespread speculation online.<\/p>\n

The grand jury said allegations targeting the occupants of the three boats involved in the trip had spread to their relatives and friends, calling the “public attacks” “malicious, false,” and having “no truth in fact or evidence.”<\/p>\n

Wells\u2019 family was given an opportunity to provide evidence from its private investigation. According to the report, the family\u2019s attorneys said their investigation had found no witnesses or evidence they reasonably believed pointed to potential criminal activity that warranted referral.<\/p>\n

The case could still return to a grand jury if new evidence emerges. Mississippi has no statute of limitations on homicide cases.<\/p>\n

“If credible evidence comes to light in the future that suggests Mr. Wells\u2019 death was non-accidental, this matter should be represented to the Jackson County Grand Jury for further consideration,” the report said.<\/p>\n

Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

– FOX NEWS<\/p>\n

This article appeared on the website foxnews.com
\nThis article is taken based on Law no. 8\/1996 of Romania. News does not enjoy copyright, so they can be taken, this is our right to take news and information in its entirety and distribute them further. The content was made available to us through the rss mechanism
\nOriginal Content<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Mississippi grand jury found no evidence of criminal conduct in the death of 18-year-old Nolan Wells, concluding that the college football player\u2019s body was found under circumstances “consistent with drowning” after his disappearance during a Fourth of July boating trip. 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