CHICAGO — Ben Crump, the attorney for the family of Nolan Xavier Wells, said on Wednesday that the cause and manner of the 18-year-old’s death on July 4 are “undetermined” pending further investigation.
Crump announced the results of an independent autopsy conducted on Wells, who was found dead on July 6 in the waters of an island near the Mississippi coast.
The announcement was made during the 117th annual NAACP National Convention in Chicago, according to The Associated Press.
Roger A. Mitchell, a physician and board-certified pathologist who serves as the president of the National Medical Association, performed the autopsy, according to the Mississippi Free Press. He said that the autopsy was inconclusive in part because the Mississippi Medical Examiner’s Office retained some of Wells’ organs.
“This pathologist cannot rule out if any intervening, non-accidental factors contributed to or caused the death of Nolan Wells,” Mitchell wrote in his report.
Crump, who read Mitchell’s report during the news conference, said that the autopsy found that “there were no fractures of deep tissue injuries identified” and there were “no lacerations of the overlying skin nor fractures of the underlying skull.”
However, the Free Press reported that Mitchell noted he had discovered a “focal area of red discoloration in the soft tissue of the back of the head, occipital region.”
According to WLOX, Wells’ body was discovered on July 6 off the northwestern tip of Horn Island, Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said. The island is an undeveloped strip of land off the coast of Mississippi that is a favorite gathering spot for local residents, People reported.
Wednesday’s findings presented by Crump were made public during a news conference at the annual NAACP National Convention in Chicago, according to The Associated Press.
The independent autopsy was arranged by the family and Crump, and was paid for by former NFL player Colin Kaepernick, the news organization reported.
An autopsy was performed by the state medical examiner in Mississippi, but officials said it could take “a couple weeks” to receive results, according to WLOX. Those results will also include a toxicology report.
Wells and some friends traveled in a boat to the island, but he did not return with them, Ledbetter told reporters during a news conference earlier this month.
Wells was last seen near the island around 3 p.m. CT, the sheriff’s department said, adding that there was currently no evidence to suggest that a crime was committed, WWL reported.
Wells played football at Ocean Springs High School and was a wide receiver at Southwest Mississippi Community College, WLOX reported.
According to the television station, Rev. Al Sharpton, actor and filmmaker Tyler Perry, and Pro Football Hall of Famer Terrell Owens are offering a $125,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.
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