Nearly three weeks since Nolan Wells‘ death on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, his family is starting to get some answers on what happened.
Christine and Elmore Wonsley, joined by attorney Ben Crump, announced the preliminary findings of their independent autopsy.
Board-certified forensic pathologist and president of the National Medical Association, Dr. Roger Mitchell of Washington, D.C., performed the autopsy.
Before the findings were made public, Wells’ parents made it clear they want transparency.
“We want to know what happened to our son because the things that you’re telling us, that’s not the character of our son. We know our son,” said Wells’ father.
The Findings
Dr. Mitchell concluded that both the cause and manner of Wells’ death remain undetermined pending further investigation.
According to Crump, Dr. Mitchell encountered significant limitations during the independent autopsy because Wells’ body was not made available immediately.
The most significant obstacle was the absence of Wells’ throat, preventing a complete examination of critical neck structures. As a result, the pathologist wrote that he could not rule out a neck injury as a contributing factor or cause of death.
“He didn’t know why they held the throat back, but they said the throat was not with the body of Nolan Wells when he received it in Washington, D.C., to perform the second autopsy,” said Crump.
Dr. Mitchell also documented a roughly 12-by-8-inch area of red discoloration in the deep soft tissue on the back of Wells’ head. The report says the cause of the discoloration is “unclear.”
Based on the available evidence, the forensic pathologist said he could not determine whether Wells was conscious or unconscious at the time of his death. Therefore, he could not rule out foul play.
There were no skull fractures or cuts to the overlying skin, and because of the body’s advanced decomposition and the lack of associated injuries, the pathologist said the finding was inconclusive for determining whether it resulted from an injury around the time of death.
Additional examinations found no fractures and no evidence of deep tissue injuries. However, he emphasized that it was significant enough to highlight in the preliminary report.
The state’s autopsy has not been made public.
A Mysterious Death
Wells went missing after hanging out with friends on Horn Island for the Fourth of July. According to his friends, Wells stayed behind to talk to a girl and said he was going to go back inland with another group of friends.
His parents always refuted that claim and said their son knew to leave with the group he came with. They also found it weird that Wells’ phone and keys were still on the boat if he had decided to stay back.
Two days later, Wells’ body was found.
Todd Terrell, president of the United Cajun Navy, who helped assist in finding the 18-year-old, said Wells was “face down” and “fully clothed” when he was found.
“[His body] was in the same vicinity of where he possibly drowned. It was not uncommon for the body to have washed up right there,” Terrell told Nancy Grace.
Wells’ body was located on the northwest end of the island, which is plagued by dangerous rip currents, according to Terrell.
New Video
Wednesday’s autopsy results come as new video from the day Wells went missing is released.
In the video, obtained by TMZ, the camera pans around, showing multiple boats and tons of people partying.
At one point, you can see a Black man standing on the back deck of a boat, bending over to grab something.
According to TMZ, the man in the video is wearing the same color trucks as Wells was in the viral July 4 picture with friends on a boat.
The footage also shows several older adults aboard the boat, which is anchored in neck-deep water, while a number of other people can be seen nearby. Metadata indicates the video was recorded at 2:23 p.m.
According to GPS data obtained by CBS News, the boat Wells’ friends were on left around 4:30 p.m. without him.
Although the video never captures the face of the person sitting at the back of the boat, the individual who recorded it still brought it to investigators because they felt strongly that it was Wells.
A law enforcement source told TMZ that they are aware of the clip.
🚨 This new video from the day Nolan Wells went missing might reveal the first clues about who he was with during the last hours of the Horn Island 4th of July party. pic.twitter.com/tEmvnyi5u8
— TMZ (@TMZ) July 21, 2026
‘Best Friend’ Speaks Out
Warren Hudson, who was on that boat with Wells, is finally speaking out about the situation and the rumors blaming him for the teen’s death.
Questions remain about why the friends left Wells behind and why they had his phone and keys in their possession.
Hudson told the New York Post that claims that he had something to do with his friend’s death are “hurtful.”
“It’s a sick world we’re living in,” he said. “It’s terrible. Nolan was my best friend. There’s no facts out, just a lot of rumors. That’s just how the internet is today.”
Hudson’s mother, Ashlee Cole, who is a judge in Jackson County, also denied claims that her son had done something wrong.
She went on to say that her family has not been trying to “hamper” the investigation and that they are cooperating fully with local authorities.
What Comes Next?
As the family waits for law enforcement to finish its investigation, Wells’ mother made an estate move that paves the way for future lawsuits.
Christine Wonsley filed a petition to open the estate of her deceased son and serve as its administratrix. The estate assets would consist “solely of claims for damages resulting from the circumstances surrounding his death.”
Wonsley signed the petition Monday, the day of her son’s funeral. It was filed the same day in Jackson County Chancery Court.
It would allow her to file a lawsuit for damages on behalf of her son’s estate should others be found responsible for his death.
“Nolan, we love you. We’ll continue to fight for you, and until we meet again,” Wonsley said at his funeral.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office will turn its findings over to the district attorney’s office once the investigation is complete. The case will then be presented to a grand jury, which is standard practice for unnatural deaths in the county.
It’s up to the grand jury to decide whether criminal charges should be filed.
