Just days after the family of 18-year-old Mississippi teen Nolan Wells asked for the FBI to investigate his death, the agency says local authorities got it right.
It comes after a state grand jury declined to bring criminal charges last month. Jurors concluded that Wells’ death was “consistent with a drowning”. However, the state medical examiner and an independent pathologist ruled his cause and manner of death as undetermined.
The family and their legal team cite the independent autopsy conducted by Dr. Roger A. Mitchell Jr. that found “unexplained blunt-force injuries to the back of his head” as further cause for concern. They also point to no water being found in Wells’ lungs or stomach.
“Now they’re trying to say dry drowning, but again, where is the physical evidence from the autopsies? Where? They’re nowhere in sight. They’re not there,” Wells-Wonsley said. “So again, Elmore and I, our family, our friends, the community, all of you-we cannot accept that.”
Despite the family’s concerns, the Department of Justice said that, in their view. there is no evidence of foul play or any crime, according to PEOPLE.
The agency added that federal officials assisted in the investigation and agreed with the determination of local authorities.
Wells, an Ocean Springs resident and college student, disappeared during a Fourth of July boating trip to Horn Island. Authorities found his body two days later, but officials have not determined how he died or officially classified the manner of death.
In response to the FBI’s decision, Attorney Ben Crump says the family will keep fighting until they get answers.
“We do not believe Nolan drowned, and the blunt force trauma to his head cannot be ignored or explained away,” he said in a statement. “Nolan’s family deserves the truth, and we will keep fighting until every question is answered and justice is served.”
Wells’ mother, Christine Wells-Wonsley, shared the same sentiments as Crump on social media.
“Just remember God don’t like ugly, and what’s done in the dark will come to light. We have to keep our faith and trust in God’s plan, and that is exactly what we plan to do. God has the final say,” she wrote on Facebook.
Those in Congress are also trying to help Wells’ family get answers. Florida Rep. Frederica Wilson recently sent a letter to Jessica Bowron, the acting Director of the National Park Service.
“I urge you to direct the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch (ISB), which investigates complex and sensitive cases throughout the National Park System, to examine every circumstance surrounding Nolan’s death and pursue every available lead,” she wrote.
It remains unclear what comes next for Wells’ family following the FBI’s decision. Atlanta Black Star reached out to Crump for comment and is awaiting a response.
ABS Assistant news editor Morgan Bridgeman contributed to the writing and reporting of this story.
