Grand Jury Finds No Evidence of Criminal Wrongdoing in Nolan Wells’ Death

A grand jury unanimously found that there was no evidence to support bringing charges in the death of Nolan Wells, an 18-year-old who was found dead after a Fourth of July trip with friends off the coast of Mississippi.

The grand jury said in a report released Monday by the Jackson County District Attorney’s office that it found no criminal or racially motivated wrongdoing, after it conducted a comprehensive investigation involving witness testimony, physical and digital evidence, as well as GPS and cellphone data.

The grand jury “finds that the position of, the condition of, time of discovery, and location of Mr. Wells’ body is consistent with drowning,” it said.

The announcement comes after months of speculation about the circumstances of Wells’ death, after photos circulated widely of the Black teen surrounded by White friends during the trip to Horn Island, a remote barrier island that is a popular holiday destination.

“There is absolutely no evidence to support the allegations that Nolan’s death and disappearance were racially motivated,” District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath said in a video statement released alongside the report.

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The grand jury consisted of 13 men and 10 women from Jackson County, between the ages of 27 to 68, according to the report released by the district attorney.

Twelve jurors were identified as Caucasian, five as African American, two as Hispanic, two as Native American, one as Asian and one as “other.”

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