No Charges in Nolan Wells’ Death. His Family Says They Still Don’t Have an Answer.

PASCAGOULA, Miss. (BAMM Network) — A Jackson County grand jury has declined to indict anyone in connection with the death of 18-year-old Nolan Xavier Wells, concluding there was insufficient evidence of criminal conduct or a racially motivated crime. But the decision does not answer the central question Wells’ family has asked for months: How did he die?

Wells, a Black college student from South Mississippi, disappeared July 4 during a boating trip to Horn Island with friends. His body was found in the water two days later.

The grand jury unanimously returned a “no true bill,” meaning it found insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges. Jurors reviewed 132 subpoenas, heard testimony from 43 witnesses and examined physical evidence, cellphone data, photographs, videos, GPS information and forensic reports.

According to the grand jury report, the location and condition of Wells’ body were consistent with drowning, and jurors found no credible evidence that anyone who traveled to or from Horn Island committed a crime in connection with his death. Prosecutors also said there was no evidence supporting claims that Wells’ death was racially motivated.

But drowning has not been definitively established as the cause of death.

Both Mississippi’s medical examiner and an independent pathologist were unable to conclusively determine Wells’ cause and manner of death. The independent examination classified both as undetermined, with drowning remaining a possible explanation by exclusion.

Nolan Wells, second from right, disappeared after going on a trip with friends to Horn Island, just south of Jackson County off of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, on Saturday, July 4, 2026. A U.S. park ranger found his body on July 6, 2026. Photo courtesy Christine Wonsley / Facebook

That distinction is at the center of the family’s response.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents Wells’ family, said the grand jury’s decision does not resolve the unanswered questions surrounding the teenager’s death and has called for greater transparency, including release of investigative records and further federal review.

The family and its legal team are scheduled to address the decision publicly Tuesday in Atlanta.

District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath has defended the investigation and said the grand jury found no evidence supporting allegations of foul play. She also emphasized that the case could be revisited if credible new evidence emerges. Mississippi has no statute of limitations for murder.

For Wells’ family, however, the absence of an indictment is not the same as an explanation.

No one has been charged in Nolan Wells’ death.

But exactly how he died remains officially undetermined.