Mississippi grand jury finds no evidence to warrant charges in Nolan Wells’ death

PASCAGOULA, Miss. (TCN) -- A grand jury has determined that there is no evidence to warrant charges in connection with the death of Nolan Wells, an 18-year-old Black man whose body was found along the shore on a Gulf Coast island days after he celebrated the Fourth of July on a boat with friends. 

The Associated Press reports that the grand jury’s findings come after months of speculation into the circumstances surrounding Wells’ disappearance and death.

Wells went missing after he and his friends went out on a boat in the waters along the Gulf Coast to celebrate the Fourth of July. His body was found two days later, and officials with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said foul play was not suspected. Given the state’s history of racism and civil rights violations, the AP reports that concerns about the circumstances surrounding the death became widespread.

At Wells’ funeral later in July, the Rev. Al Sharpton offered a $100,000 reward for anyone who could provide additional information about the circumstances of Wells’ death, according to the AP. “Somebody knows something. … Let every stone be rolled back and every veil be torn asunder and let truth pop out of the ground like a flower.”

In a statement released following the grand jury’s findings, the district attorney said, “There is absolutely no evidence to support the allegations that Nolan’s death and disappearance were racially motivated,” WAPT reports. 

“The narrative that three white boys and a Black boy went to an island and only white friends returned spread like wildfire,” WAPT reports that the DA said. “This was false.”

According to a Jackson County grand jury report released on Sept. 21, the “position of, condition of, time of discovery, and location” of Wells was consistent with drowning, according to ABC News. WAPT reports that the cause and manner of Wells’ death were not determined, but no evidence of a fatal injury was found during the autopsy.

The grand jury consisted of 23 people who heard from 43 witnesses and reviewed evidence collected at the scene and during the investigation, according to ABC.

Per ABC News, the grand jury’s report does note that there is no statute of limitations on homicide in Mississippi. The report says, “If credible evidence comes to light in the future that suggests Mr. Wells’ death was non-accidental, this matter should be represented to the Jackson County grand jury for further consideration.”

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