Did Nolan Wells drown? Big update in case as grand jury announces major decision, ‘No credible evidence to support…’

A grand jury has unanimously declined to indict anyone in the death of Nolan Wells. The Ocean Springs, Mississippi teen was found dead in the water on the northwest end of Horn Island on Monday morning, July 6.

Did Nolan Wells drown? Big update in case as grand jury announces major decision (Christine Wonsley/Facebook)Wells went missing on July 4 after taking a boat to the island with friends. The search for the teen was called off after a body was found by a park ranger on Monday, July 6.

"The grand jury finds no credible evidence to support the public allegations that any persons who rode to or from Horn Island on July 4, 2026 on the Triton, ​the Palm Beach, or the Tideline engaged in any criminal conduct related to ​the death of Mr. Wells," said the grand jury report released late ⁠on Monday, September 20, by Jackson County District Attorney Angel ‌Myers McIlrath’s office.

Attorney Ben Crump had sought a comprehensive investigation and transparency from authorities on Wells’ death. The grand jury found that "the position of, the condition of, time of discovery, and location of Mr. Wells' body ​is consistent with drowning," ​its report said.

"Both the ⁠State of Mississippi Chief Medical Examiner and Dr. (name redacted) opined that the cause and manner of Mr. Wells' death is undetermined and ​that drowning is a diagnosis of exclusion," the report added.

According to the report, the grand jury understood that neither forensic expert had ruled out accidental drowning as a cause of death.

"Jackson County, after a thorough and exhaustive investigation, your grand jury met last week concerning ⁠the death ​investigation of Nolan Wells and unanimously returned a no ​true bill," McIlrath said in a social media video.

McIlrath said there was no evidence to support the claims that race was a factor in Wells’ death.

Previously, a GiveSendGo was launched by Wells’ friend Warren Hudson’s family to help his friends who were allegedly being targeted by “race baiters.”

“Since Nolan's death, Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo, Morgan Seymour, and many others have been inundated with death threats, threats of violence, and defamation. They have been falsely and wrongly blamed by individuals online and in the media of either directly or indirectly having a hand in Nolan's death. Most of them could not even attend their own best friend's funeral,” the page reads.

The page accused Al Sharpton, Ben Crump, and others of continuing to “invent and spread false narratives and lies with no accountability.”

Sumanti Sen covers everything that’s happening in the US, from politics to entertainment, but her expertise lies in covering crime news. She has comprehensively chronicled the Idaho student murders, the Laken Riley and Iryna Zarutska cases, and the killing of Charlie Kirk, among other incidents. Over the years, she has interviewed several victims/families of victims of crimes seeking justice. She digs up stories that might otherwise remain unheard, and does her bit to ensure that victims and survivors’ voices are heard. Sumanti’s many years of experience also include interviews with Hamas attack survivors and mental health experts, among others. Her coverage of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and interviews with survivors of the tragedy, coupled with her other works including the Titan submersible coverage, earned her the Digi Journo of the Quarter award during her first year at Hindustan Times. Sumanti actively tracks missing person cases in the United States, and peruses Reddit and other social media platforms to bring to light cases that frequently elude public attention. She has extensively covered the disappearances of Nancy Guthrie, Thomas Medlin, Beau Mann, and Sudiksha Konanki, among others. When not at work, you will either find her with her novels, or with her beloved rescue pooches.Read More