Nolan Wells’ cause and manner of death undetermined, attorney says, citing family’s autopsy

(CBS NEWS) — The manner and cause of death for Nolan Wells, the Mississippi teen who was found dead at Horn Island after a Fourth of July outing with friends, are undetermined, pending investigation, according to attorney Ben Crump, citing a preliminary independent autopsy commissioned by the family.

Crump said Wednesday there was “red discoloration” in the tissue in the back of the head, according to the autopsy, but added the reason was unknown.

The body was in a state of decomposition when it was received for the autopsy, Crump said, which made it difficult for the forensic pathologist to ascertain information. Also, pieces of Wells’ throat were retained by the state medical examiner, but the autopsy report said this was “a common forensic pathology practice.”

The autopsy was conducted on July 10, six days after Wells’ body was found. The date of Wells’ death was ruled unknown, according to Crump.

A toxicology report was not performed, according to the autopsy.

“This has been a difficult journey,” Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley, said at a press conference Wednesday. “Losing a child truly breaks your heart. It is a pain, you just can’t measure it.”

Crump said the autopsy was done in the “ferocious search for the truth of what really happened to Nolan Wells.”

“It is our hope that our local authorities will do what they need to do,” Christine Wonsley said. She called the lack of information from the police investigation “concerning.”

The autopsy, which was paid for by former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, was conducted by former Washington, D.C., chief medical examiner Dr. Roger Mitchell. He has conducted thousands of autopsies in his career, according to lawyer Lisa Park, part of Crump’s law firm.

Mitchell received the body for his autopsy after the state did its own on the morning of July 7. The results of the state autopsy have not been released.

The Mississippi State Medical Examiner said in a statement Wednesday that its autopsy “was performed in accordance with the standard procedures and protocols followed for all autopsies.” The medical examiner said it would not comment on the independent autopsy.

“We understand the public’s interest in this case, but we continue to urge everyone to remain patient and avoid making assumptions or drawing conclusions before the investigation is complete,” the state medical examiner said in a statement. “Sharing unfounded speculation only serves to create unnecessary obstacles during the investigative process. Investigators remain committed to following the facts wherever they lead and ensuring this investigation is thorough, comprehensive, and complete.”

Wells’ body was discovered in the water on July 6 just off the coast of Horn Island, which is about 10 miles south of the Mississippi mainland, following a search by the U.S. Coast Guard, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and the National Park Service. Dental records confirmed the body was Wells, Jackson County coroner Bruce Lynd previously told CBS News.

Wells traveled to the island with his friends but did not return to the mainland with them that afternoon, Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said. His friends have told authorities Wells chose to stay behind on the island to speak with a girl and said he would come back to the mainland later.

His parents, Christine and Elmore Wonsley, told “CBS Mornings” earlier this month they didn’t believe their son would’ve stayed behind by choice.

“No, he wouldn’t. Nolan always stays with the group,” Elmore Wonsley, Nolan’s father, told “CBS Mornings.” “If you be with me, you come back with me. So that I don’t understand, and with me being a parent, if I was in that situation, I would have told them, ‘You’re going to get back on this boat with me because I don’t want to answer to your parents if something happens to you.'”

He was last seen on the island at about 3 p.m., according to Crump’s office. His mother reported him missing later that night and a search began.

NAACP President Derrick Johnson criticized the police investigation into Wells’ death and said it was important to do a full investigation before speculating whether it was an accident.

Horn Island, which is little more than a 10-mile strip of sand and scrub brush, is a popular hangout spot for adults and young people. It is only accessible by boat and was packed with people on July Fourth, as seen in video from that day.

“There were so many people — I mean, boats, they were practically on top of each other. It was intense,” Nolan’s friend Lucas Aviz, who was on the island on the Fourth of July, told “Inside Edition.”

Wells, who Crump said was a good swimmer, went to Ocean Springs High School and was a rising sophomore wide receiver on Southwest Mississippi Community College’s football team.

There is a $125,000 reward, including contributions from the Rev. Al Sharpton, Tyler Perry and Terrell Owens, for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for Wells’ death, though authorities have said no criminality has been determined.