Independent Autopsy Finds No Determined Cause of Death for 18-Year-Old Found on Horn Island

An independent autopsy commissioned by the family of Nolan Wells, an 18-year-old whose body was recovered on July 6 from Horn Island off the Mississippi coast, concluded that the cause of death could not be determined. The investigator also listed the manner of death as undetermined while the case remains under investigation. > "The manner of death is undetermined pending investigation," family attorney Ben Crump said. The independent examination was privately funded and conducted separately from the official autopsy performed by the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office on July 7, whose findings have not yet been released pending toxicology results. Wells and several friends were on a Fourth of July boat trip to the federally protected, uninhabited island, which authorities said was busy with holiday visitors. The case has attracted national attention, with some observers questioning whether racial factors might be involved, given Mississippi’s historical context. Officials have not commented on that speculation. The story is ongoing and will be updated as new information becomes available.