Expert says factors limited findings of second autopsy on Mississippi teen

A private autopsy of 17-year-old Nolan Wells, whose body was discovered after a trip to a Mississippi coastal island, could not determine a cause or manner of death, according to the report’s author, Roger Mitchell, president of the National Medical Association. Dr. Michelle DuPre, a former medical examiner, told a news outlet on Wednesday that the examination was complicated by the fact that the body had already been handled, noting red discoloration on the back of the head, the absence of fractures or deep-tissue injuries, and advanced decomposition. She added that missing neck structures and organs made it difficult to assess whether strangulation could have occurred, and that the prior pathologist’s decision to retain those tissues “hampered the second autopsy and doesn’t give real results.”

Local authorities have stated they have no suspicion of foul play, but Mitchell, who performed the private autopsy, has not ruled it out. DuPre called the authorities’ conclusion “premature,” emphasizing that a full investigation is needed to avoid “tunnel vision.” The Mississippi Medical Examiner’s Office has completed its own autopsy but has not yet released its findings.