Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump hires audio experts to examine call in Nolan Wells case

Attorney Ben Crump said his team has secured some of the nation’s leading audio engineers to analyze the full Sea Tow radio transmission from the day Nolan Wells vanished during a Fourth of July boating trip off Horn Island, Mississippi. The audio, obtained from officials, will be examined alongside ocean-engineering experts to assess whether tidal conditions match the location where Wells’ body was later recovered.

Crump told attendees at the National Urban League Conference that the investigation also includes coordination with the doctor who performed an independent autopsy, which noted a large area of red discoloration on the back of Wells’ head. The independent examiner could not determine if water was present in Wells’ lungs, a factor that could indicate drowning but would not clarify his condition when he entered the water.

"The independent examiner could not determine whether water was present in Nolan's lungs," Crump said, adding that a drowning finding would not explain whether Wells was conscious, unconscious or forced into the water.

Attorney Eric Hertz said the team is working with the district attorney, who is willing to consider the new evidence, and is pursuing a joint review of phones with the FBI. The family’s independent autopsy did not include all of Wells’ organs, such as his throat, which Crump’s team hopes to examine further.

Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley, expressed ongoing grief and urged anyone with information to come forward. The case has drawn attention alongside the deaths of Daniel Erving and Tyler Smith, two other 18-year-old Black men whose investigations have also raised unanswered questions.