Mississippi grand jury finds no criminal wrongdoing in death of 18-year-old Nolan Wells
A 23-member grand jury concluded that there is no evidence of foul play in the July 2026 death of Nolan Wells, ruling out criminal charges and citing accidental drowning as consistent with the findings.
Jackson County, Miss. – The office of District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath announced Monday that a grand jury unanimously returned a no-true-bill in the investigation of 18-year-old Nolan Wells, meaning no criminal charges will be filed. The 23-person jury examined phone forensic reports, GPS logs, security-camera footage, 132 subpoenas and testimony from 43 witnesses, and the Wells family’s attorneys also reported finding no evidence of criminal activity.
Wells was discovered dead in the water off Horn Island on July 6, two days after departing with friends for a July 4 celebration. The jury determined he had remained on the island after the group’s boats, including the vessel named The Triton, left for the mainland. The Triton later took on water because of a bilge-pump and motor failure and was towed by another boat. The jury noted that Wells’s phone returned to the mainland without him, a pattern also seen with other passengers’ phones.
Both the Mississippi State Chief Medical Examiner and an independent forensic pathologist hired by the family listed the cause and manner of death as undetermined, with accidental drowning considered consistent with the evidence. An autopsy noted non-fatal bruising on the back of Wells’s head, and a witness testified that Wells slipped off a boat but continued socializing without apparent injury. No fatal trauma or cocaine use was found, and toxicology reports confirmed the absence of illegal substances. Wells had purchased his own alcohol with a fake ID, and no adults provided alcohol to him or his friends.
The grand jury addressed online rumors alleging a fight, involvement of Wells’s friends, and claims that the state medical examiner withheld organs. It found all such allegations false, confirming that standard procedures were followed and that no criminal conduct occurred. The court documents remind the public that Mississippi has no statute of limitations on homicide, allowing the case to be reopened if credible new evidence emerges.
"The evidence reviewed by the grand jury does not support any criminal charge," the district attorney’s office said.
The findings were posted in a redacted form on the district attorney’s Facebook page.