Mississippi Grand Jury Declines Charges in Teen's Death After Boating Trip
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
A Mississippi grand jury found insufficient evidence to file criminal charges in the July 4 drowning of 19-year-old Nolan Wells, concluding the circumstances were consistent with an accidental death.
A grand jury in Jackson County, Mississippi, announced on Monday that no criminal charges will be filed in the death of 19-year-old Nolan Wells, who was found dead two days after a July 4 boating outing. The jury determined that the position, condition, time of discovery and location of Wells' body were consistent with drowning, and that there was no credible evidence of criminal conduct by any of the individuals who traveled to or from Horn Island that day.
District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath said the grand jury concluded there was not enough evidence to support any allegations of a racially motivated crime. In a video message she stated, "There is absolutely no evidence to support the allegations that Nolan's death and disappearance were racially motivated."
Civil-rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents the family, expressed disappointment, saying the result "leaves us with more questions than answers" and pledged continued effort to uncover the facts.
Police reports indicated Wells chose to remain on Horn Island after his friends left early due to a boat issue, and that his friends cooperated fully, providing GPS data, surveillance footage and cell-phone records. The grand jury report noted that it is common for visitors to Horn Island to depart on different vessels on busy holiday weekends.