Autopsy Finds No Water in Lungs; Phone Data Deleted After Missing Teen's Disappearance
An autopsy of 18-year-old Nolan Wells showed no water in his lungs or stomach, and forensic analysis revealed that data was deleted from his phone after he vanished on Horn Island.
An autopsy of 18-year-old Nolan Wells, who disappeared while vacationing on Horn Island, Mississippi, found no water in his lungs, throat or stomach, and identified two small bruises on the back of his head. The state and an independent examiner both listed the manner of death as undetermined, noting that accidental drowning could not be ruled out.
Forensic specialist Andrew Garrett of Garrett Discovery reported that Wells’ smartphone remained on the boat for most of the day and was last accessed at about 2:18 p.m. He said the device logged over one million data artifacts, including GPS-tracked movements and messages sent via Snapchat and Instagram. Garrett confirmed that some content was deleted from the phone between the last access and when the family retrieved it, but he declined to comment on the intent behind the deletions.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump read excerpts from a Snapchat group chat in which Wells’ friends expressed concern that “people on Horn Island can be racist.” The attorney emphasized that the family had not inspected the phone together with law-enforcement officials because they disagreed with the district attorney’s conditions for handling the device.
Jackson County District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath said she had attempted to provide the autopsy report to Wells’ mother after a grand-jury review, but the family did not receive the report until September 23 following additional communications. Toxicology results showed a blood-alcohol level of 270 mg/dL and presumptive positives for cannabinoids, nicotine, cotinine and caffeine, though confirmatory testing did not detect cannabinoids in the decomposition fluid.
Both the state and independent examinations reported no internal injuries, hemorrhages, or organ abnormalities that could have contributed to death. Crump concluded the press conference by urging anyone with information about the case to come forward, stressing the need to focus on determining the cause of death rather than speculation.