CHICAGO, IL (GC Wire) — Attorney Ben Crump on Wednesday presented the preliminary findings of an independent autopsy commissioned by the family of 18-year-old Nolan Wells during a news conference at the NAACP National Convention.
Notably absent was the forensic pathologist who performed the examination.
Attorney Lisa Park told reporters that Dr. Roger Mitchell, a board-certified forensic pathologist and former chief medical examiner for Washington, D.C., was unable to attend the event. Instead, Crump read from Mitchell’s July 19 preliminary report while standing beside enlarged poster boards summarizing its findings.
The presentation itself was as much a political event as a medical briefing. Crump repeatedly paused for applause, drew comparisons to historic civil rights cases, and framed the report as part of a broader call for “truth, transparency, accountability, and justice” before and after discussing the medical findings.
Cause and manner of death remain undetermined
The central conclusion of Dr. Mitchell’s preliminary report did not change the official classification of the case.
According to the report, both the cause of death and manner of death remain “undetermined pending investigation.” Mitchell wrote that limitations inherent in conducting a second autopsy after decomposition, along with the absence of certain anatomical structures and toxicology results, prevented him from reaching a definitive conclusion.
No fractures or deep tissue injuries found
Crump emphasized that Mitchell performed additional dissections not conducted during the original autopsy in an effort to rule out blunt-force trauma.
According to the report, those examinations found:
- No fractures of the facial bones, ribs, pelvis or neck.
- No evidence of deep tissue injuries in those areas.
- No fractures of the skull.
Mitchell wrote that these procedures were performed because decomposition limited what could be observed externally.
Red discoloration noted on back of head
The most discussed finding during the presentation involved what Mitchell described as a 12-by-8 centimeter area of red discoloration in the deep soft tissue at the back of Nolan Wells’ head.
According to the report, there were no overlying skin lacerations and no skull fractures, and Mitchell stated the significance of the finding remains unclear because of decomposition and the absence of associated injuries.
The report highlights the discoloration as warranting further investigation but does not conclude that it represents trauma.
Neck structures unavailable for examination
Crump also focused heavily on the fact that certain anterior neck structures—including the trachea, larynx, thyroid horn and hyoid bone—were not available when Mitchell conducted the second autopsy.
According to the report, Mitchell assumed those structures had been retained by the original medical examiner for additional evaluation, describing that as a common forensic practice.
Because they were unavailable, Mitchell wrote he could not rule out injury to the neck as a contributing factor in the death and requested an opportunity to review those retained specimens.
Original autopsy information still needed
Mitchell also stated that a second autopsy cannot fully recreate observations available during the original examination.
Specifically, he noted he could not directly evaluate:
- The airway and lungs for water.
- Stomach contents.
- Original toxicology findings.
- The body’s condition immediately after recovery.
He wrote those observations would need to come from the original Mississippi medical examiner’s examination and supporting documentation.
Questions remain unanswered
Mitchell identified several unanswered questions that he said prevent a definitive opinion, including:
- How Wells entered the water.
- Whether he was conscious or unconscious.
- Whether he entered voluntarily or was forced.
- Whether water was present in the airway.
- Whether injuries existed in the retained neck structures.
- Toxicology findings.
- The composition of stomach contents.
Based on those unresolved issues, Mitchell concluded he cannot rule out intervening non-natural factors contributing to Wells’ death but also stopped short of concluding foul play occurred. Instead, he stated additional investigation is required before determining the cause and manner of death.
Call for additional investigation
Following the presentation, Crump called on Mississippi authorities to provide Mitchell access to the original autopsy materials and photographs and urged prosecutors to allow the pathologist to testify before a grand jury if one is convened.
He also criticized early public statements that suggested there was no evidence of foul play and said the family intends to continue pressing for what he described as a full and transparent investigation.
WATCH VIDEO REPLAY:
Attorney Ben Crump on Wednesday unveiled the preliminary findings of an independent autopsy commissioned by the family of Nolan Wells during a news conference at the NAACP National Convention in Chicago. The presentation outlined the private forensic pathologist’s initial observations related to Nolan’s death on Mississippi’s Horn Island over the Fourth of July weekend. Watch the full presentation below.
