By The People’s Paper MS
PASCAGOULA, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi grand jury cleared the friends of student-athlete Nolan Wells, concluding a highly publicized investigation into the teenager’s Fourth of July death without issuing any criminal indictments.
The 23-member Jackson County grand jury unanimously returned a “no true bill” after an exhaustive review of witness testimony, digital forensics, and GPS records. The District Attorney announced the findings, emphasizing that investigators found no credible evidence of foul play or racial motivation surrounding the case.
Wells, an 18-year-old wide receiver at Southwest Mississippi Community College, disappeared during a holiday boat outing with high school friends to Horn Island, an uninhabited barrier island off the Gulf Coast. While his friends eventually returned to the mainland after one of their boats experienced mechanical issues, the grand jury found that Wells chose to remain behind to continue socializing. Search teams discovered his body in the water two days later.
Rampant public speculation and rumors had flooded social media because Wells was Black and his companions on the trip were white. However, the grand jury’s comprehensive report confirmed that the position and condition of Wells’ body are entirely consistent with accidental drowning.
Officials stated that while a grand jury’s job is to prosecute the guilty, it must also exonerate those who are falsely accused, adding that no evidence exists to suggest his death was anything other than a tragic accident. Legal teams also reported finding no evidence of criminal activity.
