At this year’s NAACP National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, attorney Ben Crump, alongside his legal team, partnered with the NAACP’s president and CEO, Derrick Johnson, to reveal the results of an independent autopsy conducted for Nolan Wells on Wednesday, July 22, 2026.
Preliminary autopsy results for Nolan Wells revealed damage to the soft tissue of the back of Wells’ head in the occipital area that showed up red, along with missing throat contents. While it is standard practice to remove organs and anterior neck structures from the body for an autopsy to be performed, it is unclear why all the materials were not transported with Wells’ body though it is likely they were held for additional testing.
Missing contents included laryngeal and tracheal cartilages, thyroid horn, and hyoid bone. Due to this, it led to an incomplete result and no official ruling on whether or not a neck injury could have been tied to the cause of death. Because these materials were missing, there was also no way to determine whether there was water in Wells’ airway or lungs. This also meant there was no way to review the stomach for gastric contents that could have further confirmed potential timelines and consumption patterns leading up to the incident.
These factors led to the ultimate ruling that the autopsy was undetermined, pending investigation. Considering that the initial autopsy was conducted by a pathologist in Mississippi, they would have more specific details on the condition of the body and findings, with the autopsy being conducted closer to when the body was initially found, along with still having articles of the body in their possession. The condition of Wells’ body upon entering the water was also unclear in testing, leading to questions of what state he was in prior to entering the water between consciousness and forced entry.
This autopsy was conducted by physician and forensic pathologist Dr. Roger Mitchell of Washington, D.C., on July 10, 2026, and provided results to the Wells-Wonsley family and legal team on July 19, 2026. With over two decades of experience and numerous leadership roles in medical organizations, attorney Crump personally selected him. This autopsy was ordered as a precaution to ensure transparency, rather than relying solely on Mississippi’s sheriff’s department and legal teams, given the state’s history with similar cases and the lack of updates provided to the family.
“Far too often our young people are confronted with challenges and many jurisdictions and states don’t take those challenges seriously. We cannot allow another individual, particularly a young Black man’s death, to go uninvestigated. We have seen this happen over the years not only in Mississippi but across the country. It is unfortunate that our young people only seek to enjoy life and, as a result of participating in activities, no longer have life. At the NAACP, we take this and many other cases seriously because every person matters,” expressed Johnson in his opening remarks of the conference.
Other questions that still remain unanswered upon conclusion of the second autopsy compared to the first one are whether or not there were injuries to the anterior neck structure, evidence of brain hemorrhaging, and what was found within the contents of Wells’ stomach. Upon receipt of the body, there was also no toxicology report received, which is additional open space for questioning. To date, the initial autopsy results have not been formally revealed since the announcement of these results.
“The only question we have is what happened to our son; that is the only question. We have consistently been degraded by the public. There’s been questions about our parenting, our GoFundMe, this, that and the other. I’ve been called a racist; I’m a healthcare provider, and I take my job very seriously– I love everyone. It’s been difficult for us, but we are leaning into our faith, leaning into one another, also leaning into all of you. […] It is our hope that our local authorities will do what they need to do because us having the preliminary autopsy results and hearing nothing from them it’s heartbreaking, and it’s concerning, which is why we’re here, why we’ve asked for this help. So thank you all again for your support; we appreciate you. We really do, Nolan’s mother, Christine Wonsley, expressed in her address to the crowd.
Wonsley also confirmed that her last time speaking to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department was after the body was found and she took initiative with reaching out, and that they have not been given any additional updates. In this conversation, they were initially told that they suspected it to be a drowning and that there was no foul play.
“It’s going to be hard on our family from here on out. Like I said, every day is a challenge. We’re going to miss our son, and like my wife said, we just want honesty. We want to know what happened to our son because the things that you’re telling us that’s not the character of our son. We know our son. I understand our children will do things that kind of dumbfound us sometimes, but the things that we’re being told, that wasn’t Nolan. So please keep us in your prayers. Keep him in your prayers, and we’re going to keep pushing and fighting until we find answers. Thank you, guys for the love and support,” Nolan’s father, Elmore Wonsley, said in his remarks.
The Wells-Wonsley family, alongside attorney Crump and his legal team, are continuing to call for full transparency in this investigation as the Mississippi Sheriff’s Department silently gathers their findings. Prior to Nolan’s funeral service held on Monday, attorney Crump confirmed that the investigation will proceed to a grand jury after the conclusion of their investigation.
Anyone with information on the case has been asked to contact attorney Ben Crump’s law office by phone at 888-991-1772.