Family’s pathologist, funded by Colin Kaepernick, says he can’t rule out foul play in the death of the Mississippi teen
Preliminary results from an independent autopsy of Nolan Xavier Wells, the 18-year-old found dead near Mississippi’s Horn Island earlier this month, found his cause and manner of death to be undetermined, leaving his family with, in the words of attorney Ben Crump, “more questions than answers.”
At the request of Wells’ parents, Christine and Elmore Wonsley, the independent autopsy was performed by Dr. Roger Mitchell, president of the National Medical Association, and funded by former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick through his Know Your Rights Camp initiative.
Wells went missing on July 4 during a day trip with friends to Horn Island, off the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and his body was recovered two days later by a U.S. park ranger. The Jackson County coroner’s office conducted an initial autopsy on July 7.
Seeking additional answers, Wells’ family — represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump — requested a second, independent examination amid unanswered questions about how he died.
Mitchell, a board-certified forensic pathologist and former chief medical examiner for the District of Columbia, conducted the independent autopsy on July 10. The National Medical Association he leads is the nation’s oldest and largest organization representing Black physicians, and Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp initiative has supported independent autopsies in other high-profile cases involving Black Americans who died in disputed circumstances.
Crump announced the findings Wednesday at a news conference held during the NAACP’s 117th National Convention in Chicago, reading directly from Mitchell’s report. Mitchell did not attend in person.
According to Crump, Mitchell’s report states that Wells’ cause and manner of death remain undetermined pending further investigation.
Among the notable findings:
Mitchell said his examination was limited both by the body’s decomposition and because certain tissues—including portions of the neck and throat—had been retained by the state medical examiner for additional evaluation, which he described as a routine forensic practice.
Without those tissues, Mitchell said he could not rule out a neck injury as a contributing factor, nor could he fully examine the airway, lungs, or stomach for signs of water or other evidence.
“This pathologist cannot rule out if any intervening non-accidental factors contributed to or caused the death of Nolan Wells,” Crump said, reading from the report.
Crump was careful to note the findings do not point to a specific cause: “We have more questions than answers at this time.”
Crump said he hopes Mississippi’s state medical examiner will share photographs and observations from the body’s condition when it was first recovered. He also said he hopes Mitchell’s findings will ultimately be presented to a grand jury as investigators continue reviewing the case..
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department has offered limited public information about the investigation. The Jackson County District Attorney’s office has not responded to requests for comment from reporters covering the case.
Nolan Xavier Wells was buried in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, on July 20, with hundreds in attendance.
The findings have intensified calls from Wells’ family and civil rights advocates for a transparent investigation. While the independent autopsy did not identify a definitive cause of death, it underscored that key questions remain as investigators continue their work.
This is a developing story. BlackDoctor.com will continue to follow updates as they become available.
Sources: NBC News, CBS News, NPR, PBS NewsHour, Mississippi Today, Associated Press
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