No Charges in Death of Black Teen Following Grand Jury Review

Grand jury finds no evidence to charge in death of Black teen Nolan Wells. Family demands further investigation as questions remain.

Editorial Desk

September 22, 2026 One Min Read

POLICY WIRE — Pascagoula, United States — A grand jury has determined there is insufficient evidence to bring charges in the death of Nolan Wells, a Black teenager who was found dead after a July 4th boating trip along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

The decision by Jackson County District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath comes after months of public speculation about how the 18-year-old disappeared during a party and why his friends left him behind on Horn Island. The medical examiner and an independent forensic pathologist concluded that the cause and manner of death were undetermined.

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Wells’ family and civil rights attorney Ben Crump criticized the grand jury’s findings, arguing that critical questions remain unanswered, including the nature of blunt force trauma found on Wells’ body. They have called for a federal investigation and the release of the full autopsy report. The grand jury also addressed false claims that Wells was the only Black person on the island, stating such assertions led to misidentification and rumors.

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)

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