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A Mississippi grand jury found no evidence of criminal conduct in the death of 18-year-old Nolan Wells, concluding that the college football player’s body was found under circumstances “consistent with drowning” after his disappearance during a Fourth of July boating trip.
The 23-member Jackson County grand jury found no criminal charges were warranted after hearing from 43 witnesses and reviewing physical and digital evidence, police reports, interviews, videos, images and maps, according to the grand jury report released by District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath on Monday.
Wells disappeared July 4 after traveling with friends to Horn Island, a barrier island off Mississippi’s Gulf Coast. His body was recovered in the waters off the island two days later after a multi-agency search.
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Nolan Wells smiles on the field while playing wide receiver for Southwest Mississippi Community College. (Christine Wonsley/Facebook)
The report said the “position of, condition of, time of discovery, and location” of Wells’ body were consistent with drowning and that there was “no credible evidence” anyone traveling to or from the island committed a crime related to his death.
The grand jury also found that bruising on the back of Wells’ head was “not a fatal injury.” The report said there was no evidence of a fatal injury or organic disease, though investigators could not determine how Wells suffered the bruise.
One witness testified that Wells was seen slipping “awkwardly off the side of a boat” around the time he was last seen. The witness could not say whether Wells struck his head during the fall and said Wells continued socializing afterward and did not appear injured.
The report also said Wells was not involved in a physical altercation or argument that day.
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A private autopsy commissioned by Wells’ family had previously listed his cause and manner of death as “undetermined pending investigation.”
Nolan Wells wears blue swim trunks and sunglasses on a boat off Horn Island, Mississippi, on July 4, 2026. (Jackson County Sheriff’s Office)
During a July 22 news conference, civil rights attorney Ben Crump said the examination found an area of “red discoloration” on the back of Wells’ head, but pathologist Dr. Roger Mitchell could not determine a cause or manner of death.
Questions had also been raised about Wells’ alcohol consumption.
A July 5 Mississippi Department of Marine Resources Marine Patrol email previously obtained by Digital listed Wells’ alcohol intake as “heavy” while authorities searched for him. The email did not identify the source of that information.
The grand jury found that Wells bought alcohol using a fake ID and that no adults of legal drinking age provided him with alcohol on the island.
The report said toxicology testing was “not particularly informative” because decomposition fluid is an unreliable source for determining substance levels in a body. It also said there was no cocaine in Wells’ system and no evidence he had ever used the drug.
The report also shed light on Wells’ cellphone, which was taken back to the mainland without him.
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The grand jury said it was not unusual for people visiting the island to return on different boats or leave phones and other belongings aboard boats while socializing. Wells’ phone was not the only one that returned to the mainland without its owner, according to the report.
White sand beaches are seen at Horn Island in the Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi, on June 26, 2010. (James Edward Bates/Biloxi Sun Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Wells’ death attracted national attention and widespread speculation online.
The grand jury said allegations targeting the occupants of the three boats involved in the trip had spread to their relatives and friends, calling the “public attacks” “malicious, false,” and having “no truth in fact or evidence.”
Wells’ family was given an opportunity to provide evidence from its private investigation. According to the report, the family’s attorneys said their investigation had found no witnesses or evidence they reasonably believed pointed to potential criminal activity that warranted referral.
The case could still return to a grand jury if new evidence emerges. Mississippi has no statute of limitations on homicide cases.
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“If credible evidence comes to light in the future that suggests Mr. Wells’ death was non-accidental, this matter should be represented to the Jackson County Grand Jury for further consideration,” the report said.
Digital’s Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
