Grand Jury Indicts Nobody In Death Of 18-Year-Old Nolan Wells

A 23-member Jackson County grand jury released its findings Monday, declining to indict anyone in the death of Nolan Wells, the 18-year-old Black college football player who disappeared July 4 from Horn Island, a barrier island off the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and was found dead in the water two days later.

The grand jury heard from 43 witnesses and reviewed physical and digital evidence, videos, images, police reports, maps and interviews before concluding unanimously: "The Grand Jury finds no credible evidence to support the public allegations that any persons who rode to or from Horn Island on July 4, 2026, on the Triton, the Palm Beach, or the Tideline engaged in any criminal conduct related to the death of Mr. Wells." The report added that the allegations against those boat occupants were "not based in truth, and are solely the result of public clamor and private malice."

The grand jury found Wells' body was discovered under circumstances "consistent with drowning." District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath stated directly: "There is absolutely no evidence to support the allegations that Nolan's death and disappearance were racially motivated."

The grand jury also debunked several viral claims, including a fake photo said to show Wells at a pool party that day and a doctored audio clip. Both the state medical examiner and a private pathologist hired by the family listed his cause of death as undetermined; neither ruled out accidental drowning.

Wells' family said through attorney Ben Crump that they would not rest until they understood what happened.