Accessibility links Skip to main content Keyboard shortcuts for audio player Open Navigation Menu --> Newsletters NPR Shop Get NPR+ Close Navigation Menu Home News Expand/collapse submenu for News National World Politics Business Health Science Climate Race Culture Expand/collapse submenu for Culture Books Movies Television Pop Culture Food Art & Design Performing Arts Life Kit Gaming Music Expand/collapse submenu for Music Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions Podcasts & Shows Expand/collapse submenu for Podcasts & Shows Daily Morning Edition Weekend Edition Saturday Weekend Edition Sunday All Things Considered Up First Here & Now NPR Politics Podcast Featured Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Embedded Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Get NPR+ Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics Independent autopsy 'inconclusive' on cause of death for 18-year-old Mississippi teen There are more questions after preliminary results of an independent autopsy of the body of Nolan Wells were inconclusive. The 18 year-old was left on a Mississippi island by friends. National Independent autopsy 'inconclusive' on cause of death for 18-year-old Mississippi teen July 23, 20264:47 AM ET Heard on Morning Edition Brian Mann Independent autopsy 'inconclusive' on cause of death for 18-year-old Mississippi teen Listen · 1:19 1:19 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5903199/nx-s1-9859702" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript There are more questions after preliminary results of an independent autopsy of the body of Nolan Wells were inconclusive. The 18 year-old was left on a Mississippi island by friends. Sponsor Message Transcript
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An independent autopsy has no new evidence about how Nolan Wells died. The 18-year-old was found on an island in Mississippi two days after a Fourth of July celebration with friends. NPR's Brian Mann reports.
BRIAN MANN, BYLINE: Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who's representing the family of Nolan Wells, said at a press conference that an independent examination of the Black college student's body was inconclusive and didn't find evidence of wrongdoing. But Crump said the review by a pathologist left unanswered questions.
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BENJAMIN CRUMP: The manner and cause of death is undetermined until further investigation.
MANN: This case has drawn national attention from the public and civil rights leaders. In statements, the Jackson County sheriff, John Ledbetter, has promised a thorough probe of Wells' death. But the results of the official autopsy still haven't been released, 17 days after Wells' remains were recovered on Mississippi's Gulf Coast. Speaking at yesterday's press conference at an NAACP gathering in Chicago, Wells' mother, Christine Wells-Wonsley, said her goal was to push for quicker action and more information from law enforcement.
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CHRISTINE WELLS-WONSLEY: Us having the preliminary autopsy results and hearing nothing from them - it's heartbreaking, and it's concerning.
MANN: NPR reached out to Sheriff Ledbetter, but got no response to the question of when the official autopsy and other results of the investigation will be made public.
Brian Mann, NPR News. Copyright © 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. Facebook Flipboard Email Read & Listen Home News Culture Music Podcasts & Shows Connect Newsletters Facebook Instagram Press Public Editor Corrections Transcripts Contact & Help About NPR Overview Diversity NPR Network Accessibility Ethics Finances Get Involved Support Public Radio Sponsor NPR NPR Careers NPR Shop NPR Extra Terms of Use Privacy Your Privacy Choices Text Only Sponsor Message Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor (function () { var loadPageJs = function () { (window.webpackJsonp=window.webpackJsonp||[]).push([[22],{310:function(e,n,o){o.p=NPR.serverVars.webpackPublicPath,Promise.all([o.e(1),o.e(2),o.e(3),o.e(4),o.e(80)]).then((e=>{o(15),o(769),o(155),o(176),o(93),o(447),o(254),o(128),o(130),o(754),o(175),o(755),o(255),o(78),o(773)}).bind(null,o)).catch(o.oe)},782:function(e,n,o){e.exports=o(310)}},[[782,0]]]); }; if (document.readyState === 'complete') { loadPageJs(); } else { window.addEventListener('load', function load() { window.removeEventListener('load', load, false); loadPageJs(); }); } })();