Key Takeaways
- Nancy Grace questions key evidence in 18-year-old college football player Nolan Wells' death, pointing to conflicting Life360 and phone data and mutually exclusive witness accounts about his final hours on Horn Island.
- An independent autopsy presented by attorney Ben Crump and conducted by Dr. Roger Mitchell lists Wells' cause and manner of death as "undetermined," citing missing organs and neck tissue, red discoloration on his head, and the inability to rule out foul play.
- While authorities still lean toward drowning pending toxicology, Wells' parents reject that explanation and, alongside high-profile supporters like Grace, Crump, Al Sharpton, Tyler Perry, Byron Allen, and Colin Kaepernick, continue pressing for clear answers about what happened.
Nancy Grace is throwing fresh fuel on the fire surrounding Nolan Wells' mysterious death, questioning key evidence just as preliminary findings from the family's independent autopsy listed the 18-year-old's cause and manner of death as "undetermined." With authorities still investigating, Grace says too many pieces of the case simply don't fit.
During a recent episode of Crime Stories, the former prosecutor took aim at inconsistencies involving Wells' cellphone data and conflicting witness accounts, arguing that the timeline surrounding the Mississippi college football player's final hours raises serious questions.
"I've got a big problem with the Life360 and the phone data all not jiving," Grace said. "I could see it being a few blocks off, but not the discrepancy his mother is describing. I'm not buying that."
She also zeroed in on contradictory accounts of what happened after Wells was last seen on Horn Island during a July 4 boating trip.
"Both cannot be true," Grace said while discussing differing versions of Wells' final movements. "Those cannot mutually exist in truth. They're mutually exclusive. He can't go with them and stay with her on Horn Island. I don't know who's lying, but somebody's lying right there."
Grace's comments came as attorney Ben Crump unveiled the results of an independent autopsy commissioned by Wells' family during the NAACP National Convention in Chicago. According to NBC News, the examination, performed by forensic pathologist Dr. Roger Mitchell, concluded that both the cause and manner of death remain "undetermined" pending further investigation.
Crump said the report could not rule out foul play and identified several limitations because organs and portions of Wells' neck had already been removed during the state's initial autopsy, preventing Mitchell from conducting a complete examination.
The report also noted red discoloration on the back of Wells' head and could not determine whether he was conscious when he entered the water—or how he got there in the first place.
"This is only another part of the puzzle," Crump said. "Even though it tells us significant information, we still have more questions than we have answers at this time."
The latest findings add another layer to a case that has drawn national attention since Wells disappeared after telling friends he planned to remain on Horn Island while the rest of his group returned to shore because of mechanical problems with their boat. His body was found two days later by a U.S. park ranger.
Wells' parents continue to reject that explanation.
"There's so many people out in the public asking all of these questions," his mother, Christine Wells-Wonsley, said. "But the only question that we have is what happened to our son."
Her husband, Elmore Wonsley, added, "We just want honesty. We want to know what happened to our son because the things that you're telling us—that's not the character of our son. We know our son."
