Nolan Wells’ independent autopsy finds cause of death ‘undetermined’; mortician explains head marks
Preliminary results of the independent autopsy conducted on 18-year-old Nolan Xavier Wells have been released. An independent autopsy found Nolan Wells’ cause of death was undetermined, meaning doctors couldn’t say exactly how he died based on preliminary examinations. Attorneys representing Wells’ family announced the findings Wednesday.
Nolan Wells Disappearance and Autopsy
Nolan Xavier Wells, 18, plays football at Southwest Airlines mississippi Community College. Wells was reported missing after failing to return from a Fourth of July trip to Horn Island, Mississippi, with friends. His disappearance led authorities to launch a search. Authorities found Wells’ body on July 6.
An independent autopsy was conducted separately from the official investigation to provide another medical examination of Wells’ death. Preliminary autopsy results did not establish a clear cause of death, classifying it as undetermined. Wells’ death attracted widespread public attention across the United States. His family continues to raise questions about the circumstances of his disappearance and death.
Sarah Fields, who describes herself on X as a Republican precinct chair, military veteran and investigative reporter, shared her comments on social media about the independent autopsy of Nolan Wells. Fields said she talked to a mortician friend and showed her photos from Nolan Wells’ independent autopsy to get a professional opinion.
Also read: Mark Zuckerberg says ‘we’re betting on people’ for Meta’s AI future
Fields said her mortician friend gave her permission to publicly quote her opinion of what she saw in the autopsy photos. Pressure from an autopsy headrest or other positioning device may leave temporary pressure marks or areas of discoloration on the body of a recently deceased person, according to morticians quoted.
autopsy indentation
Morticians explained that during an autopsy, the head is often placed on a special cradle or headrest to keep the head and neck stable during the examination. She said the location and shape of the discoloration seen in the photos were consistent with the type of indentation that might occur when a head is placed on an autopsy support.
The mortician added that such indentations are an accepted and normal part of an autopsy. She also said the discovery itself did not prove trauma, injury or murder. Fields said the issue was not that an independent autopsy was conducted on Nolan Wells. Instead, she criticized civil rights Attorney Ben Crump presented the results of the independent autopsy.
Why the report raises questions
Fields claimed Crump did not have a qualified forensic pathologist to interpret which findings were routine, expected or medically inconsequential. She claims Crump personally read the graphic portion of the autopsy report. Fields argued that this statement made the otherwise normal autopsy findings appear dramatic and suggested they could be signs of foul play. She claimed many of the findings highlighted in the second autopsy had simple forensic explanations and were not unusual.
Fields said presenting routine autopsy results in this way led people online to believe they were shocking findings. She believes the approach encourages public speculation rather than reliance on scientific evidence. Fields further claimed that the way the report was presented led people to fill in the gaps with assumptions rather than facts. She concluded by claiming that Crump accomplished exactly what he wanted by sparking more public speculation around the case.
