Nolan Wells Update: District Attorney Responds to Attorney Ben Crump’s Allegations, Autopsy Results Spark Controversy – Watch

Mississippi District Attorney Angel Myers publicly defended the investigation into the death of Nolan Wells in a video statement. In her statement, she denied accusations that authorities mishandled the case or treated the teen differently because of his race.

Her statement came days after civil rights attorneys Ben CrumpAttorneys representing Wells’ family have accused investigators of conducting a biased investigation and withholding evidence.

Wells, 18, disappeared on July 4 while on a boating trip near Horn Island, Mississippi. His body was pulled from the water two days later.

Wells’ official autopsy will be withheld from the public until presented to a grand jury; however, the results of an independent autopsy on Wells have been made public. According to an independent autopsy, the cause and manner of Wells’ death “have not yet been determined” and are pending an investigation.

However, the doctor who conducted the autopsy mentioned that he could not rule out foul play related to the head indentation,

Also read: Nolan Wells update: Factors complicating autopsy as family waits for answers

Myers noted that every death from unnatural causes or non-criminal traffic accidents in Jackson County typically goes before a grand jury in direct response to accusations that investigators ignored evidence or delayed the investigation.

She stressed that Wells’ case was receiving the same treatment. “Nolan’s case is being handled with the same manner, the same care and the same commitment to the truth that we handle all death investigations,” Myers said.

The district attorney said local, state and federal agencies have been working continuously since Wells was reported missing.

“Our responsibility to Nolan and the community is to complete this investigation thoroughly, carefully and uncompromisingly, and to support it with the evidence,” she said.

Myers also responded to criticism of the limited public information released so far.

She explained that Mississippi’s rules of professional conduct restrict prosecutors from discussing details while the investigation and grand jury proceedings are still ongoing.

“Our restraint in communicating the facts and evidence is not an effort to hide the truth from the public. It is an effort to protect the integrity of this investigation and the grand jury process,” she said.

She also urged the public to be cautious about information spread online. “There’s a lot of information out there, and there’s a lot of misinformation,” Myers said.

Also read: Nolan Wells’ grandfather speaks out during inquiry, ‘I’ve seen and dealt with racism…’

Crump claimed that investigators would have handled the case differently if Wells had been white and the friend who accompanied him had been black. He also questioned the actions of the Mississippi Medical Examiner, saying evidence and information from the initial autopsy had not yet been fully disclosed.

Crump further said he hopes the results of a second independent autopsy commissioned by the family will eventually be presented to a grand jury along with the original medical examination.

However, authorities have not publicly responded to specific claims about the independent autopsy, beyond Myers’ statement defending the investigation.

Crump urged investigators to examine all available evidence, interview every relevant witness and ensure complete transparency throughout the process.

Myers responded that investigators remain committed to establishing the facts.

“We all want the same thing: to know what happened to Nolan,” she said. “If we sacrifice the integrity of our processes to solve today’s problems, we risk undermining confidence in tomorrow’s answers.”