Independent autopsy results for Nolan Wells due July 22

The preliminary findings of an independent autopsy into the death of Nolan Wells, an 18-year-old college football player from Mississippi, are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, July 22, 2026. The announcement will be made during a news conference at the NAACP National Convention in Chicago by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the Wells family. The family has been seeking answers since Wells disappeared following a July 4 boating trip with friends to Horn Island, off the Mississippi coast. His body was found in the water near the island two days later, on July 6.

The second autopsy was arranged by the family and funded by former NFL player Colin Kaepernick. Crump has stated it will determine if Wells sustained any physical injuries beyond drowning. The Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office has completed its own autopsy but has not yet released its results, and the official cause of death remains pending toxicology reports that can take several weeks.

Wells was laid to rest in his hometown of Ocean Springs on Monday, July 20. The ceremony was attended by hundreds of mourners, including civil rights leaders. In his eulogy, the Rev. Al Sharpton...