Episode
What Nolan Wells' First Pathologist Kept From His Body
- Published
- Jul 27, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1113
- Processing state
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- https://audioboom.com/posts/8932170
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Summary
The first autopsy on Nolan Wells did not return all of him to his family. The state retained his throat during the examination. The trachea, hyoid bone, and laryngeal cartilage were kept. The independent pathologist who later examined what was left said retention like that is standard when pathologists suspect compression. The family's independent autopsy came back undetermined. Not accidental. Not natural. Not homicide. Undetermined. The pathologist listed seven unresolved questions and said he could not rule out non-accidental factors. The official state autopsy results remain pending. Nolan Wells was eighteen years old. He went to a boat party on Horn Island, Mississippi over the Fourth of July. He was the only one in the group who did not come home and the only Black member of that group. His body was recovered two days later by a park ranger. Ben Crump announced the independent autopsy findings at the NAACP National Convention. The NAACP national board passed a resolution calling for a transparent review. The Jackson County DA has referred the case to a grand jury with subpoena power the sheriff does not possess. Many of the friends who were on that island have been talking publicly. They have given interviews. They have posted on social media. A grand jury brings something those public statements lack. Sworn testimony under penalty of perjury. Whether their accounts hold up when there are consequences for dishonesty is a question this investigation is now designed to answer. Retired FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer examines what the throat retention tells investigators, how long a death investigation of this scope takes to reach a grand jury, what sworn testimony changes, and what the phone data from everyone who was on that island will reveal. Join Our Su…