Wells’ family is releasing a cellphone forensic report after a Mississippi grand jury declined charges. A no-bill is not the last word in every forum.

A grand jury’s decision not to indict is a charging decision, not a civil verdict or a finding that every factual dispute is closed. An independent autopsy and a family-hired cellphone forensic presentation are advocacy materials for the public and for investigators. They are not court findings unless admitted and tested in a proceeding.

Nolan Wells, an 18-year-old Black college student, died after a July 4 boat trip to a barrier island with a group of mostly white friends. His body was found two days later. A Mississippi grand jury recently declined to recommend anyone be charged. Its report said the death was “consistent with drowning” and that Wells had not been in a fight or altercation on the island. That language is the grand jury’s report. It is not a trial verdict.

Both the official autopsy and an independent autopsy said the cause of death could not be determined and noted unexplained blunt-force trauma to the back of Wells’ head. The independent autopsy was family-commissioned. Attorney Ben Crump released the final independent autopsy on Tuesday. Crump scheduled a livestreamed release on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, of a forensic examination of Wells’ cellphone, with forensic investigator Andrew Garrett. The family and lawyers have asked that grand jury materials and the official autopsy be made public, and they have called for a U.S. Justice Department look. A request for a federal review is a request. It is not an open case unless the department says so, and a scheduled forensic presentation is not a court exhibit.