Grand jury declines to indict anyone in death of Black teen in Mississippi

A grand jury has concluded there is insufficient evidence to charge anyone in the death of 18-year-old Nolan Wells, a Black teenager who vanished after a July 4th boating excursion off the Mississippi Gulf Coast. District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath announced the decision on Monday, following months of speculation surrounding the circumstances of the teen's disappearance and his friends' actions in leaving him behind on the island.

The Jackson County grand jury found no indications of criminal wrongdoing and stated that examinations of Wells' body by the Mississippi medical examiner's office and an independent forensic pathologist hired by the family yielded an undetermined cause and manner of death. The panel's report noted, "If credible evidence comes to light in the future that suggests Mr. Wells' death was non-accidental, this matter should be represented to the Jackson County Grand Jury for further consideration."

Wells was last seen celebrating the Fourth of July holiday with friends on Horn Island, an island located off Mississippi's Gulf Coast. His body was later discovered.