What We Know · Horn Island, MS · No charges filed
Nolan Wells: what we know
Video · 2:00 · Watch on YouTube
Updated
DA says the phone data deletions came from other Snapchat users
After the family's team said Snapchat data was deleted from Nolan's phone, Jackson County DA Angel Myers McIlrath responded on Sept. 24 that the deletions came from other Snapchat users, "not someone physically accessing Nolan Wells' phone." She said she stands by her findings and asked Crump's team to provide any new evidence. The family's expert has said he can't speak to who deleted the data or why. The cause and manner of death are still officially undetermined, the grand jury found no credible evidence of a crime, and no one has been charged.
Nolan Wells, 18, of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, went by boat with friends to Horn Island on July 4, 2026, and didn't return with the group. A park ranger found him two days later. In September, a Jackson County grand jury declined to charge anyone and found no credible evidence of a crime. The state medical examiner and the family's pathologist both list his cause and manner of death as undetermined.
What's confirmed
- July 4Nolan goes by boat with friends to Horn Island, about 10 miles offshore in the Gulf Islands National Seashore. Last seen around 3 p.m., he does not return with the group. That night he is reported missing; the Coast Guard, Park Service, state and county officers search. Mississippi Free Press; WLOX
- July 6A National Park Service ranger finds him at the island's northwest end. MFP; NBC News
- Autopsies: The state medical examiner and the family's pathologist, Dr. Roger Mitchell, both list cause and manner as undetermined; both found bruising to the back of his head. MFP; NBC News
- Sept. 21-22A 23-member grand jury (132 subpoenas, 43 witnesses) unanimously returns a "no true bill," announced by DA Angel Myers McIlrath. It found no credible evidence that anyone who rode to or from the island committed a crime related to his death, and called public attacks on them "malicious, false." Grand jury report; NPR; ABC News
- The report says Nolan chose to stay on the island after the boats left; his phone went back without him; the bruising was not fatal; where and when he was found is consistent with drowning; neither expert has ruled out accidental drowning. Grand jury report; NBC News
- Sept. 24Crump's team says the state autopsy found no water in his lungs. Garrett Discovery, a firm the family hired, says Snapchat data was deleted from his phone after his last use and before his parents got it back. WKMG; WDAM
- Sept. 24, laterThe DA responds that the deletions came from other Snapchat users, "not someone physically accessing Nolan Wells' phone," says she stands by her findings, and asks Crump's team to provide any new evidence. WLOX; TheGrio
What we don't know / disputed
- How Nolan died. Officially undetermined; no single autopsy finding proves or rules out drowning.
- The phone. The family's expert says he can't speak to who deleted the data or why; the DA says it was other users' activity, not anyone handling the phone. Crump: "We don't know what happened to Nolan Wells."
What happens next
Crump's team plans a press conference with Dr. Mitchell on both autopsies; no date announced. The grand jury report says the case should return to a grand jury if credible evidence emerges that the death was not accidental. No charges have been filed. We'll update as the record develops.
Chapters
- 0:00Nolan Wells death: no official answer
- 0:11Nolan Wells: July 4 and the Horn Island search
- 0:33Nolan Wells case: the grand jury
- 0:55Nolan Wells autopsies
- 1:17Nolan Wells case: the phone data
- 1:37Nolan Wells death: still unexplained
Sources
- Grand jury report Primary recordco.jackson.ms.us/DocumentCenter/View/1624/Redacted-Grand-Jury-Report
- Mississippi Free Press Reportingmississippifreepress.org/nolan-wells-grand-jury-unanimously-decides-against-indictments-jackson-county-da-says/
- NBC News Reportingnbcnews.com/news/us-news/no-criminal-charges-death-nolan-wells-grand-jury-finds-rcna599152
- NPR Reportingnpr.org/2026/09/22/nx-s1-5977673/questions-remain-after-grand-jury-declines-indictment-in-nolan-wells-death
- WLOX (DA response) Reportingwlox.com/2026/09/24/stop-playing-games-jackson-county-da-responds-claims-made-press-conference-nolan-wells-phone-data/
- WKMG Reportingclickorlando.com/news/local/2026/09/24/orlando-firm-surfaces-new-evidence-in-nolan-wells-case/
The record · as of Sept. 28, 2026
How we know
Primary records are court and agency documents; reporting is news coverage we checked against them. How we report.
Also in our research file
- Jackson County DA: Nolan Wells Death Investigation Redacted Grand Jury Report (press release, Sep 22 2026) Primary recordco.jackson.ms.us
- DA Angel Myers McIlrath video statement on grand jury decision (Facebook, Sep 21 2026) Primary recordfacebook.com
- NPS Gulf Islands National Seashore: Horn Island Primary recordnps.gov
- NPS: Horn Island Wilderness Primary recordnps.gov
- Family GoFundMe 'In Loving Memory of Nolan Xavier Wells' (organizer Christine Wonsley) Primary recordgofundme.com
- Obituary, Lockett-Williams Mortuary (Legacy.com) Primary recordlegacy.com
- USGS (Morton): Mississippi-Alabama barrier islands map, via Wikimedia Commons Reportingcommons.wikimedia.org
- WLOX: Crump + family press conference (Sep 22) Reportingwlox.com
- MFP: ranger finds body during search (July 2026) Reportingmississippifreepress.org
- CNN timeline of disappearance, search, investigation Reportingcnn.com
- Sea Tow July 4 call recording (YouTube) youtube.com
Updates and corrections
- UPDATE (Sept. 27, 2026): DA says the phone data deletions came from other Snapchat users. After the family's team said Snapchat data was deleted from Nolan's phone, Jackson County DA Angel Myers McIlrath responded on Sept. 24 that the deletions came from other Snapchat users, "not someone physically accessing Nolan Wells' phone." She said she stands by her findings and asked Crump's team to provide any new evidence. The family's expert has said he can't speak to who deleted the data or why. The cause and manner of death are still officially undetermined, the grand jury found no credible evidence of a crime, and no one has been charged. (WLOX (DA response); TheGrio; WKMG)
- UPDATED Sept. 27: added the district attorney's response to the family's phone claims.
Also: ABC News, WDAM, TheGrio.
A grand jury found no evidence of a crime. No one has been charged, and no one should be accused. We do not name or show the private individuals who were with Nolan that day.
Horn Island photos: National Park Service; map: USGS. Report excerpts are public record; boat names redacted by us.
Spot an error? Email corrections@undercurrentdaily.com. See our corrections policy. Have information about this case? Contact the investigating agency first.
