Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch has issued a warning that threats made against those investigating the tragic death of Nolan Wells will be taken seriously.
Fitch expressed her full confidence in the law enforcement and legal officials assessing the 18-year-old’s passing, while noting that her office is on the alert for any potential efforts to hinder their ability to thoroughly fulfill their obligations to this case. Wells, an Ocean Springs native and football player at Southwest Mississippi Community College, was found deceased by a park ranger on Horn Island on July 6.
“I am proud of the professionalism which our law enforcement, district attorney, and other local leaders are approaching this tragic case. During an open investigation, it is vital to the cause of justice that everyone respects the integrity of the process,” Fitch said. “Efforts to intimidate, disrupt, or interfere with the work and threats to anyone’s well-being will be taken seriously.”
Before being found dead, Wells had last been seen with a group of friends at a Fourth of July celebration on the barrier island. Two autopsies — one by the state of Mississippi and the other by an independent pathologist — have been conducted to determine his cause of death. While the state autopsy has yet to be released and the independent autopsy did not provide any substantive answers to link Wells’ death to a specific cause, social media has been in a frenzy with speculation and accusations running rampant.
As for the speculation, Fitch is looking to prevent any doubts expressed about investigators in the case from materializing into threats of violence.
Wells’ family is being represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who has challenged law enforcement’s initial assessment of the teen’s passing. In a preliminary report, officials said they found no signs of foul play upon an initial assessment of Wells’ condition after he had been discovered dead. Crump, alongside civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton, questioned how law enforcement could reach that conclusion without a full investigation backing it.
There has also been a public unrest brewing related to the lack of concrete details that have been released by officials in the case. Angel Myers McIlrath, the district attorney who represents Jackson County, has urged the public to be patient, stating that information is not being withheld out of ill intent, but to protect the integrity of the investigation.
“Our community is grieving the tremendous loss of Nolan Wells, who is loved and treasured by everyone. Nolan’s family deserves answers and our community deserves answers,” McIlrath said. “Nolan’s case is being handled the same way with the same care and same commitment to the truth that we handle all death investigations with.”
McIlrath confirmed that all information will be presented to a grand jury when the investigation wraps up. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department is leading the investigation and is still asking those who may have been around Wells on July 4 to submit any relevant information.
Meanwhile, Sharpton, prominent Black filmmaker Tyler Perry, and NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens have pledged a combined $125,000 for information that leads to an arrests and conviction in Wells’ case, though there has not been any evidence confirmed by law enforcement to suggest foul play was involved.
