CHICAGO – Attorney Ben Crump is expected to release preliminary findings from an independent autopsy Wednesday morning in the death of Mississippi teenager Nolan Wells during a news conference at the NAACP National Convention in Chicago.
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Nolan Wells independent autopsy findings
What we know:
Crump will be joined by Wells’ parents, Christine and Elmore Wonsley, at an 8 a.m. news conference at McCormick Place. The family’s legal team says it will release the first public medical findings from an independent examination of the 18-year-old’s death.
Nolan Wells
The announcement comes as Rev. Al Sharpton has offered a $50,000 reward through the National Action Network for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
“He was not on that island by himself,” Sharpton said. “Somebody saw something and knows something. So I didn’t come to make money. I came to give money. Stand up and tell the truth.”
Sharpton announced the reward during Wells’ funeral Monday, saying someone at the July 4 gathering on Mississippi’s Horn Island knows what happened.
“We cannot say it was racist, but we cannot say it was not racist,” Sharpton said. “So let’s not judge either way until all the evidence is in.”
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The backstory:
Wells disappeared July 4 after traveling by boat with friends to Horn Island. His body was found July 6 near the island’s northwestern tip after a two-day search. Authorities have not announced a cause or manner of death, and the investigation remains ongoing.
The official autopsy has not been released, making Wednesday’s announcement the first independent medical findings expected to be shared publicly.
What’s next:
The NAACP recently adopted a resolution calling on local, state and federal authorities, including the U.S. Department of Justice, to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into Wells’ death.
What you can do:
The news conference with Crump and the NAACP will be livestreamed in the video player at the top of this story.
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