No criminal charges in the death of Nolan Wells: Grand jury report

Wells vanished after he and friends celebrated July 4 off the Gulf Coast.

September 21, 2026, 10:36 PM

The grand jury reviewing the evidence in the death of Nolan Wells has found that, based on all the evidence they reviewed, no criminal charges are warranted at this point, according to the Jackson County Grand Jury Report released late Monday night. 

The report says that the "position of, condition of, time of discovery, and location" of the 18-year-old's body off the coast of Mississippi this July is "consistent with drowning."

Wells vanished after he and friends had gone out celebrating the Fourth of July holiday on barrier islands off the Gulf Coast. His body was recovered in the waters off Horn Island two days later.

Authorities have previously said they believe the college football player drowned, but the final determination would go to a grand jury that would review all the case materials, including the state medical examiner's completed autopsy report, to decide whether Wells' death involved a crime.