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Independent autopsy of Nolan Wells finds cause of death 'undetermined'; mortician explains head marks
Nolan Wells' independent autopsy found his cause of death undetermined as a mortician explained head marks and questions how the report was presented.
Preliminary findings from an independent autopsy of 18-year-old Nolan Xavier Wells have been released. The independent autopsy found that Nolan Wells' cause of death is undetermined, meaning doctors could not say exactly what caused his death based on the initial examination. The findings were announced on Wednesday by the attorney representing Wells' family.
Nolan Wells disappearance and autopsy
Nolan Xavier Wells was 18 years old and played football at Southwest Mississippi Community College. Wells was reported missing after he failed to return from a Fourth of July trip with friends to Horn Island in Mississippi. His disappearance led to a search by authorities. Authorities recovered Wells' body on July 6.
The independent autopsy was carried out separately from the official investigation to provide another medical examination of Wells' death. The preliminary autopsy findings did not identify a clear cause of death and instead classified it as undetermined. Wells' death has drawn widespread public attention across the United States. His family has continued to raise questions about the circumstances surrounding his disappearance and death.
Sarah Fields, who describes herself on X as a Republican Precinct Chair, Army veteran and investigative journalist, shared comments about Nolan Wells' independent autopsy on social media. Fields said she spoke with a mortician friend and showed her photos from Nolan Wells' independent autopsy to get a professional opinion.
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Fields said her mortician friend allowed her to publicly quote her views on what she saw in the autopsy photos. According to the quoted mortician, pressure from an autopsy headrest or another positioning device can leave temporary pressure marks or areas of discoloration on the body of someone who has recently died.
Autopsy pressure marks
The mortician explained that during an autopsy, the head is usually placed on a special cradle or head block to keep the head and neck stable while the examination is carried out. She said the location and shape of the discoloration seen in the photos were consistent with the type of pressure marks that can happen when a head rests on an autopsy support device.
The mortician added that these kinds of pressure marks are a recognized and normal part of postmortem examinations. She also said that this finding by itself does not prove trauma, injury or foul play. Fields said the issue was not that an independent autopsy was performed on Nolan Wells. Instead, she criticized civil rights attorney Ben Crump for the way he presented the independent autopsy findings.
Why the report sparked questions
Fields claimed Crump did not have a qualified forensic pathologist explain which findings were routine, expected or medically insignificant. She alleged that Crump personally read graphic parts of the autopsy report instead. Fields argued that this presentation made normal postmortem findings appear dramatic and suggested they could be signs of foul play. She claimed that many of the findings highlighted from the second autopsy have straightforward forensic explanations and are not unusual.
Fields said presenting routine autopsy findings in this way led people online to believe they were shocking discoveries. She argued that this approach encouraged public speculation instead of relying on scientific evidence. Fields further claimed that the way the report was presented caused people to fill gaps with assumptions rather than facts. She concluded by alleging that Crump achieved exactly what he intended by creating more public speculation around the case.
