Grand jury declines to indict anyone in the death of Nolan Wells

A grand jury has unanimously declined to indict anyone of a crime in the death of Nolan Wells, who disappeared on July 4 during a boat trip and was later found dead, as the Mississippi district attorney on the case vigorously rejected months of speculation that his death was racially motivated.

The grand jury returned a "no true bill," meaning it did not find probable cause to indict anyone, Angel Myers McIlrath, district attorney for Mississippi's 19th Circuit Court District, announced on Sept. 21.

"There is absolutely no evidence to support the allegations that Nolan's disappearance and death were racially motivated," Myers McIlrath said in a video posted to social media.

Wells, 18, went on a boat trip with a group of friends to the isolated Mississippi barrier island Horn Island on July 4 but didn't return with them. His body was found on July 6 on the northwest end of the island. An independent autopsy by forensic pathologist Dr. Roger Mitchell couldn't determine a cause or manner of his death, an attorney for the family previously said.

The case spurred a national conversation about the safety of Black Americans when among groups of predominantly White people and concerns that…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/