After a Mississippi grand jury found that Nolan Wells' death was "consistent with drowning" and turned up no evidence of a crime or racial motive, an attorney for one of the men wrongly targeted online said his client intends to hold the accusers accountable.
asserted
accusers → find → men
Wells, 19, disappeared July 4 after taking a boat trip to Horn Island, a barrier island along Mississippi's Gulf Coast, with a group of friends.
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Wells → disappear → friends
Search crews combed the area for two days until a National Park Service ranger discovered his remains at the island's northwestern tip on July 6.
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ranger → comb → July
Months later, a Jackson County, Mississippi, grand jury returned a "no true bill" in Wells' death investigation, meaning no indictment or charges will be filed.
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indictment → return → investigation
"The Grand Jury finds that the position of, the condition of, time of discovery, and location of Mr. Wells' remains is consistent with drowning," the grand jury wrote.
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jury → find → drowning
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Russell Latino, who represents Bart Edmiston and his family, said "This story involves two tragedies.
"
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story → represent → tragedies
So too is the way his friends, his community and his state were maligned by unscrupulous charlatans and grifters who spread false and malicious lies," Latino said.
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Latino → malign → lies
"The grand jury, made up of Mississippians of all races and backgrounds, did its solemn duty.
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jury → make → duty
But to anyone who knew the actual facts, not reckless garbage spewed on the internet, the result of the process was never in doubt.
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result → know → doubt
The Edmiston family looks forward to bringing accountability to those who exploited tragedy to divide and injure.
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who → look → tragedy
They continue to pray for healing, for the family of Nolan and for their precious community.
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They → continue → community
Edmiston and other friends of Wells' were subjected to months of online rumors and speculation that they were somehow criminally responsible for the then-18-year-old's death.
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they → subject → death
The grand jury and Jackson County District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath both concluded those allegations were baseless.
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allegations → conclude → ?
Edward Andrew Paltzik, who represents three of Wells' friends, had a pointed message for attorney Ben Crump.
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who → represent → Crump
You should apologize immediately to completely innocent young men Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo, and Morgan Seymour.
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You → apologize → men
You have some serious explaining to do!" Paltzik said.
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Paltzik → have → explaining
He said he's also sent several legal notices to social media influencers and media figures on behalf of three men he represents.
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he → say → men
In a video statement Monday, Jackson County District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath said there was "absolutely no evidence" that Wells' death was due to his race.
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death → say → race
Fox News Digital has reached out to Crump for comment.
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Digital → reach → comment
"The narrative that 3 white boys and a black boy went to an island and only 3 white friends returned spread like wildfire.
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friends → go → wildfire
This was false," McIlrath said.
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McIlrath → say → ?
"There is absolutely no evidence to support the allegations that Nolan's disappearance and death were racially motivated."
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disappearance → be → allegations
"Nolan's friends loved Nolan and Nolan loved them.
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Nolan → love → them
Nolan chose to stay on the island that day, and there is not a scintilla of evidence to contradict that," she said.
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she → choose → that
McIlrath also sharply criticized attorney Ben Crump's team, which she said knew early on that the death wasn't racially motivated.
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death → criticize → team
"The family, the Crump team, and anyone close to Nolan knew that his disappearance and death were not the result of racial hate or violence," she said.
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she → know → hate
"What I am suggesting is that the Crump team knew better but did not do better."
According to the district attorney, the family's legal team advised her office in August that it had uncovered no evidence a crime was committed against Wells.
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crime → suggest → Wells
"On August 13th, 2026, after the Crump team conducted and released the results of its independent autopsy and after receiving hundreds of tips, they advised my office that they had no evidence of a crime being committed against Nolan Wells," she said.
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she → conduct → Wells
Lawyers representing Wells' family disputed the decision in a statement to Fox News Digital.
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Lawyers → represent → Digital
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump said the state was closing the case before the truth had been established, citing bruising on the back of Wells' head and an independent autopsy that he said documented blunt force injuries to Wells' head and back.
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he → say → head
Crump said neither the family nor the state has determined how Wells died, and he urged the Justice Department to open an investigation if Mississippi declines to do so.
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Mississippi → say → investigation
"Today, the State of Mississippi is attempting to close the chapter on Nolan Wells’ death without getting to the truth," Crump said.
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Crump → attempt → truth
"We are releasing the final independent autopsy report in its entirety, so everyone can read it for themselves.
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everyone → release → themselves
This grand jury result leaves us with more questions than answers.
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result → leave → answers
Nolan’s family will not rest until we know what happened to him, and neither will we."
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we → rest → him
Both the Mississippi Chief Medical Examiner and the family's pathologist, Dr. Roger Mitchell, who performed a second autopsy for the Wells family agreed that while the cause of death is undetermined, "drowning is a diagnosis of exclusion."
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drowning → perform → exclusion
That means the conclusion was reached by ruling out other causes rather than by direct evidence of drowning.
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conclusion → mean → drowning
The grand jury didn't find any evidence suggesting a crime occurred, or that Wells' death was motivated by race, and also took direct aim at the theories circulating on social media about the people on the boats.
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death → find → boats
"The Grand Jury finds no credible evidence to support the public allegations that any persons who rode to or from Horn Island on July 4, 2026, on the Triton, the Palm Beach, or the Tideline engaged in any criminal conduct related to the death of Mr. Wells," the grand jury wrote.
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jury → find → Wells
"The allegations against the occupants of the Triton, the Palm Beach, and the Tideline are not based in truth, and are solely the result of public clamor and private malice."
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allegations → base → clamor
…and 5 more, not listed.
The Aporia
