In the meantime, Crump and his team outlined next steps for their investigation at a press conference at the National Urban League in Nashville.
“We have the audio from the officials, and we have retained in our consulting with some of the foremost audio engineering experts to review those audio tapes from the Sea Tow call in its entirety,” Crump said at the July 30 conference.
Sea Tow is a boat towing company that Wells’ friends called when they were leaving the island where Wells’ body was found two days later. That audio obtained by WLOX from the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, indicating that Wells’ friends left the island after their boat began taking on water.
Other steps include coordinating with law enforcement for a joint review of both Wells’ phone and those of his friends. And, Crump would like to circle back on his team’s independent autopsy.
Initial findings by forensic pathologist Dr. Roger Mitchell were inconclusive. Crump claims body parts were missing following the state autopsy.
“We are hopeful that they will discuss with Dr. Mitchell the photographs and observations made at the time when Nolan was first discovered because Dr. Mitchell did not get an opportunity until July 10th to be able to examine his body,” Crump said. “At that time, we know the airways and the lungs had already been dissected and so forth.”
“So we can’t tell if there was the presence of water or not: that would suggest whether he drowned or not.”
Wells’ parents are continuing to ask the public for any information that could help them figure out what happened to their son.
“We are begging, if anyone knows anything — his friends, strangers — please call the hotline, because we will not be able to rest until we get answers,” said Wells’ mother, Christine Wells-Wonsley, in Nashville.
Even with the state autopsy likely complete, recent comments from Jackson County District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath indicate that those results aren’t likely to be made public until after a grand jury review.
According to Crump, McIlrath has said they’d turn information from the investigation over to a grand jury once the investigation is complete.
Court documents from Jackson County Chancery Court show that Wells’ parents have also subpoenaed several social media companies, requesting records from Life360, Snapchat, Meta, TikTok and Whatsapp. They’ve voiced concerns that messages may have been deleted from Wells’ phone, which they tracked to a friend’s house after his body was found on Horn Island.
Reverend Al Sharpton and media mogul Tyler Perry are offering a combined $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case. This week, the father of Warren Hudson said he’s offering an additional $50,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
