Nolan Wells Update: DA Explains Why Details Are Being Withheld Despite ‘Misinformation Out There’

Numerous questions remain regarding the death of Nolan Wells — the teenager who disappeared during a 4th of July outing to Mississippi’s Horn Island — but for now, information must be withheld.

In a video statement shared Thursday, July 23, District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath defended the ongoing work of law enforcement, saying that everything is being done in pursuit of the truth after the 18-year-old’s tragic and mysterious death.

“Nolan’s family deserves answers, and our community deserves answers,” McIlrath said. “Every death in the county, except those of natural causes and non-criminal car wrecks, are presented to your grand jury. Many people don’t know that. We have handled death investigations in this manner my entire career.”

“Nolan’s case is being handled the same way, with the same care and the same commitment to the truth that we handle all death investigations,” she assured.

While McIlrath acknowledged “the public’s urgency to know what happened to Nolan,” she said that investigators are “taking the time required to complete the work this investigation demands.”

“Since Nolan was reported missing, local state and federal law enforcement agencies have worked around the clock investigating what happened to him,” she said, adding that the “pressure for answers does not change what the work requires.”

“Our responsibility to Nolan and our community is to complete this investigation thoroughly, carefully, without compromise, supported by the evidence and worthy of the confidence of the people we serve,” she said.

Regarding the public release of information, McIlrath explained, “In Mississippi, the rules of professional conduct restrict the information a prosecutor can release during an investigation. Our restraint in communicating facts and evidence is not an effort to keep the truth from the public. It is an effort to protect the integrity of this investigation and the grand jury proceeding.”

“These rules exist to protect the search for the truth, not to prevent it,” she said. “There’s a lot of information out there, and there’s a heck of a lot of misinformation out there. I simply want the community I serve to know that this investigation is being handled with the care, professionalism and commitment to the truth that every family in Jackson County deserves.”

McIlrath’s statement comes as Wells’ family is desperately searching for answers.

In a press conference held Wednesday, July 22, NAACP President Derrick Johnson said, “We’re not accusing anyone of anything — other than the state of Mississippi and local officials. We’re accusing them of being derelict in their duties to follow up and to ensure that, regardless of what happened, that there was a proper investigation.”

The family’s attorney, Benjamin Crump, said at Wednesday’s press conference that Wells’ cause of death was “undetermined pending investigation.”

As Globe previously reported, after Wells disappeared, his body was found in the water near the island two days later following an extensive search.

While investigators have said drowning is suspected, they haven’t released an official cause of death, and the case remains under investigation.

The Mississippi college football player traveled to Horn Island with a group of friends to celebrate Independence Day. Wells was last seen near the island around 3 p.m. One of his friends, Tracestin Shepherd, told Good Morning America that the teen wanted to stay behind at a party because he met a girl, and it seemed like “he really did like her.”

Wells’ family has pushed back on the claim that the teen voluntarily stayed behind on the island, and they’ve hired the civil rights attorney to conduct a separate investigation into his death.

The three friends who accompanied Wells have retained attorneys.