Nolan Wells update: ‘Fake’ toxicology reports in focus as Mississippi official, friend's lawyer issue warning
Fake toxicology reports about Nolan Wells, the 18-year-old student-athlete whose body was found two days after he went missing on July 4, are spreading on social media and officials are warning people not to trust them.
Officials call the report fake
Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell addressed the fake reports in a Saturday, August 1 social media post. He said, “The purported toxicology report from Nolan Wells circulating through social media on various outlets is fraudulent. Nolan’s family, friends, and most importantly, Nolan himself, deserve better.”
He also blamed the spread of fake information on a mix of bad actors and technology, saying, “Fraudsters, AI, and social media are a recipe for disaster. All they want you to do is click and share, don’t!”
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Lawyer for Nolan’s friend also raises alarm
Russell Latino, who represents Nolan’s friend Bart Edminson Jr, also warned people about the fake reports in a Facebook post. He said officials have not released Nolan’s real toxicology results yet and some of the fake versions being shared online look very real to anyone who doesn’t know what signs to look for.
“There are phony toxicology reports on Nolan Wells circulating now. Some of them are very well done if you don’t know what to look for. (They look very real). The disinformation campaigns in this case are wild and candidly undermine the actual investigation,” he wrote.
Latino also criticized the spread of false information around Nolan’s death, saying, “Someone’s death should not be your entertainment. Touch grass today,” cited by TMZ.
Latino has spoken out before against online claims targeting Bart. He said his client has fully cooperated with investigators and has not been named a suspect or a person of interest in the case. Latino also said an OnlyFans model falsely claimed that Bart helped cause and cover up Nolan’s death. He sent her a cease-and-desist letter after she allegedly shared the family’s personal information online. He also spoke about a supposedly enhanced version of the Sea Tow call that has been circulating, calling it “doctored,” as per TMZ.
Also Read: Nolan Wells update: Chilling new video allegedly shows friends leaving Horn Island without him
Where the investigation stands
State authorities completed Nolan’s official autopsy report on Thursday, July 30, though the results have not been made public and Nolan’s family has not seen them yet, according to attorney Ben Crump. The autopsy was performed on July 7 by the Mississippi State Medical Examiner and the report was sent to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.
Jackson County District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath said a grand jury will review the case once the investigation wraps up, which is standard procedure for deaths that aren’t from natural causes. The grand jury will then decide if an indictment is needed.
Nolan’s family also got an independent autopsy done, which did not find severe injuries on his body but couldn’t determine his cause of death either.
At a July 22 press conference, Crump shared preliminary findings from Dr Roger Mitchell, who said Nolan’s cause and manner of death couldn’t be determined yet without more investigation. Mitchell also said he couldn’t rule out foul play, though he didn’t find fractures or deep tissue injuries.
Mitchell did note “red discoloration in the soft tissue of the back of [Wells’] head,” behind his ears, calling it significant, per Crump.
Authorities said that Wells may have drowned but his parents, Christine and Elmore Wonsley, have disputed that conclusion, saying authorities rushed to judgment and pointing to Mississippi’s racial history.