Trump Says He Is Considering Asking FBI to Investigate Nolan Wells's Death

Donald Trump said on Wednesday that his administration is considering asking the FBI to open an investigation into the death of Nolan Wells. Asked by reporters as he left the White House whether he would push the bureau to launch an independent inquiry, the president replied: “Well, we're looking at that. Yes, we are.”

Wells, 18, was last seen alive on 4 July during a boating trip with friends and went missing on Horn Island, a barrier island off the Mississippi coast. His body was discovered on the island two days later. His cause and manner of death remain undetermined, and the case has drawn national scrutiny and become a flashpoint for racial tension.

A Jackson county grand jury declined to indict anyone in the case and concluded that Wells drowned. An independent autopsy conducted by Roger A Mitchell Jr, a forensic pathologist and president of Howard University hospital, found no evidence of drowning because there was no water in Wells's stomach, lungs or throat. That examination also noted bruising on Wells's head, back, left shoulder and buttocks.

Ben Crump, the civil rights lawyer representing the Wells family, said the independent findings contradict the grand jury's conclusion. “We do not believe Nolan drowned, and the blunt force trauma to his head cannot be ignored or explained away,” Crump said in a statement. “Nolan's family deserves the truth, and we will keep fighting until every question is answered and justice is served.”

Wells's parents, including his father Elmore Wonsley, have joined Crump and Cynthia Choi of Stop AAPI Hate in calling for a federal investigation. California congresswoman Maxine Waters, Florida congresswoman Frederica Wilson and others sent a letter to Jessica Bowron, acting director of the US National Park Service, noting that most of Horn Island is federally designated land and urging its investigative services branch to open a prompt and exhaustive inquiry.

At a press conference, Wonsley said the family was not seeking special treatment. “Our son was found on federal land, and we are asking the FBI to step in and do a full investigation,” he said. Crump noted that Sunday will mark 100 days since the family began looking into the death, adding that Trump's comment carries more weight than the FBI's previous response and that his team stands ready to work with the federal government.