Why body of missing teenager was returned to family without throat

The family of Mississippi teenager Nolan Wells are still looking for answers as their son’s body was returned to them without his throat and lungs.

Wells, who played American football at Southwest Mississippi Community College, travelled on a boating trip to Horn Island with a group of friends to attend a 300-person Fourth of July party earlier this month.

His body was found in the water near the northwest end of Horn Island, two days after he was last seen on 4 July.

Forensic pathologist Dr Roger J. Mitchell conducted an independent autopsy commissioned by the family and said yesterday (22 July) that the removal of the throat structures is standard practice and had been carried out during the official forensic examination.

According to The Royal College of Pathologists, ‘if there is a possibility of criminal involvement in the death, the tissue may be needed by the police as evidence, separate to the need of the coroner’.

Investigators already dissected the organs

Nolan Wells' body was discovered ‘face down’ and ‘fully clothed’ on Horn Island (Family Handout)

“The tissue samples, blocks and slides or organs may need to be kept for several months or, in some cases, years,” the registered charity explains.

Pathologists performing post-mortem examinations follow strict protocols to establish the cause of death while treating the deceased with dignity and respect.

Most examinations are carried out by specialist histopathologists in hospital mortuaries, assisted by trained anatomical pathology technologists.

In Wells' case, Dr Mitchell explained that investigators had already dissected the organs and removed the throat structures as part of the original investigation.

Wells' parents want answers as his cause of death is still unknown (Family Handout)

He stressed that this is standard practice in forensic examinations, particularly when determining whether injuries or airway damage may have contributed to a person's death.

However, because those structures had already been removed, he was unable to independently examine Wells' lungs or stomach for evidence of drowning.

Wells' cause of death still unknown

Family attorney Ben Crump said at a news conference that ‘this pathologist cannot rule out injury to the neck as a contributing a contributor or a cause of death’.

“We have more questions than answers at this time,” he added.

Wells’ mother Christine Wonsley said she still can’t understand why her son's mobile phone and car keys had been found on the boat with his friends after they returned from Horn Island.

Wells' family want answers

Wells went missing from a Fourth of July party after traveling to the Mississippi island with a group of friends (United Cajun Navy)

She felt ‘uncomfortable’ about the police saying her son had accidentally drowned.

“This is a kid who knew how to swim,” Crump added.

“It is our hope that our local authorities will do what they need to do, because us having the preliminary autopsy results and hearing nothing from them — it's heartbreaking, and it's concerning,” Wonsley said.

“Which again is why we are here, why we have asked for this help.”

Wells’ friend Tracestin Shepherd, meanwhile, said to ABC News that he left his phone in a boat because he would be spending time in the water.

"All our friends are out there. Who are we communicating with? And we're in salt water. We're not in fresh water," he said.

"Nobody would ever hurt Nolan in our friend group. We would die for him. We would do everything in our power for that guy. If he needed anything, we would do it. Nolan brought us all together."