Mississippi's chief medical examiner is facing renewed scrutiny over her office's role in several disputed death investigations involving Black residents — including the cases of Nolan Wells and Demartravion 'Trey' Reed, according to a November 3 report. Dr. Staci Turner's office conducted the state examinations in both cases, and both families challenged the early conclusions and sought independent forensic reviews.
Wells, 18, disappeared on July 4, 2026, after traveling by boat with friends to Horn Island off the Mississippi Gulf Coast. His body was recovered near the island two days later. Local authorities initially said there were no apparent signs of foul play and publicly discussed accidental drowning as a working theory, but the official state autopsy and toxicology results have not been released, the report says.
An independent autopsy commissioned by Wells' family listed both the cause and manner of death as 'undetermined pending investigation.' It found no fractures or deep-tissue injuries, but documented red discoloration behind Wells' head that requires further investigation. Decomposition and the removal of organs during the state examination limited what the independent pathologist could determine. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump said the independent examination did not establish foul play, but also could not rule out whether a nonaccidental factor contributed to Wells' death. 'The only question we have is: What happened to our son?' Wells' mother, Christine Wells-Wonsley, said at a news conference announcing the findings.
In September, a Jackson County grand jury declined to indict anyone in Wells' death, concluding the circumstances were consistent with drowning and that there was no credible evidence of criminal conduct by the people who traveled to or from Horn Island with him. Both the state and independent examinations ultimately classified Wells' cause and manner of death as undetermined. Wells' family continues to press for a full federal investigation.
Reed, 21, a Delta State University student, was found hanging from a tree on the university's campus in September 2025. State officials classified his death as a suicide by hanging and said the autopsy found no evidence he had been assaulted before his death. Reed's family disputed that conclusion, retained Crump and attorney Vanessa Jones, and ordered a second autopsy from forensic pathologist Dr. Matthias Okoye. Those findings have not been publicly released.
Advocates have also cited the 2021 death of Damien Cameron, 29, a Black man who died after Rankin County sheriff's deputies restrained him and repeatedly shocked him with Tasers. Turner ruled Cameron's cause of death undetermined despite an autopsy that documented severe swelling, facial trauma and internal bleeding in his neck, according to the report. A grand jury later declined to indict the deputies. In 2023, three independent forensic pathologists reviewed the evidence and concluded Cameron's death was a homicide. One of the deputies involved was later sentenced to federal prison for his role in the unrelated Rankin County 'Goon Squad' torture cases.
The report notes one important limit: Cameron's is the only case among those receiving renewed attention in which an independent forensic review has directly contradicted the state's determination. The Wells and Reed cases remain unresolved, with both families continuing to seek complete records, independent answers and greater transparency from Mississippi authorities. A 2022 drowning death of 13-year-old Channon Wilson, ruled accidental, was also highlighted by advocates, but publicly available records do not establish that Turner personally conducted an examination or directly handled that case.
That distinction matters: scrutiny of an office is not itself a finding about what happened to Nolan Wells. What the families are asking for — complete records, an independent review, and a transparent accounting — is the same question that has driven this case since July: what happened to Nolan?
Sources:
- Opera News, 'Nolan Wells Medical Examiner Also Handled Trey Reed Case, Drawing Scrutiny'
- Urban Magazine, 'Nolan Wells Grand Jury's No True Bill Leaves No True Answers'
Support the family: official GoFundMe in loving memory of Nolan Xavier Wells