Attorney Ben Crump and forensic investigator Andrew Garrett shared new findings from Nolan Wells’cellphone during a press conference Thursday (September 24), two days after a Mississippi grand jury declined to bring criminal charges in the 18-year-old’s death.
During the conference, Garrett discussed an independent examination of Wells’ phone conducted by his forensic team. He said investigators recovered more than 1 million digital artifacts, including Snapchat and Instagram data, GPS information, phone records and Apple Health data.
RELATED: Nolan Wells’ Mother Speaks Out After Grand Jury Decision
The examination also identified messages that appeared to have been deleted or unsent, WAPTreported.
The grand jury report released earlier this week, however, said the forensic examination found no evidence that Wells’ cellphone had been tampered with.
Garrett said his team sent a preliminary report to the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office on August 28 and three final reports on September 14. The findings were provided to prosecutors before the grand jury considered the case.
Crump’s team also reviewed the state medical examiner’s autopsy report. According to NewsNation, the report found no evidence of water in Wells’ lungs or throat and classified his cause and manner of death as undetermined. It also documented contusions on the back of Wells’ head.
RELATED: Ben Crump Says Nolan Wells’ Family “Will Not Rest” After Grand Jury Clears Investigation
The report noted an absence of white blood cells around the injuries, which Crump’s team said indicated they occurred shortly before Wells’ death.
The grand jury’s decision did not resolve how Wells died. Both the state medical examiner and an independent pathologist hired by his family have listed his cause and manner of death as undetermined.
Wells disappeared during a July 4 trip to Horn Island and was found dead two days later. Both the state medical examiner and an independent forensic pathologist hired by his family listed his cause and manner of death as undetermined.