The small town of Nolan Wells' hometown is rallying behind their sheriff after being accused of being "derelict in their duties" following the 18-year-old's death.
NAACP President Derrick Johnson made the accusation during a news conference where independent autopsy results were revealed, stating that the state of Mississippi and local officials have failed to properly handle the case.
"We're not accusing anyone of anything other than the state of Mississippi and local officials," Johnson said. "We're accusing them of being derelict in their duties."
Nolan Wells disappeared on July 4 after going on a boat trip to Horn Island, a barrier island off Mississippi's Gulf Coast, with friends. Officials and search crews searched for two days before finding his remains on July 6.
Mississippi State Senator Jeremy England, who represents a portion of Jackson County, where the incident took place, defended the sheriff and local officials, saying the accusations are "completely unfair."
"Our sheriff and our district attorney here in Jackson County, our DPS commissioner over the state of Mississippi law enforcement, our crime lab, the offices they put together, I know many of them personally and professionally, and they have the utmost integrity and they want to get the facts correct and get out there," England said.
The state senator emphasized that Mississippi investigators are focused on getting the facts right, even under public pressure. "There's not always someone to blame," he said. "And here in Mississippi, we don't have and we don't follow what you see in some other states and some other communities where you have activist district attorneys and activist sheriffs."
Congressman Mike Ezell, R-Miss., also expressed confidence in the current Jackson County sheriff, John Ledbetter, who is leading the investigation.
During the news conference, an independent autopsy revealed that an area of "red discoloration" was found on Wells' head, but the cause of death remains unknown pending further investigation.
Forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden said the head injury doesn't point to foul play, stating that it could be from bumping into something in the water or a minor injury that could be "totally innocent."
Without having additional information, the independent autopsy's report couldn't rule out the possibility that "non-accidental factors contributed to or caused the death."
Rev. Al Sharpton has offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the death of Wells, while authorities previously stated that foul play isn't suspected.
Wells' friends returned to the mainland without him on the afternoon of July 4, and investigators believe he chose to stay on the island. His mother learned he was missing later that night from one of his friends.
