The family of Nolan Wells is preparing to release findings from his cellphone days after a Mississippi grand jury declined to charge anyone in the 18-year-old’s death.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump will join forensic investigator Andrew Garrett and experts from Garrett Discovery at a news conference Thursday. The firm, which Wells’ family retained, examined the phone for evidence that could shed light on his final hours. The team has not publicly disclosed its findings. 

The announcement puts fresh attention on a question that has troubled Wells’ family since July. Searchers found his body in the water near Mississippi’s Horn Island two days after a July Fourth outing. 

A Jackson County grand jury concluded that the location and condition of Wells’ body were consistent with drowning. It found insufficient evidence to charge anyone in his death. But neither the state medical examiner nor an independent pathologist hired by his family could determine the cause or manner of death. 

‘Remains Unexplained’: Independent Pathologist Says Nolan Wells Suffered Blunt Force Injury Hours Before His Death, and Sheriff’s Office Never Investigated It

The family’s pathologist, Dr. Roger A. Mitchell Jr., documented unexplained blunt-force injuries to the back of Wells’ head and other areas of his back. Crump has pressed investigators to explain those injuries and warned against treating drowning as a settled finding. 

The grand jury reviewed testimony from 43 witnesses and evidence obtained through 132 subpoenas before declining to issue an indictment. Its decision did not resolve the uncertainty over how Wells died. 

Wells’ family and legal team want investigators to keep the case open. They have also called for the release of the state medical examiner’s full autopsy report and investigative file, along with an independent review by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Nolan Wells’ Phone Could Hold New Clues After Grand Jury Declines Charges in Mississippi Teen’s Death