Forensic pathologists are weighing in on the independent autopsy findings of Nolan Wells as questions surrounding the Mississippi teen’s death continue to mount. Attorney Ben Crump announced the findings from Dr. Roger Mitchell on Wednesday. Dr. Mitchell concluded that Wells’ cause and ma nner of death remain undetermined pending further investigation. He noted that delays in accessing the teen’s body significantly limited his examination. Nolan Wells found dead after spending Fourth of July with friends (Photo: Facebook/ Christine Wonsley) Red Discoloration Dr. Mitchell documented a roughly 12-by-8-inch area of red discoloration in the deep soft tissue on the back of Wells’ head. The report says the cause of the discoloration is “unclear.” Dr. Kendall Crowns, Chief Medical Examiner for Tarrant County, Texas, says the discoloration could be due to blood settling from decomposition. “After death, you can still have pooling of the blood in the dependent areas if the lividity is not fixed, or even if it is fixed, you can have pooling,” Crowns told Nancy Grace. Crowns says it is difficult to say without seeing the reddened area whether it is just a decomposition artifact or if it’s blunt force trauma. Grace fought back against Crowns’ claims by noting that Wells was found face down with only swim trunks on. However, Crowns says that Wells’ body was likely transported to Washington, D.C., on his back, which could have led to pooling at the back of the head. “The doctor didn’t call it a hemorrhage, which is interesting to me. He called it a reddened area, so I don’t know what he’s describing. I would love to see pictures, but again, there’s no description of a bruise or an abrasion or a laceration on the skin surface of the back of the head,” said Crowns. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nancy Grace (@thenancygrace) Incomplete Examination Dr. Mitchell noted in his report that Wells’ throat was missing when he got his body. This prevented him from doing a complete examination of critical neck structures. Wells’ throat is still with the Mississippi medical examiner for further investigation. Many forensic pathologists say this is common practice. “I understand why the original pathologist has kept this to look at it further, but it does hamper the second autopsy and doesn’t give real results,” Dr. Michelle DuPre told “CUOMO”. Due to the missing neck structures, Dr. Mitchell did not rule out foul play. He also could not determine whether Wells was conscious or unconscious at the time of his death. The absence of any mention of water in Wells’ lungs also drew attention because law enforcement initially said Wells’ death was an accidental drowning. “I’ve heard nothing about water in the lungs, and honestly, I’ve just been sitting here infuriated that everybody is putting so much pressure on this second autopsy,” investigative reporter Sam Crouppen said. “But why are we not putting pressure on Sheriff John Ledbetter? Where is the first autopsy? Why have they held it out?” Atlanta Black Star reached out to the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office to ask when its autopsy findings would be released but did not receive a response. The Missing Phone Another key mystery in Wells’ death is the fact that his phone and keys were still left on the boat that he came to Horn Island on. Warren Hudson, who was on the boat with Nolan, says it’s common for people to leave their phones on the boat because the island’s water is waist-deep. “If I’m sitting waist-deep in water, and all my friends are, everybody’s leaving their phone on a boat,” Hudson told The Officer Tatum. “No one’s getting out of the water with their phone in their hand, unless you know it’s to take a quick picture.” Hudson said dozens of phones were lying on the boat and that he never saw anyone holding a phone during their time on the water. Hudson also took time during the interview to reiterate that Nolan decided to stay behind and spend time with a girl he met. “It’s not like we didn’t ask Nolan or we just left Nolan. Nolan decided to stay on the island with the girl that he was with, and the girls witnessed that too,” he said. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Brandon Tatum (@theofficertatum) Digital Evidence Many people, including Nancy Grace, have expressed skepticism that Wells would leave his phone behind if he decided to stay on the island. “Who leaves their phone behind when they’re on a desert island, stranded on an island? Why would you go without your phone? That’s what sparked my interest,” said Grace. Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley, said she had to track down Nolan’s phone herself to get it back. When she finally recovered it, she said she found it unusual that there was no activity on his Snapchat. “He had two accounts. Absolutely nothing! It wasn’t even 24 hours, which is how long pictures and videos stay in Snapchat,” she told Good Morning America. Digital Forensic Analyst Heather Barnhart says doing a forensic acquisition of the phone would tell if messages or photos were deleted. “We can tell if it was just soft deleted, so like sitting in a trash can, or a hard delete. So, if you empty your trash on your phone and then you go and throw it into a dumpster and the trash is taken away, there’s a log that tracks everything. Also, with timestamps on when that activity occurred,” Barnhart said on Nancy Grace. Happening Now The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office is still investigating the case. Their findings will be turned over to the district attorney’s office. From there, a grand jury will be presented the case and will decide if criminal charges should be filed. Wells’ family is not waiting on law enforcement. His mother filed a petition to open the estate of her deceased son. The estate assets would consist “solely of claims for damages resulting from the circumstances surrounding his death.” It would allow her to file a lawsuit for damages on behalf of her son’s estate should others be found responsible for his death.  “Nolan, we love you. We’ll continue to fight for you, and until we meet again,” Wonsley said at his funeral on Monday. ...read more read less