It's been over a month since the 18-year-old was found dead on Horn Island. The investigation is ongoing, but even basic information, like cause of death, still hasn't been shared with the public.
The NAACP's Office of General Counsel will work with attorneys for the family to push for a thorough investigation and transparency in the process, per a release from the office.
"We will be bringing our investigative resources to bear and my expertise as a former prosecutor," said NAACP general counsel Kristen Clarke, "to make sure that we are leaving no stone unturned and that we're keeping pressure on local prosecutors to make that they are doing their job."
In its announcement, the NAACP said it will "press for comprehensive fact-finding, advocate for transparency from relevant authorities, and support efforts to ensure that Nolan’s family receives the information and accountability they are due."
The Wells family, along with attorneys, announced initial results of an independent autopsy at the NAACP convention in Chicago in July. Those intial findings were inconclusive — attorneys say they're still waiting on the Jackson County district attorney's office to provide a time and date for forensic pathologist Dr. Roger Mitchell to further review the body.
Other questions have lingered in the case, too, particularly with scant information coming from local law enforcement and misinformation proliferating online.
"The local investigation to date has been incredibly opaque," Clarke told MPB News. "I have worked on high-profile and tragic death cases throughout my career and ordinarily, particularly where there is...national interest in a case like this, you get some level of transparency about the steps that are being taken to help provide the public some level of public trust, frankly, in the work that's being done."
NAACP president Derrick Johnson said they don't want to assume anything about the results of the investigation ahead of its completion. But, he said they have serious concerns about how law enforcement has handled the case.
"The fact that early in this process, the local sheriff made a determination without completing investigations, created a lot of anxiety around whether or not local officials are taking this investigation serious: whether or not they are applying resources to ensure there are answers," said Johnson.
In a case that has received national attention — particularly because of questions around whether race is a factor in Wells' disappearance and how law enforcement has responded — Johnson said that officials need to be aware of how the case reflects on Mississippi.
"We want to find out what happened," Johnson said. "I hope our local elected officials, local officials and the state understand the significance of the perception right now around the state of Mississippi."
"We cannot grow and prosper as a state if we continue to feed in the negative stereotypes of the past."
Curley Clark, president of the Jackson County chapter of the NAACP, said that they were "elated" in the NAACP's legal team joining attorneys for the family.
"We've been trying to try to discourage a lot of speculation and try to encourage people to make sure that they wait until all the facts are known and then move from that situation to implement what type of justice that needs to be served," Clark said. "At this point, it's unclear — but at the point where it is clear, the NAACP is going to try to ensure that justice is served and we're going to follow the facts to that end."
Clark said that they've had more and more people come forward with information, which has been encouraging for him. But, he said they want to avoid any misinformation, division or a lack of justice for the Wells family.
"We don't want to have anything that's divisive to hang over this community, because at the end of the day, we're going to come back together as a community and move on," Clark said. "But by the same token, we want make sure that Nolan's family and everyone's concerned have all of their questions answered: they want to know exactly what happened to Nolan and we wanna know what happened to Nolan."
"We want to make sure that the community remains united and can accept the outcome of a full, thorough investigation and move on from there."
