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A grand jury in Mississippi determined that there is no evidence to warrant charges against individuals for the death of Nolan Wells, a college student who was found dead after a Fourth of July boating trip and party on an island off the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Outlets on the right tended to highlight the effects of rumors and judgment against Wells' friends who were subject to investigation, while outlets on the left focused on the potential influence of race and racism on the investigation.

The Details: Nolan Wells, who was black, was found two days after he was last seen at the party, and autopsy reports show his death was "consistent with drowning." A separate autopsy conducted by a forensic pathologist Wells' family hired found bruising on the back of his head, though it was not enough to determine a cause of death. The grand jury found that the condition of the body and other evidence was not enough to indicate criminal conduct.

For Context: A witness testified that he saw Wells slip off the side of the boat the afternoon of the trip but that he did not appear injured. His friends, who are white, later left the island without Wells, claiming that he stayed behind to talk to a girl. Wells' phone was still on the boat when it left. Wells' family has pushed back on the investigation and the jury's decision, and his mother said, "How can a jury come to the conclusion of drowning, despite knowing that there was trauma to his body, and despite hearing many inconsistencies?"

How the Media Covered It: Fox News (Right bias) wrote that Wells' friends were "cleared" by the grand jury and that their lawyers intend to "hold the accusers accountable." Fox quoted one of the friends' attorneys, who said, "This story involves two tragedies. The death of Nolan Wells is a tragedy. So too is the way his friends, his community and his state were maligned by unscrupulous charlatans and grifters who spread false and malicious lies." Associated Press (Lean Left) repeatedly suggested that there was "rampant speculation and suspicion" around the investigation as people "grapple[d] with Mississippi's history of racial tension and what it means to be a Black person in a majority white setting." NewsNation (Center) quoted heavily from the grand jury's report as well as the district attorney for Mississippi's 19th Circuit Court District, who said, "There is absolutely no evidence to support the allegations that Nolan's disappearance and death were racially motivated… Nolan chose to stay on the island that day, and there is not a scintilla of evidence to contradict that."

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