RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 2 sourcesBen Crump says his team has hired some of the nation's top audio engineers to review the full Sea Tow call from the day Nolan Wells disappeared ... as the family's fight for answers continues.
Crump provided an update on Nolan's case Thursday at the National Urban League Conference ... announcing his team obtained the audio from officials and will have experts comb through the entire recording. He said they are also consulting oceanic engineering experts to determine whether the tides line up with Nolan's body being found near the same location where he was reportedly left.
Nolan's mother, Christine Wonsley, became emotional while describing the pain of going 27 days without talking to or hugging her son ... begging anyone with information to come forward so the family can finally rest.
As we reported, Nolan disappeared during a Fourth of July boating trip to Horn Island, Mississippi, and was found dead along the shoreline two days later.
His family says the death investigation has so far produced more questions than answers.
Nolan's family commissioned an independent autopsy, which found a large area of red discoloration in the soft tissue at the back of his head.
Mississippi has not released findings from the state's autopsy.
The preliminary findings from the independent autopsy listed his cause and manner of death as undetermined pending further investigation.
The second autopsy did not have all of Nolan's organs, including his throat. Crump says his team wants to coordinate with the doctor who performed the autopsy to inspect it.
Crump previously told TMZ ... Nolan's throat, lungs and photos from the original autopsy could help answer some of the biggest questions surrounding his death -- including whether he was conscious when he entered the water.
Crump added Thursday that the independent examiner could not determine whether water was present in Nolan's lungs -- which could help indicate whether he drowned. He added that even a drowning determination would not explain Nolan's condition when he entered the water, including whether he was conscious, unconscious or forced in.
Attorney Eric Hertz added that the team is working with the DA, who told them she is willing to consider some of their evidence. He said they are also trying to reach an agreement with the DA and FBI to jointly examine the phones involved in the investigation.
Crump was joined by the families of Daniel Erving and Tyler Smith, two other 18-year-old Black men whose deaths occurred within months of Nolan's.
Erving's death in a Texas lake was ruled an accidental drowning, while police called Smith's fatal Kentucky shooting accidental and self-inflicted -- an account his family disputes.
Evidence-tampering charges have since been filed in the Erving and Smith investigations, but no one has been charged in connection with any of the three deaths.
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