Grand jury finds no evidence of criminal conduct in the death of Nolan Wells

The panel met from Sept. 14 to Sept. 18 and reviewed the case tied to three boats, the Triton, the Palm Beach, and the Tideline, all of which made the trip to or from the island that day. Investigators pointed to multiple autopsies and the location where his body was recovered to determine his cause of death was consistent with drowning, though the official cause remains undetermined.

The grand jury's report stated there was no credible evidence to support public allegations that anyone aboard those three boats engaged in criminal conduct connected to Wells' death. That finding closes the door on indictments in a case that had drawn public speculation in the weeks after his death.

Questions about exactly how Wells ended up in the water remain unresolved for a family already grieving. The grand jury pointed to the absence of other identifiable causes as the basis for ruling out foul play, leaning on autopsy findings rather than a single definitive conclusion.

A teenager went out on the water on Independence Day and never came home. After a five day review, a grand jury still cannot say for certain what happened, only what did not.