IF ALCOHOL OR DRUGS PLAYED A ROLE, WHO SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE?

If investigators ultimately determine that alcohol or drugs contributed to Nolan Wells’ death, then another difficult question must be answered.

Where did those substances come from?

Nolan was only 18 years old.

Reports have described alcohol use during the July 4 gathering, but his exact level of intoxication and the role, if any, that substances played in his death remain matters for investigators to establish.

The independent autopsy did not determine a cause or manner of death, and the official investigation remains ongoing.

So the facts matter.

If someone illegally supplied controlled substances to Nolan, that person should be investigated.

If alcohol was provided unlawfully to a minor, that should also be examined under the applicable law.

But accountability must follow evidence—not assumptions about who was responsible.

The same standard should apply regardless of Nolan’s race, the race of the people around him, or the public pressure surrounding this case.

His mother deserves closure.

His family deserves transparency.

And if someone contributed to Nolan’s death through illegal conduct, they deserve to be held accountable through the justice system.

But before anyone is arrested or accused, investigators must establish what Nolan actually consumed, who supplied it, whether it contributed to his death, and what the evidence proves.

Those answers could matter enormously.

Because Nolan’s family is not simply asking for a theory.

They are asking for the truth.