(NewsNation) — Nolan Wells' smartphone will be analyzed by police and representatives of the Black teen's family as part of a broader inquiry into his mysterious death earlier this month.

Wells, 18, disappeared after boating with friends over the July Fourth weekend, and his body was found in the waters off Mississippi's Gulf Coast. While investigators have said drowning appears to be the preliminary cause of death, his family has continued to raise questions, such as: Why did he go off on his own, and why didn't he have his cellphone?

On Wednesday, the Jackson County District Attorney met face-to-face with Nolan's parents and their legal team. Afterward, the family announced information in the case will eventually be presented to a grand jury.

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The family also said the teen's phone, which reportedly was with Nolan's friends, will undergo a joint inspection by investigators and independent experts. Wells' family has suggested the device could have been tampered with.

Trial attorney Donte Mills, who has participated in joint examinations with authorities, said investigators will be able to determine whether anything untoward happened with the phone.

"It's a little different than when you're talking about blood samples or something like that, where you're passing it around, and you don't want to do that because it could be contaminated," he told "Jesse Weber Live" on Wednesday.

"With electronic evidence, those things are going to be consistent. It's going to show when a text message was sent, what was included in that text message. There's going to be time blocks and things like that that are really difficult to change … almost impossible to change."

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Mills said it's premature to speculate what the grand jury might do once it receives evidence in the case, but he understands why Wells' family is being persistent.

"They want answers. They want to know why this tragic situation happened, and they're willing to do anything to get those answers."

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