AT LEAST TWO PEOPLE CHARGED AFTER ALLEGED THREATS LINKED TO NOLAN WELLS INVESTIGATION
JACKSON COUNTY, Miss. — Federal authorities have charged at least two people from outside Mississippi after they allegedly made threats against public officials amid the ongoing investigation into the death of 18-year-old Nolan Wells.
Wells was found dead on July 6 after disappearing during a Fourth of July boating trip to Horn Island with a group of friends. His death has drawn national attention as investigators continue working to determine exactly what happened.
According to federal court records, Michelle Francine Edwards, of Cincinnati, Ohio, is charged with transmitting a threatening communication in interstate commerce. Prosecutors allege she repeatedly called government offices in Mississippi from a blocked phone number, making statements such as “the clock is ticking,” “die,” and claiming there was a bomb outside one government building. Authorities say the threats prompted a lockdown while officers conducted a bomb sweep.
In a separate case, Joseph Alfredo Vasquez Dumarce, of Sacramento, California, faces the same federal charge after allegedly sending threatening Facebook messages to Chancery Judge Ashlee Cole. The messages allegedly referenced a package that would “blow you away” and contained threats of violence toward the judge and her family.
Officials have not identified any connection between either defendant and Wells or his family.
The threats come as questions continue to surround Wells’ death. An independent autopsy commissioned by his family concluded that the cause and manner of death remain undetermined pending further investigation. Family attorney Ben Crump has said the findings could not rule out foul play and has called for additional transparency from investigators.
Meanwhile, Mississippi officials have completed the state’s official autopsy, but the findings have not yet been released publicly. Authorities say those results will first be presented to a grand jury as the investigation continues.
The investigation into Wells’ death remains ongoing.
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