Key facts
- Three individuals have been charged with making threats related to the investigation into the death of Nolan Xavier Wells.
- The threats were directed at a judge, a witness, and local officials.
- Edward James Porter allegedly threatened to kill a witness and their family.
- Michelle Francine Edwards is accused of making bomb threats to the George County Chancery Clerk’s Office and Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.
- Joseph Alfredo Vasquez Dumarce allegedly sent a threatening Facebook message to a Jackson County Chancery Court judge.
Three individuals have been charged with making threats against a judge, a witness, and local officials connected to the investigation into the death of Nolan Xavier Wells, an 18-year-old found dead after a July Fourth boat trip.
None of the charged individuals appear to have direct ties to Wells, his family, or the boating group. The threats emerged amidst widespread speculation and scrutiny surrounding the investigation, fueled by uncertainty about Wells' final hours and historical distrust of law enforcement.
Wells, who was Black, had gone to an uninhabited island with a group of white high school friends and did not return with them. His body was discovered two days later. An independent autopsy commissioned by his family determined the cause of death to be "undetermined."
Edward James Porter of Illinois was charged with threatening to kill a witness and their family, and also allegedly made other violent threats. Michelle Francine Edwards of Ohio faces charges for placing bomb threats at the George County Chancery Clerk’s Office and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.
Joseph Alfredo Vasquez Dumarce of California was charged for allegedly sending a threatening Facebook message to a Jackson County Chancery Court judge, Ashlee Cole. Judge Cole, whose son last saw Wells on July Fourth, expressed fear for her children's safety and stated her family was not trying to impede the investigation.