Key facts
- Two individuals, Michelle Francine Edwards and Joseph Alfredo Vasquez Dumarce, have been charged with making threats against Mississippi public officials.
- The charges stem from threats made amid the ongoing investigation into the July death of 18-year-old Nolan Wells.
- Edwards allegedly made multiple calls, including bomb threats, to county offices.
- Vasquez allegedly sent threatening messages to a judge whose son was on the boat trip with Wells.
- An independent autopsy found unexplained injuries on Wells's body.
- The case has heightened racial tensions and drawn attention from civil rights leaders.
Two individuals have been criminally charged with making threats against public officials in Mississippi, amid ongoing questions surrounding the death of 18-year-old Nolan Wells. The case has drawn widespread attention since Wells, who was Black, was found dead in July following a boat trip with three white friends.
Michelle Francine Edwards of Cincinnati, Ohio, faces charges for allegedly making multiple calls, including bomb threats, to county offices using a blocked number. If convicted, she could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Joseph Alfredo Vasquez Dumarce of Sacramento, California, was arrested on similar charges after allegedly sending threatening messages to chancery judge Ashlee Cole, whose son was on the boat trip with Wells. The messages included references to a "package" and "blood everywhere."
An independent autopsy, paid for by Colin Kaepernick, found missing neck tissue and unexplained "red discoloration" on the back of Wells's head, with the cause of death listed as "undetermined, pending investigation." Civil rights attorney Ben Crump is representing the family, and civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton has called for answers and justice.
An online fundraiser for some of Wells's friends has collected approximately $94,000 to defend against potential litigation, citing an "unprecedented online campaign of accusations, harassment, threats and defamation." The official state autopsy has been completed, but its results have not yet been released as they have been sent to a grand jury investigating the case.