Three people with no apparent connection to the case have been charged with making threats against a judge, a witness and local officials tied to the investigation into the death of Nolan Xavier Wells, an 18-year-old found dead after a Fourth of July boat trip to an uninhabited island off Mississippi’s Gulf Coast.

Among those charged is Edward James Porter, 40, of Berwyn, Illinois. According to a federal affidavit, Porter allegedly called a witness on July 31 and threatened to kill the person and their family. He is also accused of telling another individual in Mississippi that he would cut them up and put them “into a suitcase.” Porter was charged the same day in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi with transmitting threatening communications in interstate commerce.

Porter’s alleged threats targeted two members of the family of Bart Edminston Jr., a 21-year-old who knew Wells and had provided assistance with the boat the group used on July 4, according to family attorney Russell Latino. One of those family members is a witness in the ongoing investigation into Wells’ death. Federal agents traced the calls and texts to Porter’s location in the Chicago suburbs and arrested him.

The other two defendants are Michelle Francine Edwards of Ohio and Joseph Alfredo Vasquez Dumarce of California. Edwards allegedly placed bomb threats against the George County Chancery Clerk’s Office and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office on July 23. Court records say she called the clerk’s office 21 times, telling a recipient “the clock is ticking,” “do not go outside,” and other threatening statements.

Dumarce is accused of sending a threatening Facebook message to Jackson County Chancery Court Judge Ashlee Cole on or around July 11, stating that a bomb would be mailed to the judge’s office. Cole, whose son was among the group of friends who traveled to the island with Wells, posted a screenshot of the message and later deactivated her Facebook account, saying she feared for the safety of her children. She has stated that her son cooperated fully with investigators and that her family is not trying to impede the probe.

None of the three defendants appear to know Wells, his family or the boating group, and none are part of the official investigation. The threats emerged amid intense public scrutiny and speculation surrounding the case. Wells, who was Black, went to the island on July 4 with a group of high school friends who were white. He did not return with them that evening. His body was recovered two days later off the island’s coast.

Authorities have made no arrests and named no suspects in Wells’ death. An independent autopsy commissioned by the family listed the cause of death as “undetermined” pending further investigation. The case has drawn national attention, with Wells’ family expressing distrust of local law enforcement’s handling of the matter, citing Mississippi’s history of racial violence. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump has been representing the family.

A federal judge in Mississippi has ordered that Porter remain in custody pending a detention hearing, overriding an earlier decision in Illinois that would have allowed bond. Prosecutors argued that releasing him posed a risk given the nature of the alleged threats.

Attempts to reach the three defendants for comment were unsuccessful. Phone numbers listed in court documents were inactive or went unanswered, and emails received no response. It remains unclear whether any of them have retained attorneys. The charges against the three individuals are separate from the main investigation into how Nolan Wells died, which continues.

Main Sources : ABC7 Chicago