{"id":30677,"date":"2026-08-07T04:51:27","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T23:51:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=30677"},"modified":"2026-08-07T04:51:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T23:51:27","slug":"third-arrest-made-in-nolan-wells-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=30677","title":{"rendered":"Third Arrest Made In Nolan Wells Case"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"listicle-slide\" data-page-number=\"0\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" height=\"350\" width=\"660\" src=\"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/08\/17860386030123.jpg?w=660&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump Holds News Conference On Death Of Nolan Wells In Mississippi\" class=\"wp-image-1684825\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.500053268937107;width:840px;height:auto\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: Scott Olson \/ Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One month after Nolan Wells disappeared and was found dead on Horn Island\u00a0in Mississippi, garnering nationwide attention\u00a0around the circumstances surrounding his death and the \u201cfriends\u201d he was last seen with, a third person has been arrested for allegedly threatening witnesses in the highly controversial case.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After celebrating July 4 with his friends, the 18-year-old, a student and wide receiver at Southwest Mississippi Community College, was\u00a0found dead\u00a0on the northwest end of the island on July 6 and identified using dental records. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since then, his family has <a href=\"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/1681982\/nolan-wells-mother-christine-wonsley-hate-mail\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"1681982\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">received death threats<\/a> and faced online abuse, with Nolan\u2019s mother, Christine Wonsley, revealing that they have received anonymous hate mail.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>RELATED CONTENT: <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/nolan-wells-case-third-arrest-made-12033789\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u2018Not Bold Enough To List Your Return Address\u2019 \u2014 Nolan Wells\u2019 Mother Claps Back At Hate Mail Mocking Ben Crump &amp; Al Sharpton<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"listicle-slide\" data-page-number=\"1\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"941\" height=\"860\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17836963099179_84628c.png?w=492&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"A young man wearing a &quot;Seaside&quot; t-shirt standing in front of a brick building.\" class=\"wp-image-1682021\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.0935444579780755;width:840px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17836963099179_84628c.png?strip=all&amp;quality=80 941w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17836963099179_84628c.png?resize=153%2C140&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 153w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17836963099179_84628c.png?resize=378%2C345&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 378w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17836963099179_84628c.png?resize=768%2C702&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 768w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17836963099179_84628c.png?resize=492%2C450&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 492w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17836963099179_84628c.png?resize=180%2C165&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 180w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17836963099179_84628c.png?resize=109%2C100&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 109w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17836963099179_84628c.png?resize=219%2C200&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 219w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17836963099179_84628c.png?resize=55%2C50&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 55w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17836963099179_84628c.png?resize=525%2C480&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 525w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17836963099179_84628c.png?resize=657%2C600&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 657w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17836963099179_84628c.png?resize=450%2C411&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 450w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17836963099179_84628c.png?resize=600%2C548&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 600w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17836963099179_84628c.png?resize=900%2C823&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 900w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17836963099179_84628c.png?resize=250%2C228&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 250w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17836963099179_84628c.png?resize=161%2C147&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 161w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17836963099179_84628c.png?resize=245%2C224&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 245w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17836963099179_84628c.png?resize=94%2C86&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 94w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17836963099179_84628c.png?resize=144%2C132&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 144w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17836963099179_84628c.png?resize=50%2C46&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 941px) 100vw, 941px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: Christine Wonsley \/ Facebook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most recently, Edward James Porter, 40, was arrested on charges of transmitting threatening communications in interstate commerce, the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sunherald.com\/news\/local\/counties\/jackson-county\/article316749408.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Sun Herald<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wxxv25.com\/illinois-man-charged-with-making-threats-against-witness-connected-to-nolan-wells-investigation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">WXXV 25<\/a>\u00a0reported on Tuesday, Aug. 4, citing court records.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to court documents obtained by the\u00a0<em>Sun Herald<\/em>\u00a0and WXXV 25, Porter allegedly told a witness he would \u201ccome kill\u201d them and their family, then sent the witness their home address to show that he knew where they lived.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two other people have already been arrested on similar charges connected to the case.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Thursday, July 30,\u00a0Joseph Alfredo Vasquez Dumarce, 27, of Sacramento, Calif., was arrested on a charge of interstate transmission of threatening communication for allegedly threatening Judge Ashlee Cole, the stepmother of Nolan\u2019s friend\u00a0Warren Hudson, who was on Horn Island with him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dumarce is accused of sending Cole a message on Facebook, claiming he had sent her a package that \u201cwould blow you away,\u201d investigators said, according to a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/crime\/2026\/08\/01\/nolan-wells-threats-arrests\/91135666007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>USA Today<\/em>\u00a0<\/a>report.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Michelle Francine Edwards\u00a0of Cincinnati, Ohio, has also been arrested on the same charge after allegedly calling the George County clerk\u2019s office several times in July and making bomb threats, including saying \u201cthe clock is ticking,\u201d according to a criminal complaint previously cited by the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sunherald.com\/news\/local\/counties\/jackson-county\/article316736005.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Sun Herald<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It wasn\u2019t immediately clear if any of them have entered pleas or retained attorneys to speak on their behalf.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"listicle-slide\" data-page-number=\"2\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" height=\"315\" width=\"660\" src=\"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17835451440201_05c112-e1784502090132.png?w=660&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"Three people posing together, two men and one woman, in formal attire against a bamboo backdrop.\" class=\"wp-image-1681986\" style=\"aspect-ratio:2.095595919382931;width:840px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17835451440201_05c112-e1784502090132.png?strip=all&amp;quality=80 1040w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17835451440201_05c112-e1784502090132.png?resize=153%2C73&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 153w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17835451440201_05c112-e1784502090132.png?resize=378%2C180&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 378w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17835451440201_05c112-e1784502090132.png?resize=768%2C366&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 768w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17835451440201_05c112-e1784502090132.png?resize=660%2C315&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 660w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17835451440201_05c112-e1784502090132.png?resize=180%2C86&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 180w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17835451440201_05c112-e1784502090132.png?resize=210%2C100&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 210w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17835451440201_05c112-e1784502090132.png?resize=419%2C200&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 419w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17835451440201_05c112-e1784502090132.png?resize=105%2C50&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 105w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17835451440201_05c112-e1784502090132.png?resize=720%2C343&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 720w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17835451440201_05c112-e1784502090132.png?resize=900%2C429&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 900w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17835451440201_05c112-e1784502090132.png?resize=450%2C215&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 450w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17835451440201_05c112-e1784502090132.png?resize=600%2C286&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 600w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17835451440201_05c112-e1784502090132.png?resize=250%2C119&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 250w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17835451440201_05c112-e1784502090132.png?resize=308%2C147&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 308w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17835451440201_05c112-e1784502090132.png?resize=245%2C117&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 245w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17835451440201_05c112-e1784502090132.png?resize=144%2C69&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 144w, https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/07\/17835451440201_05c112-e1784502090132.png?resize=50%2C24&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: Wells Family GoFundMe \/ Screenshot<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nolan\u2019s death has sparked discussions about race and interracial friendships because he was the only Black person among a group of all-white people who all returned from the island without incident.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After learning that Nolan left his phone with friends and stayed on Horn Island while the rest of the group left by boat, his family became concerned. Hudson previously said the phone was later returned to them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, who is representing the Wells\u2019 family, questioned why a teenager would put a phone down, while Nolan\u2019s parents have said their son leaving his phone on the boat is very uncharacteristic. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No charges have been filed in connection with Nolan\u2019s death. The official state autopsy has been completed, but its findings have not been made public or shared with his family, according to their attorney.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s interesting how authorities have been able to figure out who sent death threats to the witnesses, press charges, and make arrests, but not anyone who\u2019s threatened Nolan\u2019s family. Just another example of the many inequities that this case continues to expose.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>RELATED CONTENT: <a href=\"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/1680596\/nolan-wells-black-parents-op-ed\/\">Nolan Wells Didn\u2019t Just Break Our Hearts \u2014 He Reminded Black Parents Why We\u2019ve Always Said \u2018No\u2019 [Op-Ed]<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Source: Scott Olson \/ Getty One month after Nolan Wells disappeared and was found dead on Horn Island\u00a0in Mississippi, garnering nationwide attention\u00a0around the circumstances surrounding his death and the \u201cfriends\u201d he was last seen with, a third person has been arrested for allegedly threatening witnesses in the highly controversial case. After celebrating July 4 with&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30678,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/madamenoire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/08\/17860386030123-e1786038679272.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&w=1024&crop=0,0,100,543px","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-gossip"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30677","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=30677"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30677\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/30678"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30677"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30677"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30677"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}