A former teammate of Nolan Wells is fighting back against accusations made against him and multiple arrests have been made in connection with alleged threats made toward law enforcement and witnesses involved in the 18-year-old’s death investigation.
The family Bart Edmiston Jr., a punter at the University of Wyoming and former teammate of Wells’ at Ocean Springs High School, has sent a cease and desist letter to New Orleans-based online influencer Kymbra Li. The letter to Li, an online influencer with hundreds of thousands of followers across platforms including Facebook and Instagram, demanded that she stop making statements linking Edmiston to the death of Wells as a suspect.
Edmiston’s family has retained Mississippi attorney and CEO of news publication Magnolia Tribune Russ Latino as legal counsel. The family alleges that Edmiston has received credible death threats after posts were made by Li and others incorrectly calling Edmiston a suspect. Latino, in a social media post, added that a private investigator has been hired to track individuals involved in making defamatory remarks about Edmiston.
Li, on the other hand, has denied wrongdoing. The cease and desist letter is the beginning step of a defamation lawsuit being filed, Latino asserted. If Li does not make her posts private, stop sharing his personal details about Edmiston, and issue a public apology, the family plans to follow through with a suit against her.
“Bart received a credible death threat yesterday because of some of the made up speculation on this and other sites. The FBI, state and local law enforcement have all been activated,” Latino wrote on July 29. “We have hired a private investigator firm to identify and track individuals engaged in defamation against the Edmistons.”
Wells went missing after going on a Fourth of July boat trip to Horn Island with a group of friends. Two days later, he was found dead by a park ranger on the barrier island. Multiple outlets have reported that the state of Mississippi’s autopsy and toxicology report, along with local law enforcement’s investigation into the matter, are complete and will soon be presented to a Jackson County grand jury.
Since Wells’ death, a whirlwind of speculation, allegations, and theories as to what happened on July 4 has taken the internet by storm. Edmiston’s name began to circulate online after some users claimed to have heard “Bart” uttered at the beginning of a call one of Wells’ friends made to Sea Tow. The call was made after the person operating the boat noticed that the bilge pump was not working.
Edmiston, who did not arrive at Horn Island with Wells’ friend group, is said to have assisted them in getting back to the mainland after their boat malfunctioned. Edmiston’s assistance reportedly prompted the group to call off the boat towing service from Sea Tow. That same day, Wells’ friends said Wells had talked with a female on the island and stayed back with her instead of getting on the boat with them.
The Wyoming football player denies any wrongdoing in Wells’ death. His family maintains that he has fully complied with law enforcement and has not once been considered a suspect in this case.
“The Edmistons and the broader Ocean Springs community grieve for the loss of Nolan Wells. They want the truth and peace for Nolan’s family,” Latino continued. “People making things up online that put others at risk are not honoring Nolan’s life or loss. They are not bringing us closer to the truth, but pulling us away.”
The female Wells had been spending time with has been identified as Katie McCormick. Some social media users pulled an old photo of Edmiston with a female they believed to be McCormick and asserted that Edmiston may have killed Wells out of jealousy-induced retaliation. Edmiston’s family, however, contends that Bart did not know McCormick prior to Wells’ death.
Latino further noted that the family is not going to take pity on individuals who claim that they cannot afford to lose a court case, contending that those individuals willingly engaged in reckless slander. The usage of words like “allegedly” and “people are reporting” as a shield to accuse Edmiston of committing a crime without facing legal ramifications will also not prevent individuals from being sued, Latino said.
“That you are young, naive or lack the resources to pay a civil judgment will not deter us from filing a lawsuit against you. This is not about money for my clients. They want to protect their family and they want to curb people who lie recklessly,” Latino added. “If you make up something out of thin air or share something you don’t know to be true, adding the word ‘allegedly’ or saying ‘people are reporting’ will not save you from a defamation lawsuit.”
Arrests made in connection with case
Three people from other states are currently facing charges in separate federal cases connected to threats allegedly directed at a Mississippi judicial building, local law enforcement, witnesses, and families linked to Wells’ case.
Michelle Francine Edwards, a native of Ohio, is charged with transmitting a threatening communication in interstate commerce in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. She is accused of making 21 calls to the George County Chancery Clerk’s Office on July 23, where she reportedly made death threats. That same day, she is also accused of calling in a bomb threat to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.
Edwards currently faces up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and three years of supervised release.
California native Joseph Alfredo Vasquez Dumarce is charged with sending a threat to injure another person. He is accused of sending graphic messages to Jackson County Chancery Judge Ashlee Cole on Facebook on July 11, where he allegedly threatened to harm her family and send a bomb to her workplace. Cole is the stepmother of Warren Hudson, who was with the friend group Wells accompanied to Horn Island on July 4.
Dumarce, who was indicted by a federal grand jury, reportedly messaged Cole using the online handle “yaeyae962.” Law enforcement traced the email, phone number, and IP address affiliated with the account to an address in Sacramento. Dumarce faces the same potential punishment as Edwards.
Authorities also arrested Edward James Porter, an Illinois native, and charged him with transmitting threatening communications in interstate commerce. Porter is accused of threatening two alleged witnesses repeatedly on July 21. A federal complaint revealed that Porter allegedly threatened to kill a witness and the individual’s family during a phone call. He is said to have later texted the witness their home address while claiming he was outside the residence.
He is also alleged to have called the second witness and threatened to kill the individual, along with the individual’s entire household and any law enforcement personnel who happened to arrive at the scene. The threat reportedly grew dimmer, with Porter allegedly expressing plans to dismember the witness and place his body parts in a suitcase.
The arrests and charges come as Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said threats toward investigators and law enforcement officials assessing Wells’ death would be taken seriously. In the meantime, Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley, said her family has been subjected to hateful messages and harassment.
What’s next?
Officials have not released a date when Wells’ autopsy and other investigative material will be presented to a grand jury. Jackson County District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath added that confidential information will remain sealed until the grand jury has a chance to review it.
The Wells family, represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, have called for a transparent investigation with no facts held back as it relates to Nolan’s death. Civil rights activist Al Sharpton, prominent filmmaker Tyler Perry, and NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Owens have pledged a combined $125,000 for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in Wells’ case.
