In a significant development surrounding the investigation into Nolan Wells’ tragic demise, authorities have apprehended a third suspect for allegedly threatening the witnesses. This arrest is the latest in a series tied to the high-profile case.
Just one month following the disappearance of the Mississippi teenager, Edward James Porter faces charges of transmitting threatening communications across state lines, as reported by the Sun Herald and WXXV 25.
According to legal documents reviewed by these publications, Porter menacingly informed a witness of his intention to “come kill” them and their family. To underscore the severity of his threat, he sent them their home address, establishing his knowledge of their whereabouts.
Porter, aged 40, is now the third individual to be taken into custody under similar accusations related to the Wells investigation. It remains unclear whether Porter has contested the charges, and attempts to contact a legal representative for comment were unsuccessful.
Previously, on July 30, Joseph Alfredo Vasquez Dumarce, a 27-year-old from Sacramento, California, was also arrested on a similar charge of interstate threatening communication. This information was confirmed through court documents accessed by The Sacramento Bee.
Dumarce allegedly threatened Judge Ashlee Cole, the stepmother of Wells’ friend Warren Hudson, who was with Wells over the Fourth of July weekend, per the outlet.
Oxygen was unable to determine if Dumarce has denied the allegations and if there’s an attorney reachable for comment.
Also on July 30, Michelle Francine Edwards was arrested on the same charge after allegedly calling the George County clerk’s office several times in July and making bomb threats, according to a complaint reviewed by WLOX.
The Ohio woman is accused of saying “the clock is ticking” in one of 29 calls, per the outlet. Oxygen was unable to determine if Edwards has denied the allegations and if there’s an attorney reachable for comment.
Wells was found dead by a park ranger on July 6, two days after the 18-year-old attended the party on Horn Island. The Mississippi medical examiner has yet to release their own findings from the initial autopsy.
Meanwhile, Wells’ family has raised significant questions and conducted their own independent autopsy, which listed the cause and manner of death as “undetermined,” according to the Associated Press. While forensic pathologist Dr. Robert Mitchell found no signs of fractures or deep tissue injuries, he did report “red discoloration” on the back of Wells’ head.
Mitchell was unable to determine whether Wells was conscious when he entered the water because the body arrived from the medical examiner without key organs or neck structures as officials are still in the process of conducting their own investigation, according to the report obtained by the news outlet.