Nolan Wells Death

A California man was arrested for allegedly sending death threats to the step-mom of one of Nolan Wells' friends ... the woman is a sitting judge in Mississippi, and now we have a visual of the hateful messages.

New legal docs obtained by TMZ show the DMs Joseph Alfredo Vasquez Dumarce allegedly sent Jackson County Chancery Judge Ashlee Cole ... alluding to a package with an explosive device inside.

Dumarce references Cole's family too ... her step-son is Warren Hudson, a friend of Nolan's who went on a popular podcast to push back on allegations Nolan's friends had something to do with his death.

Nolan Wells' friend's attorney hit prime-time TV to slam the enhanced sea tow audio call that appeared to identify his client.

Russell Latino, who represents Nolan's buddy Bart Edmiston Jr., told Chris Cuomo on NewsNation he believes there's "no legitimacy" to the enhanced recording going around on social media, calling it a doctored audio paired with a fake transcript.

Latino argued the transcript is used to convince listeners they hear words in otherwise garbled audio, dismissing the recording as unreliable.

He also defended Bart, saying his client fully cooperated with investigators from the beginning and insisting there's no evidence tying him to Nolan's death.

A California man is behind bars after allegedly sending Nolan Wells-related death threats to the step-mom of one of his friends, who is a Jackson County judge.

Joseph Alfredo Vasquez Dumarce has been charged with interstate transmission of a threatening communication, a federal crime carrying a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

Investigators say Dumarce used the social media handle “yaeyae962” to send Judge Ashlee Cole threatening Facebook messages in the aftermath of Nolan’s death.

Nolan Wells' father says one of the young men calling himself Nolan's "best friend" is no friend at all ... 'cause he doesn't even recognize the kid.

Elmore Wonsley appeared on NewsNation's "Cuomo" Wednesday night, where Chris Cuomo asked whether he knew Tracestin Shepherd, who appeared on "The Officer Tatum Show" and was presented as one of Nolan's best friends.

Elmore says Tracestin wasn't a friend of Nolan's as far as he's concerned, summing it up like this ... "Just because you parked your vehicle in someone's yard doesn't mean that they have to know you."

The OnlyFans model who is on the receiving end of a cease-and-desist letter from Nolan Wells' friend has a message for him ... bring it on!!!

Kymbra Li just responded to Bart Edmiston Jr.'s legal threat ... and pretty much laughed in his face.

The way Kymbra sees it, a potential lawsuit from Nolan's friend is only going to boost her profile ... and he's not going to squeeze any money out of her.

Ben Crump says his team has hired some of the nation's top audio engineers to review the full Sea Tow call from the day Nolan Wells disappeared ... as the family's fight for answers continues.

Crump provided an update on Nolan's case Thursday at the National Urban League Conference ... announcing his team obtained the audio from officials and will have experts comb through the entire recording. He said they are also consulting oceanic engineering experts to determine whether the tides line up with Nolan's body being found near the same location where he was reportedly left.

Nolan's mother, Christine Wonsley, became emotional while describing the pain of going 27 days without talking to or hugging her son ... begging anyone with information to come forward so the family can finally rest.

Nolan Wells' friend Bart Edmiston Jr. is putting his new attorney to work ... and the first order of business appears to be a legal threat against an OnlyFans model who is yapping about the investigation.

Bart's lawyer, Russell Latino, fired off a cease and desist letter to social media personality Kymbra Li Wednesday ... claiming she's been pushing false and defamatory statements about Bart on her social media channels.

In the five-page legal threat, obtained by TMZ, Latino claims Li is falsely claiming Bart helped cause Nolan's death and participated in a cover-up.

The father of one of Nolan Wells' friends is offering a hefty cash reward in hopes of shedding light on the mysterious circumstances surrounding Nolan's death, TMZ has learned.

Dr. Benjamin Hudson, the father of Warren Hudson, tells TMZ he's offering the reward for any information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for Nolan's death -- laying a $50,000 reward on the table for information that leads investigators to whoever may be responsible.

The teen's father also makes it clear his family isn't pointing any fingers ... telling us, "We don't know that anyone had any involvement, but we care about Nolan and want to find out what happened."

Journalist Brandon Tatum says he had no prior relationship with Mississippi Chancery Court Judge Ashlee Cole or Warren Hudson's family before they reached out ... pushing back on claims he was chosen because of an existing connection.

The "Officer Tatum Show" host sat down with "TMZ In the Know" to discuss Nolan Wells' death and addressed speculation Cole sought him out because his conservative politics made him a friendly platform for Warren's family.

Tatum says he'd never spoken with Cole before she contacted him, adding it's only natural for a parent trying to tell a loved one's story to choose someone they trust to present it fairly. He compared it to Nolan's mom, Christine Wonsley, turning to attorney Ben Crump to advocate for her family after her son's death.

Nolan Wells' friend Bart Edmiston Jr. handed investigators a list of potential witnesses and opened up his digital life as authorities probed the 18-year-old's death ... according to a new statement from his family.

The Edmistons say Bart sat for interviews, answered every question and shared his full recollection of July 4. They say he also let investigators view his phone, provided requested photos and videos, and allowed inspections of his boat and GPS device -- all without an attorney, warrants, or hesitation.

His family adds that Bart compiled a witness list -- including passengers aboard his boat. They believe more than 20 people spread across two vessels saw him help another boat that was taking on water near Horn Island.

A friend of Nolan Wells is lawyering up amid a wave of online speculation ... denying a viral photo shows him with a woman some social media users are attempting to link to Nolan's death.

Attorney Russell Latino says the old high school photo does show Bart Edmiston Jr. with a young woman -- but insists she is not Katie McCormick, a woman social media users have attempted to romantically link to both Bart and Nolan.

Latino says Bart has never dated Katie and did not even know who she was before Nolan’s death.

Nolan Wells’ mother, Christine Wells-Wonsley, is making moves in court to get her hands on her late son’s social media accounts, TMZ has learned. 

TMZ obtained court docs filed by Christine on Tuesday, revealing she fired off subpoenas to the companies behind Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Life360, Snapchat and TikTok. During the search, Christine used Life360 to track Nolan's phone and compared the location history between Snapchat and the tracking app, but found that the data didn't match.

The subpoenas request the social media companies turn over all materials and information related to Nolan's account.

There's new video evidence Nolan Wells was not aboard his friends' boat when it was being towed from Horn Island ... which backs up what two witnesses told law enforcement -- Nolan was still on the island after the boat headed home.

Never-before-seen video and photos appear to show Nolan's friends on the boat, preparing to be towed back to the mainland without him ... there are seven people on board, and Nolan is NOT seen in the footage, which was obtained by "The Officer Tatum Show."

The footage seemingly confirms what we first reported ... sources with direct knowledge of the investigation told us authorities have evidence of Nolan being on Horn Island after the boat departed on the Fourth of July.

Nolan Wells was drinking while partying with friends on Mississippi's Horn Island before his death, according to a new report.

Citing preliminary information in a document from the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, ABC News says witnesses told investigators the 18-year-old was drinking heavily with his buddies on the island on the Fourth of July before going missing.  

The document contains an email giving a physical description of Nolan as Marine patrols scoured the waters to try to locate the teen. On July 6, Nolan's body was found washed up on the northwest shoreline of Horn Island ... near where he was last seen alive.

Evidence apparently shows Nolan Wells was still on Horn Island when his friends' boat left ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge of the investigation claim authorities have evidence of Nolan being on the Mississippi barrier island after the boat departed on the Fourth of July ... which would be a huge development.

We're told at least two witnesses who were interviewed by law enforcement say they saw Nolan on the island after the boat headed back to the mainland.

The United Cajun Navy is pushing back against the ongoing debate over claims about Nolan Wells' clothing when he was found, saying the focus on the phrase "fully clothed" is taking attention away from the facts.

In a statement posted online, the United Cajun Navy said Wells was wearing only swim trunks when he was discovered and denied ever telling attorney Ben Crump or Wells' family that he was found "fully clothed."

"Did Attorney Crump lie about UCN? Yes," the organization wrote, claiming it never spoke with Crump and never provided information that Wells was found fully clothed.