Nolan Wells Death

Nolan Wells' friends are launching an investigation of their own ... with their attorneys heading to Horn Island to get a firsthand look at where the 18-year-old disappeared, and where he was found dead.

Attorneys J. Tyler Cox and Edward Andrew Paltzik tell TMZ in a joint statement ... they, along with their clients, plan to inspect the Mississippi barrier island Friday as they begin investigating Nolan's death on behalf of their clients -- Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo and Morgan Seymour.

They stress they won't be gathering evidence during the visit ... saying the purpose is to understand the island's "layout and dynamics." Paltzik "needs to lay eyes on the island himself."

The man accused of making chilling threats over Nolan Wells' death had a message for the FBI as he was hauled to jail -- justice for Nolan.

According to a newly filed FBI report, obtained by TMZ, Joseph Alfredo Vasquez Dumarce was arrested July 29 at a West Sacramento, CA library ... and while FBI agents drove him to jail, one agent told him she wouldn't question him about his federal charges -- but Dumarce apparently started talking anyway.

According to the report, Dumarce said he knew "what this was about" and acknowledged his words got him in trouble ... before adding, "I hope they get justice for that boy."

Warren Hudson's family is sharing some of the threatening messages they say they've received since Nolan Wells' death ... and they certainly sound alarming.

Warren's dad, Benjamin Hudson, sent audio to the SunHerald that allegedly features the various threats people have called in, including one that says ... "Justice for Nolan Wells. Son for a son."

Another caller says Ben is the "father of a murderer."

A different voicemail, filled with profanities and vulgar insults, said ... "Don't run now." The caller also said the Hudson family is "gonna get what the (expletive) coming to you."

8/6/2026 1:09 PM PST -- Attorney J. Tyler Cox and defamation lawyer Edward Andrew Paltzik tell TMZ in a joint statement ... We are proud to stand with and fight for three completely innocent young men: Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo, and Morgan Seymour. Starting today, those who wish to continue trafficking in lies about these Good Ocean Springs People will be held accountable to the maximum extent of the law. We, on the other hand, will be focused solely on the truth, which is that these innocent young men had nothing whatsoever to do with the tragic death of Nolan Wells.

Nolan Wells' friends have had enough of being accused online over his death ... and they're bringing in one of President Trump's heavy hitters to fight back.

"The Officer Tatum Show" host Brandon Tatum reports attorney J. Tyler Cox -- who represents three of the young men caught up in the case -- has enlisted prominent defamation lawyer Edward Andrew Paltzik to help defend their names.

Paltzik has represented Trump in high-profile legal battles against CBS/Paramount, The New York Times, and BBC.

8/6/2026 11:56 AM PST -- According to multiple local outlets ... The Mississippi Board of Nursing has closed its investigation into an anonymous complaint filed against Nolan Wells' mom Christine Wonsley.

Nolan Wells' mom, Christine Wonsley, is having her professional conduct called into question ... but her family attorney Ben Crump says it's just a bogus intimidation tactic.

Here's the deal ... Crump announced Wednesday that the Mississippi Board of Nursing has undertaken a professional misconduct investigation into Christine's job performance based on an anonymous complaint filed against her after Nolan's mysterious death.

Crump says the complaint is a "warning shot at a grieving mother, meant to pressure and scare her into staying quiet." He says the person who filed it is too embarrassed to put their name on it.

The federal crackdown over alleged threats tied to the Nolan Wells investigation is expanding ... an Illinois man became the third person charged with allegedly threatening witnesses and their families, TMZ has learned.

According to a federal criminal complaint, Edward James Porter from Berwyn, IL is accused of using phone calls and text messages to threaten two witnesses involved in the ongoing investigation into Nolan's death.

Prosecutors allege Porter repeatedly called one witness Friday ... threatening to "come kill" the witness and their family. The complaint says he also claimed he had the witness' home address before allegedly texting the address directly to them.

Nolan Wells’ mom is pushing back on reports the teen was partying big time before he disappeared and was later found dead ... saying word is he wasn't heavily drinking at all.

Christine Wonsley told Don Lemon ... she spoke with someone who observed Nolan during a Fourth of July party on Horn Island -- and he wasn't acting like someone who was wasted.

As TMZ reported ... some witnesses told law enforcement that Nolan was heavily drinking when they saw him that fateful weekend ... but Christine says she thinks that narrative is BS and doesn't add up to her.

She says ... “If you were in our situation, how would you feel if there were millions of people who were saying, ‘Oh, hey, well, he was at an island. He was heavily drunk.'"

TMZ has obtained the United Cajun Navy's full investigative report into Nolan Wells' death ... and it includes a new photo of the three boats his friends anchored off Mississippi's Horn Island on the day Nolan disappeared.

Check it out ... the photo on page 12 of the report shows the three boats anchored side-by-side -- noted as "Boat #3," the Palm Beach and the Triton -- on the Fourth of July.

The Triton is the boat that took on water before leaving the island without Nolan.

As we previously reported, Nolan's best friend, Warren Hudson, claimed he and other friends begged him to board their vessel to leave the island around 4:30 PM ... but he refused.

The United Cajun Navy's report says the Triton left the island at 4:31 PM.

Nolan Wells' friends want to lawyer up after they say they've been "wrongly blamed" for his death ... and have raised close to their fundraising goal to do just that.

Benjamin Hudson -- dad of Nolan's so-called best friend Warren -- launched a fundraiser on GiveSendGo to cover legal costs of the friends he says have been "targeted" since the teen's mysterious death ... and it's already raised close to their $100K goal.

According to the fundraiser, Warren and Nolan's other friends Jax Pitalo and Morgan Seymour have been facing an onslaught of threats and allegedly defamatory remarks.

An Ohio woman allegedly unleashed a barrage of bomb threats against Mississippi government offices following Nolan Wells' death ... placing nearly 30 menacing calls in less than an hour, according to federal prosecutors.

Michelle Francine Edwards was charged Thursday with transmitting a threatening communication across state lines after she allegedly targeted the George County Chancery Clerk's Office and Jackson County Sheriff's Office.

Investigators say on July 23, Edwards called the clerk's office 21 times in just eight minutes using a blocked number ... allegedly warning employees, "Do not go outside," "the clock is ticking," and "die."

Phony toxicology reports in the Nolan Wells case are spreading across social media ... and people connected to the case are warning everyone not to fall for them.

Russell Latino -- who represents Nolan's friend Bart Edminson Jr. -- sounded the alarm on Facebook ... saying officials have not publicly released Nolan's toxicology results and some of the fakes circulating online look extremely real if you don't know what to watch for.

He ripped the broader disinformation surrounding Nolan's death ... saying it undermines the actual investigation and adding ... "Someone's death should not be your entertainment. Touch grass today."

Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell backed him up in a separate Facebook post ... confirming the purported reports making the rounds are fraudulent.

A newly surfaced video from Horn Island on July 4 may provide a potential clue in the search for Nolan Wells, with footage appearing to show the boat he was allegedly last seen on.

At the end of this clip, the "Mac Daddy" boat is clearly seen -- and appears to match the footage obtained by TMZ from the same day ... which could be the final sighting of Nolan before his disappearance.

The clip was posted by a person who said they captured the footage on July 4th at 11:17 AM, before the area became crowded. In our video, Metadata shows the video was recorded at 2:23 PM ... making this sighting way earlier in the day.

The mystery of Nolan Wells' death has only deepened, and Tony Romo could be out of a job. So we gotta ask ...

Nolan Wells' mom made it clear Friday that the family will never stop fighting for justice for the late teen ... saying, "Your life matters to us."

Christine Wells-Wonsley posted on Instagram, remarking on how blessed the family was to love the 18-year-old ... a heartbreaking message in the midst of so many unanswered questions about his mysterious death.

Christine says ... "Your father and I will always fight for you. Your life matters to us. There’s not a moment that goes by that we aren’t thinking of you. We are truly blessed to have you as a son. We all love you so much 🩵. #JusticeForNolanWells #Forever18"

The United Cajun Navy has been working on Nolan Wells' case since his disappearance ... and now, they're sharing all the information they've gathered with his family and Mississippi authorities ... TMZ has learned.

Brian Trascher, United Cajun Navy VP, tells TMZ … the organization is sending a full report of its findings to the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, the D.A. and Nolan's family.

Brian tell us ... "Since we have been involved in the initial search, we have been getting hundreds of tips, which we have sifted through and compiled a report of our findings. The findings do not implicate anyone or anything and is solely meant as an investigative tool and not meant to draw a conclusion."

We're told the UCN report includes a timeline plus timestamped photos from tips, which came through their website, direct messages, emails, and more.

Nolan Wells' state autopsy report is now officially completed, but the results are still under wraps, TMZ has confirmed.

The Mississippi State Medical Examiner's Office conducted the autopsy on July 7 and has now come to its conclusions, but the agency has not shared them publicly -- not even with Nolan's family or their attorney, Ben Crump.

The revelation comes on the heels of an independent autopsy commissioned by Nolan's family, who tapped Dr. Roger J. Mitchell to examine the 18-year-old's body to determine how he died.