True Crime

7/24/2026 10:09 AM PT -- TMZ obtained audio from an emergency call where one of Nolan's friends claimed their boat was sinking ... and they sounded panicked.

One of the guys who was with Nolan Wells on Horn Island is going back to the Mississippi beach where he was last seen alive -- and where his body washed up -- and video sets the scene.

YouTuber Brandon Tatum headed out to Horn Island with one of Nolan's best friends, Warren Hudson ... and they anchored their boat and waded ashore in the exact spot where Nolan was hanging out on Fourth of July.

They pan the camera around and show the island -- there are a few other boats there on a Monday afternoon -- and Tatum and Hudson push back on folks who think this was some "secluded" island where Nolan went to party with his friends and no one else.

Mackenzie Shirilla is trying to breathe new life into her latest appeal ... but Ohio prosecutors say she's merely recycling arguments the court already rejected.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office urges the Supreme Court of Ohio to deny Shirilla's motion for reconsideration ... arguing she has not raised a single new issue warranting another look at her case.

Prosecutors acknowledge reconsideration can be used to correct a decision later deemed erroneous ... but say it is not available when someone simply reargues their case.

Nancy Grace is diving into the Nolan Wells death investigation ... and she's not convinced this is a drowning ... raising concerns about some suspicious allegations involving his cell phone.

Nancy had her first segment on Nolan on her 'Crime Stories' show ... and she was particularly focused on his mother, Christine Wonsley, going on national TV and claiming his messages were deleted.

Nancy and her guest -- New York Post correspondent Caitlyn Becker -- said the alleged phone tampering was strange.

An Idaho woman charged with killing her 18-month-old twins and then blaming their deaths on vaccinations had a medical professional in her corner for a bond hearing ... but it didn't end up working.

Here's the deal ... Andrea Shaw faces two counts of first-degree murder after she allegedly suffocated her kids in May 2025 and then claimed they died due to adverse reactions to routine vaccinations.

According to reports, Shaw's bond was initially set at $2 million ... and her lawyer argued for a drastic reduction to $100K on Wednesday -- but the judge ended up revoking her bond entirely.

The Nolan Wells police probe will not be rushed, as investigators are now working with prosecutors to figure out what exactly happened in the mysterious death of the teen ... this according to the Mississippi sheriff in charge of the case.

Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter told ABC News on Monday that it's essential for his investigators not to be put on a timetable and rushed by people who are clamoring for answers.

Ledbetter also called for anyone with information to provide it to his investigators so they can get to the bottom of the puzzling case.

The parents of Nolan Wells want a thorough investigation after their teenage son was found dead following a boating trip to a Fourth of July party spot.

Christine and Elmore Wonsley went on "Good Morning America" Friday and told host Michael Strahan they have a lot of questions and are demanding answers in a case that has captivated the nation.

As TMZ reported, Nolan's body was found Monday after he disappeared during a Fourth of July trip to Horn Island in Mississippi.

Mackenzie Shirilla was under review by Ohio prison authorities after a glammed-up picture of the convicted killer in prison recently appeared on Instagram, but she won't face any punishment, TMZ has learned.

Shirilla, who shot to infamy with her Netflix documentary "The Crash," apparently sent the dolled-up photo of herself from Ohio Reformatory for Women to a family member through a tablet called ViaPeth, which is used by inmates to stay connected to loved ones, according to JoEllen Smith, chief spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. 

Smith said the Office of Victim Services and the Office of the Chief Inspector reviewed the matter and determined that Shirilla did not post the pic herself because "Incarcerated individuals do not have access to social media platforms on the ViaPath tablets."

Courtney Clenney says she wasn't staying silent after allegedly catching beatings from boyfriend Christian Obumseli ... she was texting him about them ... and now she wants to use the messages in her criminal trial, in which she's accused of murdering him.

New court documents, obtained by TMZ, reveal the OnlyFans model wants to introduce a string of text messages backing up her claims she endured repeated abuse before fatally stabbing Obumseli in their Miami high-rise apartment in 2022.

According to the filing, one exchange came after Clenney claimed Obumseli punched her in the face in April 2021. Her attorneys say she immediately fired off a text accusing him of hitting her "in my face as hard as you could" ... while Obumseli allegedly brushed it off, responding he was only trying to move her hand and "really didn't mean to."

Clenney argues the messages show a pattern of him minimizing what allegedly happened.

12:23 PM PT -- Christine Russo joined us today on "TMZ Live" Wednesday, where she explained that Mackenzie's behavior is making a mockery out of their family's tragedy.

Mackenzie Shirilla is posting glammed-up prison selfies on Instagram ... but Dominic Russo's sister tells TMZ all she sees is a convicted killer soaking up attention online.

Mackenzie's new prison selfie and a message saying she's "trying to do better every day and holding on to hope" has Christine Russo demanding prison officials investigate whether she's improperly accessing social media behind bars.

Christine tells TMZ ... "As Dominic Russo's sister, it is heartbreaking to see someone convicted in connection with my brother's death appear to have a social media presence while our family is suffering every day. While my brother is buried, seeing her post selfies, full face of makeup, and bragging how she is famous is painful and, to me, completely inconsistent with remorse."

Taylor Parker's disciplinary file behind bars appears to be remarkably thin ... and the lone conduct report is over her chosen sleeping arrangement ... TMZ has learned.

According to jail records obtained by TMZ, Parker was written up after allegedly refusing a direct order from a correctional officer.

The incident report says the official ordered Parker to stop sleeping on the floor using her mattress ... however, according to the write-up, Parker "failed to obey the order."

Mackenzie Shirilla is sharing a new photo from behind bars ... along with a positive message after suffering a legal setback.

Despite being locked up, Mackenzie's supporters are using her Instagram account. In a recent post, they uploaded a snap of her from prison, explaining she's "trying to do better every day and holding on to hope" ... despite a recent court decision denying her request for post-conviction relief.

Mackenzie's team explained the denial wasn't based on the substance of her claims. Instead, they said the filing was rejected because it was submitted one day past the deadline.

Taylor Parker told investigators her pal Reagan Simmons-Hancock was screaming at her to "take her out of me" while she was performing a makeshift C-section ... while being questioned about Reagan's murder.

TMZ obtained video of the interrogation from a Bowie County court -- taken just days after Reagan's murder in 2020 -- where Taylor describes her version of the grizzly scene, saying she only remembers hitting Reagan in the head with a mason jar before eventually performing the C-section ... at what she claims her victim's dire request.

Taylor says she told Reagan she didn't know how to get to the baby ... with Reagan's only response being, "Get her out of me!" after the two women went at it, shoving each other around, according to Taylor's side of the story.

Taylor Parker sobbed and insisted she's "a good person" ... as she's being interrogated for murdering Reagan Simmons-Hancock and stealing her unborn daughter, Braxlynn, from her uterus.

In interrogation video obtained by TMZ -- from just days after Raegan's murder -- Taylor cried to cops, saying she will "never understand it."

Investigators got Taylor to walk them through the night before the murder ... she says Raegan knew wasn't actually pregnant and was helping her figure out how to prevent her boyfriend, Wade Griffin, from catching her in the lie.

The body of suspected murderer Daniel Robbins was found in a ditch in a remote forest in Alabama ... and his alleged victim's corpse was lying right beside him.

Robbins allegedly strangled a woman -- Jessica Folds -- to death ... and authorities found him dead on June 10 ... his body was in the fetal position next to Jessica's body.

Investigators believe Robbins had a heart attack while disposing of Folds' body.

Newly resurfaced body-cam footage from the Taylor Parker case shows the convicted killer inside an Oklahoma hospital desperately trying to convince officers she had just delivered a baby ... when in fact it was the fetus she had cut out of her murdered friend.

In the footage, obtained by TMZ from the Bowie County Court, investigators are seen at her bedside, explaining the situation at hand -- telling Parker they already are certain she's killed Reagan Simmons-Hancock and stolen the baby out of her uterus ... they're just trying to figure out why, mentioning depression and medication.

Parker appears visibly distressed as she repeatedly insists to law enforcement and hospital staff that she had just gone into labor while driving -- however cops are not buying her narrative, telling her "we know you did it."