By admin 
An Illinois man is the latest person to face a federal charge of threatening to injure and kill witnesses and their families in connection with the investigation into the death of Nolan Xavier Wells, according to records filed in the case.
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Edward James Porter, of Berwyn, Illinois, is charged in a federal criminal complaint with transmitting a threatening communication in interstate commerce to kill or injure two witnesses in the ongoing state investigation into the death of the 18-year-old student-athlete.
Porter also was tracked to a second address, that one in nearby Maywood, Illinois. The two cities are within a five-mile radius.
According to a by Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Christopher Kloc, Porter made threats to two witnesses through phone calls and text messages Friday.
The complaint alleges Porter told one witness he was going to “come kill” the witness and their family and claimed he had their home address. He also allegedly sent the witness a text message containing the address.
Porter is also accused of calling a second witness and threatening to kill and injure that person. According to the complaint, he threatened to kill the witness, cut up the body and stuff the remains into a suitcase.
Investigators subpoenaed records from Boost Mobile and identified the phone number and IP address allegedly used to make the calls and send the text messages.
Before Porter’s arrest, a Sacramento, California, man and a Cincinnati, Ohio, woman were arrested in separate federal cases accusing them of threatening to injure or kill people connected to the Wells investigation.
Those threatened included Jackson County Chancery Judge Ashlee Cole, members of her family and others associated with the case. Cole’s stepson, Warren Hudson, was among a group of friends who spent July 4 with Wells before he disappeared.
In addition, Bart Edmiston Jr., a friend of Wells, received what his attorney called a credible death threat to harm him and his family.
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Edmiston is planning to pursue a defamation lawsuit over false accusations made against him since his name appeared in a Mississippi Department of Marine Resources report after authorities downloaded GPS data from his boat.
Edmiston, 21, helped tow the boat Wells had traveled to the island on after a malfunctioning bilge pump prompted a call to Sea Tow. The friends ended calling off the help from Sea Tow, according to the company.
Porter is the third person arrested on federal charges alleging threats against people connected to the Wells investigation.
Porter is accused of threatening witnesses in Jackson County in the Southern District of Mississippi.
Wells’ case has drawn widespread attention, prompted multiple investigations and fueled unfounded speculation about what happened after he disappeared during a trip to Horn Island with friends.
Wells’ friends returned to the mainland without him, telling authorities he chose to remain on the island. The group also returned with Wells’ cellphone.
Since Wells’ death, Wells’ parents, Elmore and Christine Wonsley, hired civil rights attorney Ben Crump, to do an independent investigation into their son’s death.
An independent autopsy on Wells’ body listed the cause and manner of death as undetermined pending further investigation. However, Crump said, the independent forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy could not rule out foul play.
This story was originally published August 3, 2026 at 10:20 AM with the headline “Nolan Wells case: Chilling death threats from Illinois lead to third arrest.”
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