Man Indicted by Grand Jury in Connection to Nolan Wells Case Nearly 2 Months After His Death

An Illinois man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in connection to the intense case surrounding the death of Nolan Wells, the teenager who mysteriously disappeared on Mississippi’s Horn Island.

Edward James Porter of Berwyn, Illinois, was indicted earlier this week in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi Southern Division, according to filings obtained by ABC and CBS affiliate WLOX.

As Globe previously reported, Porter was charged last month with transmitting threatening communications in interstate commerce after allegedly calling a witness on July 31 and threatening to kill them and their families.

The calls were made to Bart Edmiston Jr. — a friend of the late 18-year-old — and his father, Edmiston’s attorney Russ Latino confirmed to the news outlet Thursday, August 27.

According to the Sun Herald, the crime carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, plus up to three years of supervised release.

Porter allegedly claimed in text messages that he had the family’s home address, and he also allegedly told Edmiston’s father he would cut up his body and stuff the remains into a suitcase, per the Herald.

It’s unclear if Porter has entered a plea or retained an attorney to speak on his behalf.

In recent days, things have intensified regarding Wells’ unexplained death after he traveled to Horn Island with friends on the morning of July 4 and was found dead two days later on July 6.

Many have said that race has played a factor in how the death of Wells, who was Black, was handled. His friends are white.

Wells’ friends have maintained that the Mississippi college football player opted to stay on Horn Island with an unknown female despite the others getting on the boat and heading back to the mainland.

However, his parents, Christine and Elmore Wonsley have pushed back, saying that it would be unlike their son to do so. They hired civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump to conduct a separate investigation into his death.

Wells’ family is expected to take legal action. The three friends who accompanied Wells to Horn Island have retained attorneys.

The official autopsy for Wells has been completed, but it has not yet been released to the public. He would have turned 19 earlier this month.