An Ohio woman is facing federal charges for allegedly making dozens of bomb threats to Mississippi government offices that were investigating the death of Nolan Wells.
Michelle Francine Edwards, of Cincinnati, is accused of making 29 threatening calls to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and the George County Chancery Clerk’s Office in July. The calls, made using blocked or masked numbers, contained warnings such as “the clock is ticking” and “Do not go outside,” according to a federal complaint cited by WBTV.
On July 23, the clerk’s office reportedly received 21 calls from a blocked number within an eight-minute span. Later that day, the sheriff’s office dispatch received eight calls made using *67 to mask the caller’s identity in less than 20 minutes. One of these masked calls included the threat, “y’all got a bomb outside, don’t come outside b**ch.”
These threats prompted a building lockdown and a sweep by K-9 units.
Investigators traced the calls back to Edwards after obtaining emergency disclosure requests from phone carriers. Cell tower data from the night of the calls also indicated the phone was located near Edwards's address in Cincinnati.
Edwards was charged with threatening communication in interstate commerce. She faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.
The threats occurred in the weeks following the opening of a probe into the death of 18-year-old Nolan Wells. Wells was found dead on July 6 after disappearing during a Fourth of July boating trip on Horn Island, Mississippi.
Wells, who was Black, was on the remote island with white friends. According to the mother of one of his friends, Wells stayed behind due to a mechanical issue with the boat. While authorities have not indicated foul play, Wells’ family has retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump.
Separately, Joseph Alfredo Vasquez Dumarce was charged with interstate transmission of a threatening communication for allegedly sending death threats and bomb threats to Judge Ashlee Cole, the stepmother of one of Wells’ friends, via social media.