A former football teammate of Nolan Wells is preparing to file a defamation lawsuit against social media users who accused him of involvement in the 18-year-old’s death, an accusation his attorney calls baseless and dangerous.
Bart Edmiston Jr., a 21-year-old punter at the University of Wyoming who played alongside Wells at Ocean Springs High School, said through attorney Russ Latino that he received a “credible death threat” tied to online speculation, and that the FBI and state and local law enforcement have been notified. Mr. Latino said in a Facebook post announcing his representation that defamatory statements “are putting Bart, his family and friends in harm’s way,” according to the Mississippi Free Press.
Wells disappeared July 4 after traveling to Horn Island, off the Mississippi Gulf Coast, with a group of friends on multiple boats. When the boat Wells had traveled on developed bilge-pump problems and began taking on water, Warren Hudson and other friends have said Wells declined to return with them and indicated he would leave later on another boat. Katie McCormack, the woman Wells reportedly stayed behind to talk with, has disputed that account through her sister, saying Wells appeared to believe he was rejoining his friends’ boat rather than intentionally staying behind. A U.S. Park Ranger found Wells’ body two days later. The cause of death remains undetermined.
Online speculation has focused partly on background chatter in a recorded Sea Tow distress call, which some social media users claim includes the name “Bart,” and on an old high school photo purporting to show Mr. Edmiston with Ms. McCormack. Attorney Russell Latino, cited by TMZ, confirmed the photo shows a young Mr. Edmiston with a woman but denied it was Ms. McCormack, saying Mr. Edmiston never dated her and did not know her before Wells’ death.
Mr. Latino denied any connection between his client and the death.
“Let me be abundantly clear, Bart Edmiston Jr. did not kill or in any way contribute to the tragic death of Nolan Wells,” he wrote, adding that Mr. Edmiston “had no motive to do so.”
He said Mr. Edmiston has cooperated fully with investigators, providing access to his boat, GPS data and phone.
An independent autopsy commissioned by Wells’ family, whose preliminary findings attorney Ben Crump announced July 22, found the cause and manner of death undetermined pending further investigation. The pathologist noted red discoloration on the back of the head but no lacerations or fractures, and said the exam was limited by decomposition and by the absence of some organs and neck structures already removed during the state’s autopsy. The official state autopsy and toxicology findings have not been publicly released. Angel Myers McIlrath, district attorney for Mississippi’s 19th Circuit Court District, which includes Jackson County, has said the results will remain sealed until presented to a grand jury.
Other friends of Wells and their relatives have also reported threats. Mr. Hudson, who was aboard the boat that called for help, said he skipped Wells’ funeral out of safety concerns after receiving threats. Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch has warned that people who threaten or attempt to intimidate law enforcement officers and prosecutors working on the case will be held accountable.
This article was constructed with the assistance of artificial intelligence and published by a member of The Washington Times’ AI News Desk team. The contents of this report are based solely on The Washington Times’ original reporting, wire services, and/or other sources cited within the report. For more information, please read our AI policy or contact Steve Fink, Director of Artificial Intelligence, at sfink@washingtontimes.com
The Washington Times AI Ethics Newsroom Committee can be reached at aispotlight@washingtontimes.com.
