A California man was arrested after allegedly sending violent threats to the mother of one of Nolan Wells' friends, who was with him the day he disappeared.
Wells, 18, disappeared July 4 after taking a boat trip with friends to Horn Island, a barrier island off Mississippi's Gulf Coast. Crews searched the area for two days until a National Parks Service ranger discovered his remains on the island's northwestern tip July 6.
Joseph Alfredo Vasquez Dumarce, 27, was arrested Thursday on charges of interstate transmission of a threatening communication, according to federal court documents. According to the criminal complaint, Dumarce sent Jackson County Chancery Court Judge Ashlee Cole several threats through Facebook Messenger, including one stating a bomb would be sent to her office.
Dumarce is from Sacramento, California.
"There will be a package coming to your guys office in the next few days," Dumarce allegedly sent Cole on July 11. "It’s gonna blow you away when you see it lol. probably best to have the boys there to see as well."
"Blood. So much blood everywhere. Hard to clean. Especially from a boat. But yours will be quick I promise. I got all your info. Not even the FBI can stop this. Once that package is opened the timer will start. And then you have maybe 10 seconds or less to ask god forgiveness," Dumarce allegedly messaged Cole.
Dumarce also allegedly called numbers associated with the office of the Jackson County Chancery Court on July 11 at 1:27 a.m.
Dumarce was identified by authorities through the email associated with his Facebook account. The charge Dumarce faces carries a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Cole is the mother of Warren Hudson, who was with Wells the day he disappeared. Hudson hasn't been accused of any wrongdoing, and records from the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources indicate Wells chose to stay on Horn Island rather than return to the coast with him.
During a July 22 news conference, attorney Ben Crump revealed that an area of "red discoloration" was found on Wells' head, but said Dr. Roger Mitchell, who performed an independent autopsy, couldn't come to a conclusion on a cause or manner of death "pending further investigation." Official autopsy results for Wells' death have not been released.
Wells was a wide receiver at Southwest Mississippi Community College and had hopes to play at the Division I level, according to Crump, an attorney for his family.
The FBI declined to comment.