Mississippi governor says Crump and Sharpton bear blame for threats in Nolan Wells case as FBI opens probe

The FBI is now investigating threats against officials, witnesses, and families tied to the death of 18-year-old Nolan Wells on a Mississippi barrier island, and the state's governor says two high-profile activists are responsible for inciting them.

Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell confirmed the federal probe on Wednesday during an appearance on Mississippi Public Broadcasting's "The Sit Down," hosted by Magnolia Tribune founder Russ Latino. Tindell told the program that threats have targeted public officials, possible witnesses, people who were with Wells before he vanished, and the Wells family itself. He said the FBI has reached out and is taking the matter seriously at the federal level, while state law enforcement pursues its own inquiries.

Tindell confirmed to Fox News Digital in a separate statement that threats against DPS employees are being actively investigated, and that potential witnesses and their families have also been targeted.

Gov. Reeves names Crump and Sharpton as the source of the problem

Republican Gov. Tate Reeves did not hold back. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Reeves pointed directly at attorney Ben Crump and Rev. Al Sharpton, both of whom have inserted themselves into the case in recent weeks.

"Ben Crump and Al Sharpton are to blame for the threats. They are stoking division for personal gain. It's sad to see, but not unexpected. This is how they've built their careers."

Reeves added that Jackson County law enforcement, the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, and the State Medical Examiner are conducting what he called a "thorough investigation," and expressed confidence they will follow the facts wherever they lead. He noted that the state's top prosecutor, Attorney General Lynn Fitch, "is also drawing a hard line."

Fitch backed that up. In her own statement to Fox News Digital, the attorney general praised the professionalism of local law enforcement and prosecutors and warned that anyone who threatens, intimidates, or interferes with the investigation will be held accountable.

"During an open investigation, it is vital to the cause of justice that everyone respect the integrity of the process. Efforts to intimidate, disrupt, or interfere with the work of our law enforcement and prosecutors and threats to their well-being will be taken seriously and we will hold those who make them accountable."

Nolan Wells vanished on July 4 and was found dead two days later

Wells, an 18-year-old wide receiver for Southwest Mississippi Community College, disappeared on July 4 after joining friends on a boat trip to Horn Island, a barrier island off Mississippi's Gulf Coast. His friends returned to the mainland that afternoon without him. Later that night, one of those friends contacted Wells' mother, Christine Wonsley, to tell her he was missing. She reported it to authorities.

Search crews scoured the area for two days. On July 6, a National Park Service ranger found Wells' remains on the island's northwestern tip. Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter has said investigators believe Wells chose to stay on the island, though the evidentiary basis for that conclusion has not been made public.

The official state autopsy has not been completed. An independent autopsy performed by Dr. Roger Mitchell, arranged by the Wells family's legal team, did not yield a conclusion on cause or manner of death "pending further investigation," according to Crump. At a news conference Wednesday, Crump stated that the independent examination found an area of "red discoloration" on Wells' head.

Tindell traces the threats to misinformation spreading online

Commissioner Tindell attributed the threatening climate to what he described as false information circulating about Wells' death, saying it has incited "rage and emotion." He did not specify which claims he considers false, but his framing aligned with the governor's broader charge that outside agitators have inflamed a grieving community for their own purposes.

Tindell laid out the legal stakes plainly on the broadcast:

"When you make those types of threats against public officials, against possible witnesses, and against, the, you know, the folks that are involved in this investigation and the family, then you are also, committing a criminal act, and that's going to be taken very, very seriously."

The FBI's own statement to Fox News Digital confirmed the bureau's role. The agency said it has supported the Jackson County Sheriff's Office "from day one" and will remain ready to assist as investigators request federal resources. But the bureau drew a clear line between two separate tracks of work: supporting Jackson County's independent investigation into Wells' death, and addressing the interstate threats at the federal level.

"At the federal level, the FBI has been working to address interstate threats that were received by individuals related to this matter, but these efforts are in parallel with Jackson County's independent investigation."

That the threats crossed state lines is what gave the FBI jurisdiction. The bureau did not disclose where the threats originated or how many have been received.

A Democrat congressman and a celebrity attorney push a different narrative

Rep. André Carson, a Democrat from Indiana, accused Mississippi officials of withholding the truth from the Wells family. Carson alleged that state officials retained some of Wells' body parts, which he said left the independent autopsy incomplete and raised more questions than it answered.

"Not only are [Nolan Wells' family] suffering the unimaginable grief of losing a child, they're not getting the truth, transparency, or accountability. Mississippi officials retained some of Nolan's body parts, so yesterday's independent autopsy leaves more questions unanswered."

Carson's claim about retained body parts has not been confirmed or denied by Mississippi officials in the available record. Fox News Digital reached out to both Crump and Sharpton for comment; neither response has been reported.

A memorial service for Wells was held Monday, July 20, in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Both Crump and Sharpton attended, along with Wells' parents, Christine and Elmore Wonsley. The New York Post reported that state officials described the activists' rhetoric around the case as inflammatory, a characterization consistent with the governor's direct accusation.

Open questions remain as two investigations run side by side

Several critical facts remain unresolved. The official autopsy is still pending. The independent autopsy found a discoloration on Wells' head but could not determine how or why he died. No one has been arrested or charged in connection with the threats. And Sheriff Ledbetter's assertion that Wells chose to stay on the island has not been publicly supported with evidence.

The FBI confirmed it stands ready to expand its support for Jackson County's investigators, but the two tracks, the death investigation and the threat investigation, remain formally separate. Whether they converge will depend on what the forensic evidence and the federal threat probe ultimately produce.

Tindell said he believes Wells' mother has also received threats, though Wonsley herself has not publicly confirmed that.

An 18-year-old is dead, his family deserves answers, and law enforcement deserves the space to find them. Threatening witnesses and officials does not get anyone closer to the truth, it just gives opportunists more room to operate.