A California man has been arrested after allegedly sending a series of threatening messages to a Mississippi judge whose stepson was among the friends with Nolan Wells shortly before the 18-year-old was found dead, adding a disturbing new layer to a case that has already fueled intense speculation across the country.

Joseph Alfredo Vasquez Dumarce, 27, was charged with interstate transmission of a threatening communication after investigators alleged that he targeted Jackson County Chancery Judge Ashlee Cole through Facebook Messenger. Cole’s stepson, Warren Hudson, was among the group who traveled with Wells to Horn Island on July 4.

According to federal investigators, some of the messages allegedly warned that a package would be sent to the judge’s office and suggested it would contain something dangerous. Other alleged communications reportedly referenced Cole’s children, turning what had already been a controversial investigation into a deeply personal threat.

The arrest, however, is not connected to an accusation that Dumarce had anything to do with Wells’ death. Instead, authorities say the federal case concerns the alleged threats made in connection with the growing controversy surrounding the investigation.

Wells, an 18-year-old student-athlete from Mississippi, disappeared after the Fourth of July gathering on Horn Island. His body was discovered two days later, leaving his family demanding answers about what happened during the hours before his death.

The circumstances surrounding Wells’ death have generated enormous attention online, particularly after questions emerged about the events on the island and conflicting interpretations of videos and witness accounts. Authorities have repeatedly stressed that the investigation is ongoing, while no one has been charged in connection with Wells’ death.

That uncertainty appears to have created a dangerous atmosphere around people connected to the case.

Judge Cole had previously spoken publicly about receiving disturbing threats against her family, saying that her family wanted answers as well. Investigators eventually traced the alleged Facebook account used to send the threats back to Dumarce through digital records, according to court documents reported by multiple outlets.

And that is where the story takes another unsettling turn: while the public continues to debate what happened to Nolan Wells, some of the people connected to the investigation are now facing threats of their own.

The federal arrest may bring consequences for the alleged sender, but it does little to answer the central question that has kept the Wells case in the spotlight — what really happened to Nolan during those final hours on Horn Island?

For now, authorities have not publicly released the official autopsy findings, and the investigation into Wells’ death remains active. The threats have created a second mystery surrounding the case, one that investigators are now being forced to unravel alongside the unanswered questions surrounding the teenager’s death.