Well, well, well. It appears that Al Sharpton and attorney Benjamin Crump might have stirred the pot a little too vigorously this time, because now the FBI is poking around. According to Conservative Brief, the bureau has opened an investigation into threats targeting people connected to the disappearance and death of 18 year old Nolan Wells in Mississippi.
Wells vanished on July 4 after heading out with friends on a boating excursion to Horn Island, a barrier island situated off the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. Search crews spent two days scouring the area before a National Park Service ranger located his body on the island's northwestern tip on July 6.
Now here's where things get spicy. Mississippi's Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell went on Mississippi Public Broadcasting's program called "The Sit Down" and confirmed that the FBI is looking into threats lobbed at public officials, the individuals who were alongside Wells before he went missing, and their relatives. Tindell noted that threatening public officials and potential witnesses is, shockingly, a criminal offense. Someone should probably put that on a poster.
Tindell also pointed to what he called "false information" spreading about the case, which has apparently whipped people into such a frenzy that his office got flooded with calls, some of which he characterized as outright threats. He also believes Wells' mother, Christine Wonsley, has been on the receiving end of threats too.
Governor Tate Reeves, a Republican, decided not to mince words whatsoever. He told Fox News Digital that Crump and Sharpton bear responsibility for fanning the flames that led to the threatening behavior. "They are stoking division for personal gain," Reeves stated, adding that this pattern is essentially their entire career playbook. Whether you agree with that assessment or not, the governor clearly wasn't interested in being diplomatic about it.
Reeves expressed confidence that Jackson County law enforcement, the state's Department of Public Safety, and the Medical Examiner are conducting a comprehensive investigation and will follow the evidence wherever it goes.
Meanwhile, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch basically drew a line in the sand, declaring that anyone who threatens law enforcement working on this case will face consequences. She praised the professionalism of investigators and prosecutors, emphasized the importance of respecting the integrity of an active investigation, and warned that intimidation tactics or interference won't be tolerated.
Fitch also acknowledged the human tragedy at the center of all this noise, saying "A bright young life has been lost" and extending prayers to the family.
So to recap the situation: a teenager tragically lost his life, an investigation is underway, the FBI got called in because people started making threats, and now politicians are pointing fingers at activists for pouring gasoline on an already emotional situation. Just another totally normal week in American public life, where grief somehow always gets turned into a political circus before the facts even come in.
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