The mother of Nolan Wells has become the focus of a misconduct investigation following an anonymous complaint.

Christine Wells Wonsley, a family nurse practitioner in Ocean Springs, was told that the Mississippi Board of Nursing had launched a professional misconduct investigation into her, according to the family’s attorney Ben Crump.

The probe comes a month after her 18-year-old son, Nolan Wells, was found dead following a Fourth of July celebration on Horn Island with friends.

In a statement shared on Instagram Wednesday, Crump called the complaint a ‘warning shot’ intended to ‘intimidate’ the grieving mother into silence as she fights for answers surrounding her son’s death.

‘Christine Wells Wonsley was robbed of her son one month ago, almost to the day. She has spent every moment since asking one question: What happened to Nolan?’ Crump wrote.

‘Now, someone is going after her nursing license, anonymously, without the courage to put a name on it.

‘It is a distraction, it is intimidation, and we will not let it stand.’

Crump also claimed that Wonsley had not previously been subject to a complaint about her work.

She stepped away from her job after her son’s body was found off Mississippi’s Gulf Coast on July 6.

Crump Highlights Timing of Complaint

‘Nothing about her practice changed. The only thing that changed is that she started asking questions,’ Crump said.

‘As she continues to grieve her son and seek answers, she is now also forced to defend her professional record,’ he added. ‘No family should accept that, and no institution should tolerate it.’

‘No family should have to fight this battle while burying their child. We will keep demanding the facts until Christine knows how her son died.’

Crump also highlighted the timing of the complaint, arguing it was a sign that the family’s questions about what happened during the Fourth of July weekend are striking a nerve.

‘It tells us the question matters and the answer is scaring somebody,’ he said.

‘Attacking a grieving mother’s career does not answer the question of what happened to Nolan.’

The Mississippi Board of Nursing said that, under state law, all investigations are confidential and that it is required to review every complaint it receives.

Hours after news of the misconduct investigation became public, Wonsley released a statement on Facebook claiming that the case had officially been closed.

‘Update: the professional misconduct case that was opened due to an anonymous complaint has been CLOSED by the MS Board of Nursing. Thank you to all of those who have constantly kept us in your prayers,’ she wrote.

‘This definitely has added more hurt to an already devastating time because I love my job and I love my patients,’ she added.

The Daily Mail has contacted the Mississippi Board of Nursing to confirm if the investigation into Wonsley has been closed.

Parents Continue Search For Answers

Wonsley also released a separate statement saying that she remains employed and had only stepped away from her duties temporarily amid the investigation.

‘Memorial Health System has been incredibly accommodating and supportive during this difficult time as I navigate the trauma of losing my son, along with the public scrutiny I have been experiencing,’ she wrote. ‘For that, I am sincerely grateful.’

In the weeks since their son’s death, Wonsley and her husband, Elmore Wonsley, have continued their public search for answers through the media – a push that has drawn significant backlash, including racist attacks.

On July 4, Wells traveled by boat to Horn Island with a group of friends but never made the 10-mile journey back to the mainland with them. His body was recovered two days later near the area where he was last seen.

Some of his friends said he chose to stay behind after meeting a young woman. Meanwhile, the woman, identified as 19-year-old Katie McCormack, said she assumed Wells would return to the boat and leave with his group.

Wells’ parents have also publicly questioned his friends’ accounts, insisting that their son would not have voluntarily separated from the group he traveled with.

Authorities believe the teen died by drowning, with Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter saying there was no initial evidence of foul play.

Although an official autopsy has been completed, the findings have not yet been released. The report will now be presented to a grand jury, which is standard practice in the county for deaths not caused by natural causes.

An independent autopsy commissioned by the family listed Wells’ manner and cause of death as undetermined pending further investigation, while finding no evidence of fractures or deep tissue injuries.

However, a ‘red discoloration’ found on the back of Wells’ skull warrants further investigation, according to forensic pathologist Dr Roger Mitchell.

Third Person Charged Over Alleged Witness Threats

The investigation remains ongoing, but several people have already been arrested as part of a federal crackdown over allegations they threatened witnesses in the aftermath of Wells’ death.

Earlier this week, Edward James Porter of Berwyn, Illinois, became the third person charged with allegedly threatening witnesses and their families, according to a federal criminal complaint obtained by TMZ.

He is accused of using phone calls and text messages to threaten two witnesses involved in the investigation, and allegedly told one witness during a Friday phone call that he would ‘come kill’ them.

The documents also alleged that he made a second call to another witness, issuing similar threats and claiming he would kill everyone inside the home – including any police officers who responded.

Federal authorities claimed that he planned to dismember the witness’s body and stuff the remains into a suitcase, according to the outlet.

Last month, Wonsley’s legal team issued subpoenas to multiple social media and tech companies in a bid to obtain records from her son’s accounts, according to court records obtained by ABC News.

The filings, submitted in Mississippi State Chancery Court, seek records from Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp – all owned by Meta – along with Snapchat, TikTok and the GPS location-tracking and family safety app Life360.

They seek messages, photos and videos exchanged through Wells’ accounts, along with GPS location data and timestamps that could shed light on the final moments before his death.

According to court documents, each company has 21 days from receiving the subpoenas to provide the requested documents, electronically stored information, records and other materials to Wonsley’s legal team for review.

The petition comes after an interview with Good Morning America on July 10, where Wonsley revealed that, after recovering Wells’ phone from one of his friends, the family discovered some text messages and Snapchat messages had been deleted.

‘When we finally got his phone, me and my sister went through the phone. We went in his Snapchat. He had two accounts. Absolutely nothing,’ Wonsley said, according to the outlet.