Three friends of Nolan Wells have sued a TikTok creator they say repeatedly accused them of killing the 18-year-old.
Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo and Morgan Seymour filed the complaint against Sandra L. Butler in Mississippi on Oct. 6, according to court documents obtained by TMZ.
The filing came one day after a separate federal lawsuit against NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Owens. The Associated Press reported that the friends’ lawyers intend to pursue additional defamation claims against people who commented publicly on the case.
The three say Wells was a close friend and deny any involvement in his death.
The Complaint Describes Claims of a Boat Attack and a Cover-Up
The complaint identifies Butler as the alleged operator of the TikTok account “gods_bestgirl,” where she uses the name “Royalty.” The friends allege that Butler accused them of fleeing the scene, tampering with Wells’ phone and lying to conceal a crime. They also say she claimed that one of them picked Wells up and slammed him onto a boat.
One statement quoted in the filing reads, “They are guilty. They did something.” The complaint alleges that Butler continued posting accusations after the grand jury’s decision in September.
The three are seeking monetary damages and an injunction that would prevent Butler from posting about them, contacting them or disclosing their private information.
Owens’ Post Called for Their Immediate Arrest
The friends’ fathers filed the Owens lawsuit on their sons’ behalf because all three are under 21 and treated as minors for purposes of the civil suit under Mississippi law, according to the AP.
That complaint centers partly on a Sept. 26 post in which Owens wrote, “ARREST THEM IMMEDIATELY!! LIKE YESTERDAY!!” He linked to an Instagram video that theorized the friends had killed Wells and tampered with his phone, according to the lawsuit.
Owens had approximately 1.2 million followers on X when the complaint was filed. He had previously pledged $25,000 toward a reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in connection with Wells’ death.
The AP had not received a response from Owens through social media or his listed management company when its report was published.
Hudson Says Threats Reached His Parents and Other Relatives
The Owens complaint alleges that public accusations led to death threats, harassment, ridicule and refusals of service at businesses, according to The Guardian.
In the trio’s Oct. 3 interview with Fox News, Hudson said threatening communications had reached his parents, stepparents and other relatives.
A separate federal case in July involved alleged threats against Jackson County Chancery Court Judge Ashlee Cole, a member of Hudson’s family. Fox News reported that a California man was charged with transmitting threatening communications after allegedly sending messages that included a bomb threat against her office.
Two Friends Returned to Horn Island With Their Lawyers
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Hudson and Pitalo visited Horn Island with attorneys J. Tyler Cox and Edward Andrew Paltzik on Aug. 7. Seymour, whom the lawyers also represent, stayed away because of school obligations.
Cox told TMZ that the visit was emotionally difficult because it brought the two back to the last place they had seen Wells alive. The group spent about three hours on the island, including time near where his body was discovered.
The attorneys examined an area Cox called the “washing machine,” where he said tides coming from different directions created a whirlpool. Paltzik described the water as murky and said he considered conditions unsuitable for swimming during that visit.
The Grand Jury Found No Credible Evidence of Criminal Conduct
Wells disappeared during a July 4 gathering on Horn Island. His friends returned toward the mainland without him, saying he had chosen to stay behind, an account his family has disputed. A National Park Service ranger found his body near the island two days later.
The Jackson County grand jury’s report, made public Sept. 21, records that the panel issued 132 subpoenas and heard from 43 witnesses. Its evidence included cellphone examinations, GPS information, photographs, videos, security footage and other investigative records.
The grand jury unanimously returned a “no true bill,” declining to indict anyone. It found no credible evidence that people who traveled to or from the island aboard the Triton, Palm Beach or Tideline engaged in criminal conduct related to Wells’ death.
The panel found the position, condition, location and time of discovery of Wells’ body consistent with drowning. Both the state medical examiner and the family’s independent pathologist left his cause and manner of death undetermined.
The report addressed bruising on the back of Wells’ head, which the panel found was not fatal. A witness described him falling awkwardly from a boat earlier that day but could not say whether he struck his head. Wells continued socializing afterward, according to the testimony summarized in the report.
Wells’ Family Seeks Further Review as the FBI Stands by Its Findings
At an Oct. 5 news conference, Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley, said the family had been left with “more questions and heartbreak than any answers.” She and the family’s attorneys continue seeking an explanation for his injuries and the circumstances surrounding his phone being returned to the mainland without him.
Attorney Ben Crump renewed the family’s call for an independent federal investigation. Horn Island is part of Gulf Islands National Seashore, managed by the National Park Service. “We have not closed our case, and we refuse to close the chapter of Nolan Xavier Wells,” Crump said.
In a statement to PEOPLE, the FBI said it had assisted in the investigation and agreed with the determination that there was no evidence of foul play or a crime.