08/17/2026
Nolan Wells' "toxicology early on shows a significant level of blood alcohol, the BAC level as they call it in the body," Chris Cuomo claims information he received from people "close to the investigation uh that the investigators do have more information uh from their autopsy."
In a YouTube video titled "Nolan Wells' Friend's Lawyer Breaks His Silence (Confronting Him)," published August 6, 2026 , on Chris Cuomo's "Cuomo Crime Time" channel, Cuomo had a long talk with Russell Latino, the attorney representing Bart Edmiston, about the Nolan Wells case.
Among those things discussed included Cuomo's insider knowledge of Nolan's alleged tox results, including what Cuomo says would be a high BAC level, and the following other topics, such as content creator Kymbra Li removing defamatory posts about Bart.
Nolan Wells' mom, meanwhile, has maintained that she doesn't believe Nolan was super drunk, from the accounts others have relayed to her.
What will Nolan's tox report actually say?
"I want to be very careful not to name people who haven't already inserted themselves by talking to media because this is a witch hunt," said Latino.
Sea Tow call took place while troubled boat was "still anchored next to Horn Island. So dozens of people that saw what happened there," Russell Latino, the attorney representing Bart Edmiston, in a discussion with Chris Cuomo about the Nolan Wells case.
That's pretty interesting that Latino said the troubled vessel was still anchored next to Horn Island. I know the Sea Tow distress caller said they were in "31 foot of water," and I've learned Horn Island has some pretty steep drop-offs, so it is plausible that they were not aground, but still anchored in 31 feet of water.
Chris Cuomo: "What is your position on the veracity of that sweetened audio?"
Russell Latino addresses Sea Tow audio in a bit, but first says: "...There were more than 20 people between those two boats that witnessed what happened between those two boats that were on those vessels.
"There are in fact pictures of who was on those vessels and video of who was on those vessels. Uh, there were also a lot of people that were in the water. Like when we're talking about the aid that my client provided to the distressed vessel, it wasn't way out in the water. It literally was while they were still anchored next to Horn Island. So dozens of people saw what happened there.
Cuomo: "Understood. Which makes sense because an experienced boater, which these kids are, they go to the island all the time. They fish all the time. They're around boats. You don't take off if you're taking on water. you try to figure out what it is and what to do about it before you leave. I've been in exactly that position. It makes sense that it would have happened while they were still stationed."
"Robert Freed...an audio expert...if you listen to it without the transcript that some people have put on top of it, even the enhanced audio is garbled mess," said Russell Latino, the attorney representing Bart Edmiston, in a discussion with Chris Cuomo about the Nolan Wells case.
Cuomo: "Does your client say he was part of a conversation on that boat about what was done to Nolan Wells and what kind of situation Nolan Wells was in?"
Attorney Latino: "No, I mean we have been vehement that um Nolan Wells was never on my client's boat, that my client never saw Nolan Wells on anybody else's boat. That my client has no idea um the circumstances that led to Nolan Wells death that he did not cause or contribute the circumstances that led to Nolan Wells death."
Cuomo: "Your client was not on a boat with Nolan Wells. He knew Nolan Wells. He was not with him. When your client got on the boat to help, Nolan Wells was not there. True?"
Attorney Latino: "That's correct."
Cuomo: "Your uh client was not present when anything happened to Nolan Wells. Is that true?"
Attorney Latino: "Yes."
Cuomo: "Your client was never part of a conversation where other people were panicked about what had happened to Nolan Wells."
Attorney Latino: "That's correct."
Cuomo: "And no one saw your client with Nolan Wells while the boat was leaving?"
Attorney Latino: "Yeah. I mean certainly not to my knowledge. I can tell you that he wasn't with him when you know--"
Cuomo: "So then it doesn't really matter what the sweetened audio says unless there was another guy with the same name as your client who was on that boat at a different time. Other than that because the Sea Tow call is happening while he's there. So unless it's patched together from different moments, your suggestion is it cannot be accurate?"
Attorney Latino: "Yeah, I I will just say again that my client had nothing to do with the death of Nolan Wells, has no knowledge of the circumstances of Nolan's death, and is was no way involved in covering up or concealing any information that would be relevant to investigators figuring out what happened to Nolan."
Attorney: Bart Edmiston doesn't know Katie. He saw Nolan Wells on 7/4/26. Kymbra Li removed some of her posts defaming Bart--even whilst claiming "bring it on, a lawsuit will make me rich"--and we know her real name.
Kymbra Li may have bragged on Facebook: "BART baby this wouldn't happen to be your lil house on the water with a dock huh?"
And Li published: "A photo of Bart's home with a pool and a basketball goal. Now the Red Herring story..."
But now Li is running for cover and removing offending posts about Bart, so says Attorney Russell Latino, the attorney representing Bart Edmiston, in a discussion with Chris Cuomo about the Nolan Wells case.
Here's a portion of their recent conversation, published in a YouTube video titled "Nolan Wells: Bart Edmiston's Lawyer Breaks His Silence," published on August 6, 2026, on the Cuomo Crime Time YouTube channel.
Cuomo: "Does your client remember uh the last time he saw Nolan Wells at the event? Obviously, he knew he was part of the group even though he wasn't with him specifically because it was multiple people, multiple boats. Does he remember the last time he saw him there?"
Attorney Latino: "Yeah, that what I would say on that is he has told me that he did see Nolan that day, but that they really didn't interact that day. One of one of the things to appreciate here is that my client is 21 years old. Uh he did play football with Nolan Wells in high school. Uh but he was three years older than Nolan. And so certainly my client would consider Nolan a friend. Um but it wasn't it wasn't the same sort of level of relationship. They didn't go out there together that day."
Cuomo: "Understood. There is also a suggestion that your client knew the woman being called Katie, who may have been with Nolan Wells may have been his reason that he didn't want to go home with the buddies who brought him.
Attorney Latino: "Yeah. And so there there have been a number of like just purely made up things. And this is one of the more egregious purely made up things. Um, what happened in this instance, Chris, is that somebody literally went and pulled a picture of my client with a young lady that was several years old and then misidentified the young lady as someone named Katie who um, you know, according to other witnesses Nolan was speaking to that day.
"Um the problem with this level of speculation which has gone on to oh the you know essentially that my client had a relationship with this person named Katie and it created jealousy that Nolan was speaking to her and that that is evidence of motive.
"The problem with that line of reasoning is that the person in the photograph upon which the entire theory is based is not in fact someone named Katie. Um and let me say this because some news organizations have covered this point as if it's a he said she said debate. Journalists are capable of actually figuring out who is in the photograph. Um there are people that they went to high school with who can tell you who's in the photograph. The young lady's mother can tell you who's in the photograph.
"The young lady can tell you who's in the photograph. We've chosen not to use her name because we don't want her to face the same ridiculous level of scrutiny and craziness that's going on the internet. But this is not a he said she said. Like this is a verifiable fact that the person in the photograph that's been used to create this crazy theory is not someone named Katie."
Cuomo: "Right."
Attorney Latino: "Um and it's also a fact that Bart had never met this person named Katie. had no relationship with this person named Katie. Um, it's just literally people pulling things out of thin air."
Cuomo: "Uh, that's the nature of clickbait. Sometimes it's well-intentioned, sometimes it's curiosity, sometimes it's cynicism. Most of the time it's about clickbait for profit. And that's what works. That's what gets you the views and you do not have the same kind of liability uh that I do at NewsNation or I do as a known entity as a lot of these other people. There's not a lot of pockets to tap. There aren't corporations attached. And to that end, uh what we're seeing with you, Mr. Latino, is kind of the new normal, which is I'm going to hire an attorney if I'm Bart or his parents. Uh, and I'm going to go after the people who are going after me, put them on notice to cease and desist their disparaging and defamatory comments, and if they don't, I will sue them for the same. Uh, that has been your approach. Has it changed the disposition? I know one account responded by saying basically, bring it on. Uh, as if they were welcoming of that. What What is your assessment of the situation and in response to that?"
Attorney Latino: "Yeah, I I would say that ultimately issues like this aren't going to get decided on Facebook, but in a court. Um I would say that that same individual did actually take down all of the posts related to my client."
Cuomo: "...and I can confirm..."
Attorney Latino: "...while simultaneously inviting uh us to bring it on. Um, I would also, you know, not that it's my job to give counsel to people who may be on the other side of us, but, you know, those posts are going to be evidence. Um, the post in which people talk about getting rich off of the fact that they're making defamatory comments end up as evidence. Um and I would suggest um that it's evidence that federal judges um probably won't look too kindly upon.
Cuomo: "Yeah. Um [clears throat] the impact on uh Bart, his life. Um how serious have the threats been? I know that there was a suggestion that his accurate address had been put out there. Uh what have been the uh effects of the notoriety?"
Attorney Latino: "Yeah. And so the answer is that his address was put out there. Uh pictures of his home were put out there. Land plats showing where to find the property relative to other property were put out there. Um you know that's doxing. That's all in violation of some of these platforms terms of service. But candidly some of these platforms are slow to act on those things. Uh look, we believe the consequence of that and and some of the things that have been put out there uh are the credible death threats that have been received both by my client and his family. Um I don't want to sensationalize those things because candidly I don't want to invite um other sickos into the fold. Um but they're real and law enforcement has treated them as being real up to and including an arrest by the FBI on Friday."
Cuomo: "And look, it is not a secret. The account, well, there are multiple accounts, but one of them uh is known as Kymbra Li, and she has uh said that every she stands by everything she says, but the posts and the content on that page has changed the last time I checked."
Attorney Latino: "Yeah. I mean, like I said, there have been things removed. There's also been additional qualifications. Um I think in the way that it's getting presented um we know who that person is. Um that is a pseudonym but we know who that person is.
Cuomo: "It is often a pseudonym. It is often that way. Not a lot of people want to own what they put out online."
Attorney Latino: "So let me say this: on there are like three levels of analysis here, right? To us at least. There's the who are the defamers that are just making up things wholesale, right? And then there's a more sophisticated layer of people that we think send signals.
"Who maybe try to skirt defamation but actively send signals that some of these folks who are a little bit off pick up on and run with. Um and then I think there's a third level. Um and you know whether this is moral culpability or legal culpability, we'll find out maybe.
"Um but the platforms that allow for the proliferation of very sensational conduct um defamatory statements um but candidly that have a design that not not only allow for that um but that push that and that that create both a profit motive for the platforms but candidly a profit motive for the people who are creating that content.
BAC LEVEL
Nolan Wells' "toxicology early on shows a significant level of blood alcohol, the BAC level as they call it in the body," Chris Cuomo claims information he received from people "close to the investigation uh that the investigators do have more information uh from their autopsy."
Cuomo was speaking with Attorney Russell Latino, the attorney representing Bart Edmiston, in a discussion about the Nolan Wells case, regarding alleged results of the 1st autopsy performed on Nolan.
"They found evidence of water in tissue and cavities consistent with drowning," Cuomo continued, adding the caveat that the above factors do not conclusively mean no foul play.
Attorney Latino replied, "I'm going to wait till the pathologist puts out the report and I'm going to wait till the district attorney puts out the evidence that they have.
Cuomo: "Yep. I think it look all relevant and of course the shame is that uh this on certain levels doesn't make sense at this point but that's because of all the layers that have put been put on top of the unknown in my assessment. Now, I am hearing uh from sources that I will protect close to the investigation uh that the investigators do have more information uh from their autopsy, not the autopsy, the secondary one that was done uh by the family and their agents and representatives uh which was of course going to be less uh conclusive, less helpful frankly than the initial one because certain things were removed and kept for later investigation, which is very normal. Uh the suggestion that they took things and hid them so the family couldn't uh find things out, I see no basis for that. And certainly autopsies regularly collect tissue samples and other parts of the body for examination. Um you have also heard that they know things about the first autopsy."
ATTORNEY LATINO: "Yeah. So what I've tried to do is not to increase or um worsen a speculative environment. There are things that I know that I think the average person doesn't know.
CUOMO: "I think there are things that I know that the average person doesn't know that are not points of speculation. One that they found now and again this could cut three different ways. They found evidence of water in tissue and cavities consistent with drowning. However, the body was also floating in the water and could have collected water. You could shoot me, I fall in the water, I could have water in become the equivalent of ingested. Not that often, but it happens. Uh in the stomach, yeah, a little bit. depends on the condition of the epiglatus. The lungs more common because there are more entryways that can get to it.
"The second is uh okay so there was water in there and he was drowned but he had help drowning. Um and that the third possibility is that there was water there but it is not conclusive. I am being told it is consistent um with drowning. What that means investigatively is still open to interpretation. You've heard the same."
ATTORNEY LATINO: "Yeah. So, so let me just say this briefly that it's important to recall that even in the independent autopsy that has been made public that um there were no signs of defensive wounds noted by the pathologist. There were no contusions noted by the pathologist. There were no lacerations noted by the pathologist. There was no injury to bone noted by the pathologist. Um, and so I I just want to say that because I understand you're offering a hypothetical by saying you could be shot and then put in water. Um, I I want to be very clear that even the independent autopsy did not have any indications."
CUOMO: "There is no suggestion of gross injury. I thank you for the clarification. I do not mean to suggest otherwise. I'm saying that what I have been told that there is uh evidence consistent with drowning doesn't mean that he drowned necessarily or that the drowning was the cause of death or the water in there was the cause of death. That's I'm just being open-minded because that is the most practical way to be subject to I have not seen the report of the first autopsy. Uh the second autopsy, they did find a red spot on the back of the skull as as as people should be aware. Uh what is that? It could be several different things. It could be uh friction, it could be rubbing uh it blunt force, probably not according to the notes as reported on that second autopsy. Um could have been from sitting on itself uh and lividity, the pooling of uh fluid, blood, etc.
"um but subject to decay and decomposition which gives you a little bit more of a qualified analysis in the second autopsy that they didn't see as much tissue uh availability and be able to analyze it because it had decomposed both before the first autopsy and since the first autopsy and things had been done to the body in the first autopsy which made it harder for the second one. Um that is my understanding uh of it.
"Also uh the headline information not surprising to me is that he was there drinking. He was seen drinking. Um he was known to enjoy drinking and that's what was going on at Horn Island. Uh you can feel any way you want about it but it is as a matter of fact uh what the situation was about. So the toxicology early on shows a significant level of blood alcohol, the BAC level as they call it in the body. Uh you have also heard that. Am I correct, council?"
ATTORNEY LATINO: "I'm going to wait till the pathologist puts out the report and I'm going to wait till the district attorney puts out the evidence that they have.
CUOMO: What's safe to say is you cannot contradict me at this point.
ATTORNEY LATINO: "What I will say is that I think when all of the evidence is presented, it will be overwhelming. Um, and that it will be overwhelmingly clear from witnesses, forensic evidence, pictures, videos, uh, that what my client has said is true. Um, and so you know what I don't want to do, Chris, and I understand that in some ways you're trying to present things that could be exonerating. Um, I don't want to be guilty of the same thing that I'm accusing other people."
CUOMO: "Oh, I totally get it. You are trying to not be what you oppose and you're respecting the process. I'm fine with that. Uh, I'm just saying I'm I'm having it both ways. This is what I've heard. I can advance what information is out there. But I am unlike many people in this space very wary of context knowing that there is water in cavities in the body. I get what it's suggestive. I get that it's consistent. I've seen this many many many times. It does not let me know conclusively uh what led to the water being in the body. That's what I'm saying.
"Similarly, the back uh find the blood alcohol content. Again, I could be drunk as a skunk and you could drown me. So, now I have a very high blood level of alcohol.
Um but I also didn't drown from being drunk. So, you got to stay open.
"Uh very rarely is one piece of information dispositive of an analysis. And I believe that's where we are. Um, and I get that they don't want more information to come out until they're ready to do it and to present it the way they want to. And I cannot uh I cannot question that. But for one thing, council, which is again outside the wheelhouse of your representation, but relevant to you as an officer of the court and as a citizen of the area, coming out of the box hot, saying, "This is tragic. We have the body. Uh, we have no proof at this time of any foul play." There was no need to put that last part that way. They could have just said there was nothing obvious in our uh initial assessment of the body to explain what happened here. We are investigating. I think had they said it that way, this may not have escalated as quickly as it did.
ATTORNEY LATINO: "So what I would say is I don't have the statement directly in front of me, but I think the statement was actually much closer to your version than the version that has been framed.
Um, my recollection is not that authorities ever came out and said there's just no foul play. Point blank. The investigation.
CUOMO: No, they did not say it that way. You're right.
ATTORNEY LATINO: They said we don't have any evidence of foul play this point.
CUOMO: I have no reason to be suspicious of anything that we just heard. Am I open to other suggestions? Yes. About Bard Bart Edmston? Uh, no. not on the basis of what we are assessing. Uh I believe I understand what happened on the boat. I understand why he was there, what he did, what was seen, what was heard. And I do not have any bill uh reason to believe the sweetened audio at this point. Does that mean that nothing bad happened to Nolan Wells? Absolutely not.
"You cannot say that with any reasonable certainty. even knowing what I'm hearing about the initial autopsy findings. Uh that does not lead me any closer to knowing how this happened. But it is really important that just because I don't know doesn't mean I should blame people without basis. That does not help my understanding. In fact, it probably hurts my understanding because now I'm going to have a bias that I have to overcome. And I think there are too many people with too many biases and not enough overcoming. And I think Nolan Wells uh was a tragic episode in life and is a tragic episode in death. And I think his parents have every reason to be agonizing over the unknown. And I do believe that they were not unreasonable in being triggered by what first came out of the investigators. Council and I disagree about that. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe he's right. You can decide that for yourself. You can be the judge, but you would absolutely want answers if you were they. You would absolutely be unsatisfied at this point if you were they. And so would I. So, we have to see what the investigation yields.
"And look, these people online, you know, I'm kind of spare about whose name I put out there and why. You know, you heard the name of the account. Look, all I'll say is this. She can say whatever she wants. She's getting a lot more followers. She's getting paid. She changed the content on that page. She can tell you why. I can tell you why I think she did it. And I think you know the answer to that. Thank you for watching Cuomo Crime Time here."
