Nonprofit pays off home for slain MS Coast marshal’s family. ‘I feel so blessed.’
A nonprofit ended its annual season of hope awards by paying off the Jackson County home of slain U.S. Marshal Josie Wells.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation announced the award on New Year’s Eve, fulfilling its promise to pay off the homes of 200 American heroes in honor of this year’s 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
The 27-year-old died March 10 in a shootout with a fugitive in Baton Rouge. The suspect was wanted in a double homicide.
Wells worked as a deputy marshal in South Mississippi for four years.
He was survived by his wife, Channing. She was pregnant at the time of his death.
“I honestly feel so blessed, especially during this holiday season when loved ones grieve during the loss of family members,” Channing Wells said. “Christmas is going to feel a lot different this year, knowing that my forever home has become my forever home.”
Josie Wells, a Pascagoula native, came from a family of law enforcement officers.
His father, Obie Wells Sr., retired from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, and his brother, Obie Wells Jr., is a Jackson police officer.
“I am honored to pay off the mortgage for the Wells family so they can celebrate the start of 2022 without this financial burden,” Frank Siller, chairman and CEO of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, said.
