Families of 3 Chiefs Fans Found Frozen Left Distraught After Examiner Gives Rough News - 'Died a Tragic Death'
Editor’s Note: Our readers responded strongly to this story when it originally ran; we’re reposting it here in case you missed it.
In the six months since three Kansas City Chiefs fans were found dead in a friend’s backyard after gathering to watch their favorite football team play, the victims’ families are apparently no closer to getting answers about the tragic incident.
As of mid-July, “the families of those three dead men have few answers, and they say their questions are being ignored,” local news outlet WDAF-TV reported.
The frozen bodies of David Harrington, 37, Ricky Johnson, 38, and Clayton McGeeney, 36, were found Jan. 9 in the backyard of a home rented by their friend Jordan Willis.
They had gathered at the home two days earlier, along with a fifth friend, to watch the Chiefs play the Los Angeles Chargers. An attorney for that fifth friend said the other four had been watching “Jeopardy!” when he had left the watch party at about midnight Jan. 7.
Kansas City Chiefs fan found frozen to death ‘saw something they shouldn’t have,’ parents claim https://t.co/poscCJ6pgx pic.twitter.com/PTgYdGOu5N
— New York Post (@nypost) January 27, 2024
For the next two days, family members of the three men called and came by Willis’ home, trying to reach their loved ones. Finally, McGeeney’s fiancee spotted a body in the yard and called police on Jan. 9.
Willis, described in media reports as “an HIV researcher,” reportedly claimed he had gone to bed Jan. 7, but said he had told the remaining three guests they could stay there as long as they wanted. He professed to have had no knowledge that the three were dead in his backyard until the police showed up two days later.
The families were verbally notified in February that preliminary toxicology reports showed cocaine, THC and fentanyl had been found in the men’s bodies.
McGeeney’s cousin, Caleb McGeeney, told NewsNation at the time that he believed Willis’ experience as a chemist was to blame for the deaths. “Jordan is somebody that is known from high school as, like, creating drugs for people, to make them feel better in certain situations,” he told the news outlet.
Meanwhile, Fox News reported Jan. 31 that Willis had viewed his friends’ deaths as a “wake-up call” and checked himself into rehab as a way of “facing his addiction head-on.”
Family members discovered in July that the autopsy reports had been finalized within a few weeks of the men’s deaths, unbeknownst to them.
“Yes, our office finalized cause and manners of death for all three of the referenced decedents,” Kelsie Gwartney, administrator at Forensic Medical of Kansas, told WDAF in a statement.
However, she added, “All three cases are under suppression status and not open records available for release at this time.”
The news outlet said a lawyer connected to the case speculated that “due to the amount of time that has passed and the lack of communication from police and prosecutors, it leads him to believe charges may never come.”
Harrington’s mother, Jennifer Marquez, told the station, “Through this whole thing, I’ve had a hard time getting anybody to answer me.”
McGeeney’s uncle, Jim McGeeney, complained, “My nephew died a tragic death along with two of his friends, and nobody is being held accountable.”
Johnson’s father, Ricky Johnson Sr., said the case had been turned over to the Kansas City Police Department’s drug task force, according to Fox News Digital.
“I think they need to arrest the guy and get him to talk,” he told the news outlet.
“My attorney told me to give more time [for police] to finish the investigation — [I’m] not pleased, but I’ll wait a little longer.”
Kansas City Police Department Sgt. Phil DiMartino said, “There are no updates at this time.”
“This case remains active and ongoing. Investigators continue to follow all leads. Our agency remains in contact and continues to work with the Platte County Prosecutor’s office for review of any applicable charges.”
The police department told Fox News Digital that the cases are “100 percent not being investigated as homicide[s].”
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
