The deaths of Ricky Johnson, 38, Clayton McGeeney, 36, and David Harrington, 37, are still seeped in mystery. The three men froze to death while watching the final regular season game for the Kansas City Chiefs on January 7. They watched the Chiefs-Charger game at a house rented by Jordan Willis on N.W. 83rd Terrace and N. Overland Drive in Platte County. The bizarre nature of the deaths, the length of time it took to discover them, along with their proximity to the home, and the slow release of information during this ongoing investigation have led to wild, unsubstantiated theories from family members. The three men were found in the backyard of Willis's house, having frozen to death. The bodies were there for two days.
One suspicion was that narcotics were involved, though family members denied their loved ones were drug users. Yet, the lack of urgency exhibited by the men if anything was wrong is an odd detail. They were freezing to death, but no signs of forced entry to re-enter the home were present. Police said this wasn’t a homicide investigation and that there was no evidence of foul play. The toxicology report was going to be the crucial piece to offer some direction and insight into how these men died, and lo and behold, something many had long suspected was discovered. It was released on February 1 (via NY Post):
Toxicology report back on 3 Kansas City Chiefs fans found dead https://t.co/NuacbVIiS9 pic.twitter.com/U5d8fpiufB
— KFOR (@kfor) February 1, 2024
NEW: Footage shows police cuffing and then releasing HIV scientist after finding 3 dead Kansas City Chiefs fans in his backyard.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 30, 2024
Bizarre.
Clayton McGeeney, David Harrington and Ricky Johnson mysteriously died in scientist Jordan Willis' backyard.
The most alarming fact about… pic.twitter.com/PViBJbvqN1
The parents of one of three Kansas City Chiefs fans found dead in a scientist friend’s backyard say that toxicology reports suggesting they took a deadly mix of drugs only prove “there’s more to the story.”
David Harrington’s parents insisted there was no closure from reports Friday saying that their 37-year-old son and friends Ricky Johnson, 38, and Clayton McGeeney, 36, had three times the lethal level of fentanyl as well as THC and cocaine in their systems.
“What matters is that he didn’t take that to die,” stepmom Theresa Harrington told NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo.
“It just means that there’s more to the story, there’s more to it than just that.
“He didn’t take that to die,” she continued. “If he took the drugs on his own, he took them to get high.”
Harrington said her son “wasn’t a drug addict or anything like that,” and suggested he may have taken the lethal combination of drugs under “peer pressure.”
Her husband, Jon, also said the toxicology reports do not fully explain how their son and his friends were found frozen and dead days after visiting their friend Jordan Willis.
“Somebody gave them something that would kill them,” he insisted, saying he believes the dead men likely “got them there” at the watch party while conceding he has no way of knowing for sure.
Ricky Johnson didn’t show up for work at his family’s construction company, which set off suspicions, along with unanswered texts, messages, and knocks at the door from family members. Willis’ attorney, John Picerno, explained that his client only left his bedroom sporadically on the days when family members were looking for the three men, having been sleeping most of the time.
When police arrived, Willis was cupping an empty wine glass in his underwear. He claims he didn’t hear or know anything was amiss as he wore noise-canceling headphones and had a fan blasting. It’s why he didn’t hear McGeeney’s fiancé entering the house. Reportedly, she was the one who found the bodies.
Some think Willis outright murdered them. Others believe they were snuffed out after seeing something they shouldn’t have—the victims’ families have their own theories. Willis has since entered rehab after this incident, which further reinforced the narcotics narrative before the release of the toxicology report.
There was also intrigue about a fifth person at the house, later identified as Alex Waemer-Lee. Initially, it was reported that he was at the house when the three men died. This person was supposedly with Johnson, McGeeney, and Harrington before Willis went to bed. Waemer-Lee refuted that claim, saying he was not the last person to see the three men alive. Andrew Talge, Waemer-Lee’s attorney, added that his client left the home around midnight, with Harrington, McGeeney, Johnson, and Willis—all alive—watching Jeopardy before he left.