3 NFL Fans Found 'Frozen to Death' in Backyard of Friend Who Had 'No Knowledge' They Were There
Editor’s Note: Our readers responded strongly to this story when it originally ran; we’re reposting it here in case you missed it.
Three fans of the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs were found dead in the backyard of their friend’s home on Jan. 9, and their families are demanding to know how they died and why the homeowner presumably was unaware their bodies were on his property for two days.
On Jan. 7, David Harrington, 37, Ricky Johnson, 38, and Clayton McGeeney, 36, visited the home of their friend, Jordan Willis, to watch a game between Kansas City and the Los Angeles Chargers, WDAF-TV reported.
None of Willis’ friends ever returned home or reached out to any members of their families.
On the night of Jan. 9, the men were all found dead on Willis’ property by the Kansas City Police Department.
One of the men was dead on the back porch while the other two were found in the backyard, WDAF reported.
Police said at the time that there were no obvious signs of foul play. Meanwhile, a member of one of the dead men’s families said Willis explained that they “froze to death.”
Willis reportedly said his friends were at his home, but he had gone to bed and had invited them to stay over as long as they wished, the outlet reported.
He apparently spent the following two days with “no knowledge” that his friends were dead on his property, according to the New York Post.
The cousin of McGeeney spoke to WDAF after it was reported on Jan. 23 that investigators now believe there might have been a fifth person at Willis’ home during the night of the Chiefs game.
“Just the thought of him dying and [then] him sitting outside in the cold for two days,” Caleb McGeeney told Kansas City’s Fox affiliate. “It’s extremely devastating. The whole family is messed up. He was such a good person.”
Police have not offered any information about who the fifth person might have been.
Family members said they attempted to reach Willis on his phone when each of their loved ones failed to return home after the game.
Willis, who is said to have opened his front door in a pair of underwear and holding an empty wine glass on the day the bodies were found by police, reportedly said he never saw the messages — one of which came through Facebook — the U.K. Daily Mail reported.
Jennifer Marquez, the mother of David Harrington, told the Daily Mail she does not buy Willis’ account of her son’s final hours.
3 Kansas City Chiefs Fans Found Dead in Friend’s Backyard After Watch Party https://t.co/RuZcDWplXT Click the image for details:
— Radar Online (@radar_online) January 23, 2024
“Nobody believes this story,” she said. “None of his friends, none of the families, none of us believe it.”
Marquez added, “Everybody is furious.”
An attorney for Willis reportedly first said his client watched his friends leave but then later said his client was asleep while the men continued to party at the house, which has deepened the mystery for those who want answers.
The attorney also said Willis did not find anything unusual about the fact his friends had left their cars at his home.
Police are awaiting toxicology reports for the three men, which could take several weeks. According to WDAF, Willis has moved out of the home since the bodies were discovered.
The low temperature overnight in the city on the day of the Chiefs game was 32 degrees.
The lowest temperature recorded in the city during the two full days the three men were missing was 30 degrees on Jan. 9.
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