Three frozen bodies were found in a man’s backyard in Kansas City, Missouri, earlier this month. The homeowner’s attorney, however, has said that his client had no knowledge of the bodies being there.
According to accounts by friends and family members, the three men, who were acquainted with the homeowner, visited his house to watch the Kansas City Chiefs game against the Los Angeles Chargers on the night of January 7, Fox News reported.
The bodies were discovered shortly before 10 p.m. on January 9, after the fiancée of one of the men requested a welfare check, Kansas City Police announced at the time. They found the bodies of 38-year-old Ricky Johnson, 36-year-old Clayton McGeeney, and 37-year-old David Harrington on the back porch and backyard of Jordan Willis’ rented property on the 5200 block of NW 83rd Terrace.
Police later confirmed that the men had frozen to death but said they did not suspect foul play, clarifying that the deaths were not being treated as homicides. A toxicology report in the coming weeks should determine whether alcohol or drugs played a role in their deaths.
“There have not been any arrests [or] charges, and no one is in custody. There are no specific threats or concerns for the surrounding community at this time. The resident at the house was cooperative with detectives the day the deceased were discovered,” according to Kansas City Police Captain Jake Becchina.
The case has left the families and friends of the men baffled as to what caused their tragic demise, taking to social media to look for answers. One neighbor said that despite being home most of the time, she had no idea what had transpired in her neighbor’s backyard.
“It’s kind of disturbing. It makes you wonder what’s going on. But if we don’t know yet, could it have been CO? It got cold all of a sudden,” neighbor Suzanne Reichart told FOX 4.
Concerned family members said they had contacted Mr. Willis via text message on multiple occasions leading up to the bodies’ discovery, giving rise to much speculation about his motivations.
“This man was inside his home alive while my friends were dead in his yard for lord knows how long. They were all hanging out since after the game Sunday. He KNEW people were looking for them. He read messages of people searching for him on Tuesday,” Kaylee La Tier wrote in a Facebook post earlier this month.
“My husband banged on his door for 20 [minutes],” the post went on. “My friend banged on his door and then busted a window and yelled and announced her presence while she was inside and still nothing from him? Then the cops come 10 [minutes] later and he comes out nonchalant in his boxers with an empty wine glass in hand??! Nothing is adding up. Dave, Clay and Ricky need and deserve justice.”
However, according to Mr. Willis’ attorney, John Picerno, his client was completely unaware of the incident until police approached him.
“He had no knowledge that they remained in his backyard or that they needed medical attention,” Mr. Picerno stated in a news release sent to FOX 4.
His attorney said that Mr. Willis was also unaware of people knocking on his door, as he was allegedly sleeping while wearing headphones and had a loud fan on. He didn’t pick up messages sent to him by concerned family members until after the police had arrived at the property, Mr. Picerno added.
Two of the deceased men had parked their cars outside Mr. Willis’ house. Mr. Picerno said it “would not be unusual for his friends to have left their cars there overnight,” Fox News reported.
“Like the rest of us, [the homeowner] is anxiously awaiting the results of the autopsy and toxicology report … On behalf of [the homeowner] and his family, we wish to express our deepest sympathies to the friends and family members of these young men, and our thoughts and prayers are with them,” Mr. Picerno told the Kansas City Star.
NTD has contacted the Kansas City Police Department for further information but has not yet received a reply.
