Explained: Mysterious deaths of three football fans found ‘frozen’ in friend’s backyard

A mysterious case out of the US state of Missouri has left many baffled after bodies of three American football fans of the team Kansas City Chiefs were found outside their friend’s home. However, the friend in question has since insisted that he had “no knowledge” that their bodies had possibly been there for two days.

What we know so far

Earlier this month, the police found the bodies of three men in the backyard of a home in Kansas City’s Northland after the fiancée of one of the men requested a welfare check.

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When the officers from the Kansas City Police Department, on January 9 arrived at the house, one man’s body was found on the back porch of the NW 83rd Terrace home, while the other two were discovered in the backyard.

They were later identified as Ricky Johnson, 38, David Harrington, 37, and Clayton McGeeney, 36. So far, the police have said that they did not find any signs of foul play. Meanwhile, the mysterious circumstances surrounding the case garnered a lot of attention online.

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The investigators are currently waiting for the results from the medical examiner to determine the cause of death of the three men. The police said that the investigation is underway and no one has been arrested or charged in connection with the case, so far.

“First and foremost, this case is 100% NOT being investigated as a homicide,” said Kansas City police Captain Jake Becchina. He added, “There have not been any arrests, charges, and no one is in custody.”

“The resident at the house was cooperative with detectives the day the deceased were discovered,” said Becchina.

‘No knowledge’

The resident of the house which was rented, was identified as Jordan Willis, whose lawyer said that his client went to bed after his friends left his house and does not know what happened to them after.

“Jordan had absolutely nothing to do with their deaths. He does not know the timing or manner of their deaths, nor does he know how or when they exited his house,” John Picerno, Willis’ attorney told the American media, in a statement.

“He had no knowledge that they remained in his backyard or that they needed medical attention. Had he known, he certainly would have called for help. The last time he saw them was when they left his house, and he went to bed,” Picerno added.

Willis’ lawyer also insisted that his client did not receive any phone calls or text messages from friends or family of the victims.

But acknowledged that the wife of one of the deceased tried to reach him via Facebook but “unfortunately, he did not see this message until after the police contacted him.”

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Two people showed up at Willis’ house but he did not hear them because he sleeps with “air buds and a loud fan,” said Picerno. He added, “Two of his friends parked their cars on the street and there were no cars parked in his driveway.”

Willis’ lawyer said that his client did not notice the cars on the street but it would “not be unusual for his friends to have left their cars there overnight.”

He added, “Jordan is unaware of how his friends died. Like the rest of us, Jordan is anxiously awaiting the results of the autopsy and toxicology report.”

Willis moved out of the home less than a week after the bodies were found, said Picerno.

Victims’ families and friends

Over the weeks, friends and family of the victims have told the American media how the three had gone to Willis’ house to watch the game on January 7 but have not heard anything since.

Harrington’s mother, Jennifer Marquez, said her son went to his friend’s house to watch the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers game on January 7 and she said the resident of the rental house later told others “his friends froze to death.”

According to the National Weather Service, the weather that day in Kansas City was -1.6 degrees Celsius and it remained below freezing over the next two days.

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One of the victims’ friends lambasted Willis on social media. “This man was inside his home alive while my friends were dead in his yard for lord knows how long,” Kaylee La Tier wrote in a Facebook post, earlier this month.

“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,” she added.

“My husband banged on his door for 20 min. My friend banged on his door and then busted a window and yelled and announced her presence while she’s inside and still nothing from him?? Then the cops come 10 min later and he comes out nonchalant in his boxers with an empty wine glass in hand??! Nothing is adding up,” said La Tier.

The friend who she said “busted a window” was reportedly McGeeney’s fiancée.

Mysterious 5th friend

Picerno recently also confirmed that there was a 5th person in Willis’ house aside from his client, and the three victims that day. In a statement released on Saturday (Jan 20), Willis’ lawyer also changed the story of what happened on January 7.

Previously, Picerno had claimed that the last time Willis saw the three men was when they left the house and he went to bed, but in the recent statement he said that his client went to sleep while the three victims and the 5thman continued to hangout in his home.

The 5thperson – who has not been named publicly – revealed new details about the case in a recent interview some of which directly contradicted Picerno’s version.

The man told FOX 4 that it was actually the three victims and Willis who were still awake and in the home when he left and that he was not the last one to see them alive.

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His attorney, Andrew Talge, told the channel that his client arrived at the house at about 7:00 pm (local time) and left around midnight, while the four other men were up watching Jeopardy.

Talge added that this indicates that the three victims were still alive in the early hours of Monday (Jan 8), directly contradicting Picerno’s statement who said Willis supposedly slept on the couch for the next two days while his three friends “froze to death”.

Willis’ lawyer had also claimed that his client only received messages via Facebook Messenger, and did not get texts or calls. However, Talge said his client received a text from McGeeney’s fiancée and from Johnson’s mother asking about their loved ones.

This prompted Talge’s client to text Willis and Johnson, but he did not receive a reply, the lawyer claimed. Picerno declined to comment on the discrepancy, FOX4 said.

In an interview with NewsNation last week, Picerno said Willis left his home sporadically on January 8 and 9. However, he later backtracked saying that Willis had only been in and out of his bedroom.

While the police said foul play is not suspected in their deaths, multiple agencies are working to solve the case.

(With inputs from agencies)