Mother wants charges in mysterious case of Kansas City Chiefs fans found frozen to death
More than three months have now passed since David Harrington, 37, Clayton McGeeney, 36 and Ricky Johnson, 38, were found dead in the backyard of a friend’s home in Kansas City
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
The mother of one of the three Kansas City Chiefs fans found frozen behind their friends’ home after a football watch party has called for “some charges” to be brought over their deaths.
David Harrington, 37, Clayton McGeeney, 36 and Ricky Johnson, 38, were found dead on 9 January in the backyard of a Kansas City home belonging to their friend Jordan Willis.
Just two days prior, the men had gathered at the home to watch the Chiefs play the Los Angeles Chargers.
More than three months have now passed since their deaths.
From the outset of the investigation, police said that they didn’t suspect foul play and no charges have been filed.
However, toxicology reports revealed that the men had cocaine and fentanyl in their systems, WFLA reported in February.
After authorities reviewed the reports, a Kansas City Police Department spokesperson told the outlet: “There have been no additional details of this case revealed to any media, nor are there any plans to at this time. The case remains an ongoing death investigation.”
While authorities have insisted that the deaths are not being investigated as homicides, Harrington’s mother told Fox News Digital that she wants the person who gave them substances to face charges.
“My wishes are that the person or persons responsible for providing the substance that caused the deaths of Ricky, Clayton and my son David are brought to justice,” Jennifer Marquez said.
Mr Willis’ attorney told The New York Post in late January that his client was “asleep on the couch” for most of the two days that his friends had disappeared.
Ms Marquez told Fox News Digital: “I believe Jordan still has a lot to answer for — I believe there should be some charges.
“If you have a party and serve too much alcohol and someone drives away from your house and has a wreck and kills themselves or others, you can be charged with over serving. He had a party and three people died — he should have charges brought against him.”
Mr Willis is “just going on with his life, while the rest of us are having to deal with the loss of family members,” she said. Ms Marquez wondered if his computer had been checked “to see if he had been on it at any time in the two days that he didn’t answer… and never received any text or anything from family or friends of the men or even his work? You would think he checked on his work so he wouldn’t be in trouble or behind and that would prove he lied about not knowing” that his friends were behind his home.
“Make it all make sense where he wouldn’t get in trouble,” she added.
Mr Willis’ attorney responded to Ms Marquez’s comments in a statement to The Independent.
“Jordan had absolutely nothing to do their deaths. He has cooperated fully with law enforcement, who have stated publically that they do not consider their tragic deaths to be homicides,” the attorney said.
A source close to Mr Willis dismissed Ms Marquez’s comments as “just more speculation from upset parents looking to point fingers” and “not based on any proven facts”.
The source told Fox News Digital; “I understand that they have suffered a huge loss. However, there has been absolutely no evidence presented at this point showing that Jordan was in any way responsible for the deaths of his friends, or that he knew they were deceased… before police showed up.”
The source added that “the families continuing to speculate publicly without facts from the police department is unacceptable,” and that they need to “accept the possibility that their sons participated in behavior that cost them their lives”.
The fifth friend at the party, Alex Lee, told FOX4 in late January that Mr Willis and the three men were still awake when he left Mr Willis’ home. Mr Lee’s attorney said his client left at midnight, five hours after the party had begun, while the other men stayed to watch Jeopardy.
Fox 4 previously reported that Mr Lee had been contacted by the prosecutor’s office.
Mr Willis has since moved out of his home due to “fear of retaliation,” his attorney said in later January.
Ms Marquez said that the family has been kept largely in the dark around the case.
“There’s no information being released, even though the police are still working from my understanding on the case,” she said.
“Of course, any family is going to be frustrated. We were warned that it would take a while, but it’s so hard not having any information.”
A spokesperson for the Kansas City Police Department told The Independent that while “there have been no new updates, the death investigation remains active and ongoing.”
“There remains no indications of foul play, but that does not mean that after reviewing the investigative findings that the prosecutors wouldn’t find applicable criminal charges,” the spokesperson added. The department is in “close contact” with the Platte County Prosecutors Office, which will determine whether anyone gets charged.