Six months after the deaths of three Kansas City Chiefs fans, questions remain

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (WDAF) — Six months ago, a group of friends met at a house in north Kansas City to watch a Kansas City Chiefs game and hang out.

Three of these friends were found dead days later in the backyard of Jordan Willis’ house.

This week, the families of the three dead have received few answers and say their questions are being ignored.

A lawyer close to the families told WDAF that given the amount of time that has passed and the lack of communication from the police and prosecutors, he believes no charges will ever be brought.

The medical examiner’s office confirmed to WDAF that it has completed its work. The family considers this another milestone without answers.

“Throughout this whole thing, I had a lot of trouble finding anyone to respond to me,” said Jennifer Marquez, David Harrington’s mother.

“My nephew died a tragic death along with two of his friends and no one is being held accountable,” said Jim McGeeney, Clayton McGeeney’s uncle.

The families wonder if anyone will be held accountable for the deaths of Harrington, McGeeney and Ricky Johnson.

“If your car blew up right now, what would have happened? Well, they’ll find out what happened. If a plane crashes, what will they do? They get the black box. They can find out what happened. But in this incident where three men died, they’re not doing anything. It looks like they’re not going to do anything, and if they do, let us know,” Jim McGeeney said.

Months after preliminary toxicology reports were presented to families showing cocaine and fentanyl in the three men’s bodies, WDAF learned that those reports were completed on January 31, nearly six months ago.

Kelsie Gwartney, chief of investigations and director of the Forensic Medical Division of Kansas, issued two separate statements:

• “Yes, our office has determined the cause and manner of death for all three named decedents. All three cases are under suppression status and no public records are currently available for release.”
• “All three autopsy reports were certified on January 31, 2024.”

Still, all three families have had difficulty getting any information from police or the Platte County District Attorney’s Office other than that the case is an open investigation.

After the WDAF had been in contact with the public prosecutor’s office for months, the last statement from the public prosecutor’s office stated: “There is currently nothing further to discuss regarding this case.” Mr. (Eric) Zahnd will not comment by phone or otherwise until the investigation is complete.”

The date the coroner’s reports were completed is important. The WDAF was told that the inquest was delayed because investigators were waiting for the reports. Since the reports have been available for some time, why is there such a delay?

We know what was going on inside Johnson’s, Harrington’s and McGeeney’s bodies. The medical examiner also refuses to release the official cause and manner of death, even to the parents of these men.

As for Jordan Willis, a family source told WDAF that he checked into rehab in the days after the men’s bodies were found to face his addiction problem head-on.

Since then, WDAF has not heard from him, his family, or his attorney. WDAF contacted Willis and his attorney, as well as the fifth man and his attorney. None of the four responded prior to this report.