Tragedy struck on January 7 during a Kansas City Chiefs watch party at a friend’s house, where three friends in their late 30s – Ricky Johnson, Clayton McGeeney, and David Harrington – lost their lives.
The gathering occurred at 5200 block NW 83rd Terrace in Kansas, as the trio had come together to watch the game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The friend hosting the event, Jordan Willis, was reportedly inside his house and unharmed when the incident happened in his backyard. Willis, identified as an HIV scientist, hosted the party.
Upon receiving no response from the group inside the house, Clayton McGeeney’s fiancee contacted the Kansas police.
On the night of the incident, the temperature in Kansas City was a bone-chilling 2°C (35°F) with fog and mist, and the wind, humidity, and cold exposure conditions were conducive to extreme cold exposure and potential hypothermia.
A fifth friend who joined the group during the watch party left at midnight, affirming that when he departed, the victims were alive, watching “Jeopardy!” with Jordan Willis. Conflicting narratives have emerged regarding the events that followed.
Attorney Andrew Talge, representing the fifth individual, claimed his client received texts from concerned family members but did not get a reply when reaching out to Willis and Johnson. Another attorney, John Picerno, asserted that Willis was unaware of the tragedy and only received Facebook Messenger messages, not texts or calls.
The bodies remained undiscovered until January 9 when McGeeney’s fiancee requested a welfare check. Jordan Willis reportedly moved out of the house less than a week after the discovery of the bodies.
Initial toxicology reports found cocaine, THC, and three times the lethal amount of fentanyl in the systems of the deceased. Willis checked into rehab for substance abuse after his friends were found dead.
Next, Jon Harrington, the father of David Harrington, one of the three Kansas City Chiefs fans found dead in a friend’s backyard, expressed suspicions about the involvement of their friend, Jordan Willis, in the tragic incident. Jon highlighted the unusual circumstances where three out of four people present in the house ended up dead, leading to skepticism about the events.
Nevertheless, the exact cause of death remains undetermined, with pending autopsies that could take several weeks, according to the medical examiner overseeing the case.
Now, as reported by the New York Post, the parents of David Harrington, one of the deceased, reacted to toxicology reports suggesting a lethal mix of drugs in their son’s system.
Disputing the idea of closure, David’s stepmother, Theresa Harrington, mentioned that the presence of drugs doesn’t necessarily mean he intended to end his life but might have taken them for recreational purposes.
Theresa shared her belief that her son was not a drug addict and suggested that he might have succumbed to “peer pressure” in taking the deadly combination of fentanyl, THC, and cocaine.
David’s father, Jon Harrington echoed these sentiments, expressing doubt that the toxicology reports provide a complete explanation for the deaths of his son and his friends, who were discovered frozen and lifeless days after visiting Jordan Willis. He maintained that someone might have given them a substance that proved fatal, implying foul play during the watch party.
“Somebody gave them something that would kill them,” Jon Harrington insisted.
Adding to the suspicions, Harrington’s mother noted the ongoing nature of the police investigation. Despite initial assertions ruling out anything suspicious, the fact that the police continue to probe the incident raises questions for the family. They perceive the persistent investigation as an indication that there may be more to the story than initially presumed.
