Several questions remain unanswered after three men were found dead in the backyard of their friends’ home on January 9.
The bodies of Ricky Johnson, David Harrington and Clayton McGeeney were discovered on January 9, two days after they had gathered at the home of their friend Jordan Willis to watch the Kansas City Chiefs game on January 7. McGeeney’s fiance went looking for him and called police when she saw him dead on Willis’ back porch.
The Kansas City Police Department told PEOPLE that after responding to her call, they confirmed they had found a dead body. “Upon further investigation, officers found two more dead bodies in the yard,” a KCPD spokesperson said.
John Picerno, Willis’ attorney, told PEOPLE in a statement that his client is “not aware of how his friends died” and is “anxiously awaiting the results of the autopsy and toxicology report.”
While KCPD said there were “no obvious signs of foul play observed at or near the crime scene,” and it has not been ruled a homicide investigation, the families of the deceased suspect they are not getting the whole story.
“Nothing adds up,” Johnson’s brother, Jonathan Price, told PEOPLE. “But primarily Jordan’s story doesn’t add up at all.”
From details about the night the three died to questions that still remain unanswered, here’s everything you need to know about the mysterious deaths of Ricky Johnson, David Harrington and Clayton McGeeney.
Who were the men found dead in front of their friends’ house?
Clayton McGeeney, David Harrington and Ricky Johnson.
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Johnson, Harrington and McGeeney were three close friends who frequently posted to each other’s social media before their deaths in early January 2024. Johnson’s brother told PEOPLE that he would see Johnson’s posts with Harrington and McGeeney, but he was not well acquainted with Willis, who rented the house where the men died.
Price added that Johnson, who was 38 when he died, went to high school with Harrington and McGeeney, who were 37 and 36, respectively, while Willis went to a nearby school.
Johnson ran his father’s business, Johnson’s Construction, in Kansas City and was an avid sports fan, always rooting for the Chiefs. He was also the father of three girls — 14, 9 and 4 — with whom he “loved spending time,” his mother, Norma Chester, told PEOPLE.
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“He would do anything for his girls,” she said. “He didn’t deserve this.”
McGeeney’s family expressed similar sentiments, with his cousin, Caleb McGeeney, calling him a “good person” in an interview with FOX affiliate WDAF.
“Just the thought of him dying and sitting out in the cold for two days,” he said. “It is extremely devastating. The whole family is in chaos. He was such a good person.”
According to a GoFundMe started on behalf of April, McGeeney’s fiancee, the victim was a subcontractor for a small construction company. In an interview with Kansas City Staranother relative explained that McGeeney was “on the right track,” turning his life around after several traffic and child support issues.
Jennifer Marquez, Harrington’s mother, told WDAF that the call informing her of her son’s death was “the most devastating moment of [her] life.”
“It’s a huge loss. He is everything,” she told the paper. “He is a brother, he has a sister, Carmen, and a brother, Sebastian. They miss him and are heartbroken that they will never see their brother again.”
What happened on the night of their death — and what remains unclear?
On the night of January 7, three friends went to Willis’ rented house in Kansas City to watch the Chiefs game. While initial reports said only the four of them were in the house, WDAF later reported that a fifth friend was there that night but had left earlier in the evening.
The exact sequence of events that followed remains unclear.
In a statement to PEOPLE, Picerno claimed the last time his client Willis saw the men was when they left his house and he went to bed. “He didn’t know they were left in his yard,” added the lawyer.
In an email to PEOPLE, Picerno confirmed WDAF’s report that there was a fifth man in the house, but said he “left maybe an hour or two before the other three,” adding that “Jordan’s not really sure about that time period . ”
However, WDAF reported that Picerno has since said Willis went to sleep before the three men left.
“If he had people in his house, that sometimes as people, they get tired, these are people who are very close to you and you feel comfortable when you go to bed and you let them go when they want to go,” he said, according to to WDAF.
What did the friend who rented the house say about their death?
Willis has not spoken publicly about the case, but Picerno has made statements on his behalf. After police arrived, Picerno said Willis “let them in the house, told them everything he knew and voluntarily consented to a search of his home.”
Two of the victims’ cars were found parked on his street, according to WDAF-TV, but Picerno said it’s not “unusual” for Willis’ friends to leave their cars there overnight.
According to Picern, all Willis wants are “answers.” The lawyer told NewsNation: “He has known them for over 20 years. They are his friends. He is deeply hurt by their departure.”
Picerno also added that although concerned family members knocked on Willis’ door over the two days before the bodies were discovered, he didn’t hear them because he was sleeping with headphones and a loud fan on, according to the affidavit. He said Willis had not received any text messages or phone calls about the three men and had not seen a Facebook message from one of their wives before police arrived.
However, the families of the victims pointed to other inconsistencies in Picern’s statements. In an interview with NewsNation, Picerno said his client “was at home intermittently” for two days before his friends’ bodies were found.
A few days later, however, he claimed that Willis had not left the house between Sunday and Tuesday, when the police came. “What I was trying to say on NewsNation is that he was … sleeping and occasionally leaving the bedroom,” Picerno said, according to WDAF.
How did the three men die?
The manner and time of death of the three men are currently still unknown as the police are awaiting the autopsy and toxicology report of the medical examiner.
In a statement to PEOPLE, police said Willis was cooperating with them when they discovered the dead bodies. They added that they do not consider the situation a case of murder.
“The cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner, their determination/investigation is ongoing,” the press release states. “There have been no arrests/charges and no one is in custody.”
KCPD also added that there were “no specific threats or concerns” to the surrounding community and characterized the case as a “death investigation.”
Who is the fifth friend who was in the house that night?
The name of the fifth friend that night has not been released, however, Picerno confirmed to PEOPLE that he left before the other three and that Willis went to sleep before the others did.
However, WDAF reported afterward that the attorney told them his client didn’t go to bed before they left and, instead, walked them to the door before they fell asleep on the couch.
WDAF interviewed a fifth person, who had a different version of events. The person told the newspaper that all four men were awake when he left. Andrew Talge, the attorney for the fifth person, told the station that Willis and the three men were watching Danger! on TV when his client left around midnight.
What did the families of these men say about their deaths?
The families of the victims are vocal about their doubts about the situation. Price, Johnson’s brother, told PEOPLE he thinks they may have had something other than alcohol.
“If I had to hypothesize … that three people died the way they did, there had to be something in their system,” he told PEOPLE. “Whether it was taken consciously or not, I wouldn’t answer that.”
He added: “But something was done because three grown men don’t freeze to death in temperatures that were at the time with just alcohol.”
While police are still awaiting toxicology results, Price said he doubts the sobriety of the individuals.
“There’s no way three grown men who are all pretty smart individuals could just happen to die that way on the same night without something else involved,” he said. “Even if one of them wasn’t drunk, they would have brought the other two in.”
Alan McGeeney told KCTV that he also felt there was something wrong with the story of how his cousin died.
“I 100% think the situation is strange,” he said. “I’m not asking for anyone’s head or anything, but my cousin was frozen to the ground for two days.”
Meanwhile, Harrison’s mom, Marquez, said she just wants answers — and she doesn’t feel like she’s getting any.
“I am furious. Everyone is furious,” Marquez told WDAF. “No one believes this story. None of his friends, none of his family, none of us.”
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