6 months after 3 men found dead in Missouri backyard, questions remain

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) — Six months ago, a group of friends in Kansas City gathered to watch the Chiefs game and hang out.

Days later, three of those friends were found dead in the backyard of Jordan Willis’s home.

As of July, the families of those three dead men — David Harrington, Clayton McGeeney, and Ricky Johnson — have few answers and they say their questions are being ignored.

Frustration and desperation for answers reign for these families, who wonder if anybody will be held responsible for the deaths of Clayton McGeeney, Ricky Johnson, and David Harrington.

A lawyer close to the families tells Nexstar's WDAF that due to the time that has passed and the lack of communication from police and prosecutors, it leads him to believe charges may never come.

This comes as the medical examiner has confirmed to WDAF that their work is complete.

"Through this whole thing, I've had a hard time getting anybody to answer me,” Jennifer Marquez, Harrington's mother, said.

"My nephew died a tragic death along with two of his friends and nobody is being held accountable,” Jim McGeeney, the uncle of McGeeney, said.

"If your car blew up right now what happened, well, they're going to find out what happened," he continued. "If a plane crashes what are they going to do, get the black box, they can find out what happened, but with this, three dead men, they don't do anything, it appears they don't do anything and if they are, let us know."

Preliminary toxicology reports were released to the families in January, showing cocaine and fentanyl in the systems of the three men.

“Yes, our office finalized cause and manners of death for all three of the referenced decedents.
All three cases are under suppression status and not open records available for release at this time," Kelsie Gwartney, the chief of investigations and administrator at Forensic Medical of Kansas, said in a statement. In a second, she said all three reports were certified on January 31.

WDAF was previously told that medical examiner reports were holding up the investigation.

Yet nearly six months after the reports were certified, all three families have struggled to get any additional information out of police or the Platte County Prosecutor’s Office, except confirmation that this is an open investigation.

In fact, after reaching out for months to the prosecutor’s office, WDAF was told there was "nothing more to talk about [with] this case at this time. [Platte County Prosecutor Eric] Zahnd is not commenting on phone or otherwise about it until investigation is complete.”

The medical examiner has also refused to release the official cause and manner of their deaths, even to the parents of these men.

WDAF also reached out to Willis and his attorney, but did not receive a response. As WDAF previously reported, a family source confirmed Willis had checked into a rehab facility in the days after the men were found in order to address his addiction. Attempts to speak with the fifth person who had been at Willis' home in January and his attorney were also unsuccessful.