Jordan Willis and Ivory J. Carson arrested and charged with the deaths of 3 Kansas City Chiefs fans found frozen to death in backyard of scientist friend. Prosecutors allege scientist friend and dealer supplying men with lethal fentany and cocaine which the three men overdosed on.
Kansas authorities have arrested and charged two men in connection to three Kansas City Chiefs fans found frozen to death in the backyard a Northland home in January 2024.
Jordan Willis, 39, and Ivory J. Carson have been charged with three counts of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of delivery of a controlled substance except 35 grams or less of marijuana or synthetic cannabinoid.
‘Today’s charges are the product of hard work of the Kansas City detectives and prosecutors over those many months,’ said Eric Zahnd with the Platte County Prosecutor’s Office during a Wednesday press conference.
Carson supplied and sold cocaine/fentanyl to Willis and the 3 fatal victims
Willis a reputable scientist and principal tenant of the home where the three friends froze had all along denied having any part in the friends’ deaths, insisting he had gone upstairs to sleep while leaving the friends to their own devices as they continued ‘celebrating’ into the early morning hours.
Carson is alleged to have been the individual aka drug dealer and point person who had allegedly supplied the men with the fatal drugs.
Reiterated prosecutors: ‘This case is a tragic reminder of the dangers of Street Drugs but make no mistake the people who supply those drugs can and will be held accountable.’
Commenting on the arrests, Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves told reporters, ‘The members of the Kansas City Missouri Police Department do not give up on these investigations while this happened a year ago our detectives continued to work on this case to get it to the point where we are at.’
Court records indicate Carson supplied and sold cocaine to Willis and the victims, and that his DNA was found on a bag of fentanyl.
Drugs binge turns fatal
Documents cited by the Kansas City Star state that on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, a woman called KCPD and said she had found a dead body at a home near Northwest 83rd Terrace and North Overland Drive while searching for her missing fiancé — 36-year-old Clayton McGeeney. (one of the deceased 3 Kansas City Chiefs fans)
Investigations revealed that on Sunday, Jan. 7, just two days before, three men — 37-year-old David Harrington, 38-year-old Ricky Johnson, and McGeeney — had arrived at their friend Jordan Willis’ home to watch the Chiefs’ final regular season game of 2024.
However, over the next 48 hours, the men would go silent and would not be seen by friends or family.
After the woman informed KCPD of the dead body, they arrived at the home to investigate. They said Willis opened the door and let them inside, even though he never opened the door to McGeeney’s fiancé. In fact Willis never responded to the dozens of text messages and calls he would receive over the two preceding days by concerned friends and relatives after the three men failed to return home. Willis at the time claimed having gone to sleep for the next two days while wearing his earphones.
A further search of Willis’ backyard led to cops discovering not just one body, but the bodies of the two other Kansas City Chiefs fans in the backyard.
Surviving friend checks into rehab facility
Since the incident, very few updates have been released by law enforcement.
However, nearly one month after the mens’ deaths, police confirmed they had received toxicology reports from the three men.
Sources told FOX4 that the report details several substances found in the men’s bodies, including cocaine and fentanyl.
It was also revealed that a fifth friend had been at the home on the night of the Chiefs game. He told police that, when he left the house that night, the three men had been alive and awake.
KCPD later discovered that the three men had stayed up to at least 1:30 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024. By this time, Willis had gone to bed.
It wasn’t until 10 p.m. the next day that McGeeney’s fiancé reported finding the body.
Willis told police he had no idea any of his friends were dead outside and that he hadn’t heard from any of their family members or friends.
Investigations revealed that different family members of the three men had tried to contact him, but they had sent messages through Facebook Messenger, not through his phone number.
However, the fifth friend’s attorney, Andrew Talge, countered this claim. He said that on the day the men were found, the friend had texted Willis because he had received messages from McGeeney’s fiancé and Johnson’s mother. But Willis never responded.
Shortly after the mens’ deaths, Willis moved out of the home and checked into a rehab facility.
During Wednesday’s press conference, the Platte County Prosecuting Attorney confirmed one bag of cocaine and another bag of fentanyl were found inside the home.
‘I am happy with the Platte County Prosecutor’s Office and the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department for filling charges,’ said Rick Johnson, Ricky Johnson’s father.
‘It’s been a long time. And I’ll be at every court date.’
Carson is being held in a Platte County jail on a $100,000 bond, and Willis will be surrendering himself to law enforcement and posting a $100,000 cash bond.
