The recent deaths of three Kansas City Chiefs fans under mysterious circumstances have raised eyebrows, with family members suggesting the possibility of a conspiracy. The victims, identified as Ricky Johnson (38), David Harrington (37), and Clayton McGeeney (36), were found in a friend's yard.
Ricky Johnson's parents made explosive claims, alleging that the victims may have been drugged and left for dead in a friend's snowy yard.
The friend in question, Jordan Willis, a respected HIV data scientist, has vehemently denied any knowledge of the circumstances leading to the deaths. Mr Willis maintains that he was asleep inside the house with headphones on and was unaware of the tragic events unfolding outside, reported the NY Post.
Despite the family's concerns, local law enforcement is not treating the deaths as suspicious. The Kansas City Police Department told Inside Edition that "there were no obvious signs of foul play observed at or near the crime scene," and emphasised that this is "100% not being investigated as a homicide."
However, Mr Johnson's parents are raising serious allegations against Mr Willis, suggesting that he may have drugged the victims, taken them outside, and delayed contacting the police for two days.
Mr Johnson's father, Ricki Johnson Sr, refused to believe that his son and his friends would have acted irresponsibly, especially in freezing conditions. He described his son, who left behind three children, as not being someone who would engage in reckless behaviour leading to such a tragic outcome.
"He may have done some drugs and stuff in the past, but I do not believe all three of them did drugs and fell over dead in that backyard," claimed Mr Johnson Sr.
"I'm not going to say that during a game he didn't have some drinks. But he wasn't irresponsible that he was going to go outside and freeze to death. You're talking about three grown men. If he was out there just freezing like they said, he could've kicked out a window to get into the house."
Mr Johnson's mother, Norma Chester, asked, "Seriously, these were responsible men. How do they go in a backyard and freeze to death, all three of them?" "Something that comes to my mind, this guy [Willis] wants to brag about how smart he is, he's a scientist. My thoughts are that he concocted something and gave it to all three men," she suggested.
However, Mr Willis's attorney dismissed these claims as "ridiculous."
Two days before their bodies were discovered, Mr McGeeney, Mr Harrington, and Mr Johnson went to Mr Willis's place to watch the Chiefs game. Mr Willis, 38, went to bed after saying good night to his friends and another guest. The weather was cold, around 29°F.
Mr Willis, working from home over the next two days, thought his friends had left safely. During this time, he did not receive any calls or texts asking about his friends. There was a direct message on social media about one of the disappearances, but Mr Willis did not see it right away because he was wearing headphones and had a loud fan on while sleeping, he said.
Even though the cars of two missing men were parked on his street, Mr Willis did not notice them. According to his attorney, Mr Willis wouldn't have found it strange for his friends to leave their cars overnight.
It wasn't until the police showed up that Willis learned about the tragic fate of his friends.
"Jordan [Willis] is unaware of how his friends died," Mr Willis's attorney, John Picerno, said in a statement. "Like the rest of us, Jordan is anxiously awaiting the results of the autopsy and toxicology tests performed on his friends."
Mr Picerno told Fox News, "He's a scientist, and somehow he's to blame? That's an opinion not based in fact." He added, "There's no allegation of any animosity between Jordan and his three friends. People want to speculate, [but] it's not like anyone ever called the police saying, 'We're afraid of this Jordan guy.'"
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world