Parents of Chiefs fans found dead in backyard break silence as 2 suspects are charged

The parents of two of three deceased Kansas City Chiefs fans, whose bodies were found frozen in a friend’s backyard, expressed mixed feelings following the arrests of two men charged with manslaughter on Wednesday.  Ricky Johnson Jr., 38, David Harrington, 37, and Clayton McGeeney, 36, were found dead in their pal Jordan Willis’ backyard on Jan. 9, 2024.  Harrington’s mom, Theresa, claimed she’s been kept out of the loop in the 14 months since the trio’s bodies were discovered.

David Harrington with his father, Jon Harrington.

She said Kansas police officials continuously stated they weren’t investigating the deaths as homicides.  “[The statements] made it easy to think they had already made up their mind and there wouldn’t be any further investigation,” Harrington added, saying she pushed away any hope for criminal charges.

On Wednesday, Platte County prosecutors charged Willis and another man, Ivory Carson, each with three counts of manslaughter and two counts of delivering a controlled substance.  Johnson’s father, Rick, has since vowed to attend each hearing involving Willis and Carson.  “I am happy with the Platte County Prosecutor’s Office and the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department for filling charges,” he told Fox 4 Kansas City. “It’s been a long time. And I’ll be at every court date.”

The trio’s bodies were found on Willis’ property by McGenney’s fiancée two days after they gathered to watch the Chiefs’ final regular season game.  They died from a deadly cocktail of fentanyl and cocaine, Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd revealed during a press conference streamed on KMBC.  The arrests did little to clear any speculation surrounding the deaths.  “[I] still don’t know anything about how my son died or his last moments,” Harrington said.

The grieving mother isn’t convinced any outcome in the mystery will come soon, claiming the trial won’t start for more than a year.  Theresa Harrington had acknowledged her son’s drug use but believed he didn’t do it to harm himself.  “He didn’t take that to die,” she told NewsNations’ Chris Cuomo in February 2024. “If he took the drugs on his own, he took them to get high. It just means that there’s more to the story, there’s more to it than just that.”

Harrington assured her son wasn’t a drug addict and pointed blame at “peer pressure.”  Willis and Carson are being held at the Platte County Jail on $100,000 bonds each.  No court hearings were scheduled for the two men following their arrest Wednesday afternoon.