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How did a Washington insider end up dead in a landfill? CASE DETAILS
Someone had tossed smoke bombs into the structure. John “Jack” Wheeler III, 66, worked for three presidential administrations, was special assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force, served in the office of the Secretary of Defense, and led the effort to create the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial. He was a well-known figure in Washington circles. On Saturday, December 25, 2010, Jack Wheeler and his wife, Katherine Klyce, spend Christmas with the family at their condo in Harlem, NY. (The couple split their time between their home in Harlem and their get-away home in New Castle, Delaware.) The morning of December 28th, John catches a train to Washington DC, where he works with a defense contracting company, Mitre Corp. He sends emails from his phone throughout the day.
Signs of a burglary were found in the Wheeler home. Late that night, about 11:30pm, a neighbor next door to John’s home in New Castle, Delaware, hears an odd sound outside and sees the silhouette of a man near a house under construction across the street, and then he sees smoke coming from the property. The fire department and police are called but discover little damage—someone had tossed smoke bombs into the structure. The only other evidence they find at the scene is a cell phone, which belongs to John Wheeler. Could he have been the shadowy figure seen by the neighbor? (John had opposed the construction of this three-story home because of its historical significance.) The next morning, December 29th, John emails the Mitre Corp. reporting that his home has been burglarized and that his cellphone, badge, key fob, and briefcase are missing. At 6pm, he walks into a pharmacy, just blocks from his New Castle house, and asks the pharmacist for a ride to Wilmington. The pharmacist offers to call him a cab, but John declines. Forty minutes later, John is seen in a Wilmington parking garage. He appears disoriented and tells an attendant his briefcase was stolen and he can’t find his car. The next morning, December 30th, John’s neighbor in New Castle, Robert Dill, notices an open window at the Wheeler’s home. He enters the home and finds chairs knocked over, broken dishes in the kitchen sink, and an overturned plant—all signs of a burglary. He calls John and Katherine, leaves voicemails for both, but gets no response. Katherine and their daughters have been trying to reach John on his cell phone, but he doesn’t answer. Never has he gone two days without being in touch. Later that afternoon, John arrives at the Nemours office building in Wilmington. He asks to speak to a partner at a law firm but leaves the offices before having a meeting. That evening, cameras in the basement of the Nemours building capture John exiting, and walking east toward Rodney Square, into the high-crime streets beyond. The following day, New Year’s Eve morning, police are called to investigate a body that has just been dumped out of a garbage truck at the Cherry Island Landfill in Wilmington. Police identify the body as John Wheeler. Investigators determine that the body came from a truck that made pickups in Newark, Delaware, which is miles from Wilmington. But the investigation turns up few credible witnesses or clues to the identity of John Wheeler’s killer.
John’s body was found at the Cherry Island Landfill. Some believe John was robbed and beaten to death, yet his expensive watch and ring and some cash were found on his body. Others believe his bi-polar disorder could have led him into harm’s way. Still others believe there could be something more sinister involved and that his death could be connected to his government work. Delaware Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward for information leading to the arrest of subject(s) responsible for the death of John Wheeler III. Please contact Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333 or go to delawarecrimestoppers.com. |
55 Comments
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Timmerbeil
I believe that Jack is the victim of a secret service operation by Russian secret service or Chinese secret service If so, I would resume investigations in this direction.
I’ve thought a lot about it and looked into the case a lot, and all the evidence points to a well-planned secret service operation.
That would also explain Jack’s behavior and the fact that the stock case disappeared, a robbery or attempted robbery. I categorically rule it out.
It would also fit his injuries, as the Russian secret service is well known for using physical force during interrogations. At least that’s my theory.
Greetings from Germany
Aubrey
i feel like he was murders and then dumped there for a reason other than the one shown prior to the reason. I think the people who jack was full of anger and it drove them crazy enough to commit such a crime. But humans are crazy no human can ever comprehend what the human mind would do.So i think the people around in his house or lived around has over estimated their power and killed him with their sick minds.
THIS IS NOT A TIP. it’s just something i felt i should say.
But who knows what the human mind can do and try. So if you are going through something i would advise you to talk to someone if mad or stressed you should go talk to someone that would help like a therapist.
Jo
Unfortunately I clearly recognise this pattern of behaviour, and it is clear to me that this man had a psychotic break, due to his bipolar disorder. He was clearly stressed over the building that he thought should not be built. I believe he was responsibe for the smoke bombs and realised he had dropped his cell phone at the scene and tried to cover himself by saying various items had been stolen. I believe he caused the damage in his home, and it was his footprint in the white powder. He became even more distressed when he could not locate his car. When suffering from a psychotic break someone’s behaviour becomes very erratic and they can get disorientated or can believe they are on some great mission. I know this because I have had them due to bipolar disorder. People can walk for many miles, or take public transport to random places. I believe he crawled into the garbage container when he became exhausted. His injuries could be consistent with being in the garbage truck and being tipped out. He was not mugged, as his watch was not stolen and he had money still on him. It’s very sad, but I do not believe there was any foul play involved in this case. Mental illness is awful.
JW
As a mental health counselor I have to agree 100% with Jo’s take on this man’s death. This sequence of events is exactly what could be expected to occur with someone who has bipolar disorder. A lot of people don’t realize that someone can be extremely high functioning in their career and life and have a major, chronic mental illness. Unfortunately though, recurrences of symptoms happen, and often unexpectedly, baffling loved ones and colleagues who never witnessed the person acting this way before. This very plausible explanation also answers every part of the mystery and all of the events that took place. It is very probably what happened.
Meriwether
Hello, I am Jack’s step-daughter. You guys are both right about a lot of stuff. But there is no question about the cause of his death. Jack was murdered, and Frank & Regina Marini (the neighbors), are responsible.
With the help of corrupt New Castle Administration officials and various other unsavory people, many of whom do their dirty work out of Mario Rispoli’s Salon: https://salonrispoli.com/, the Marinis hired people to kill him. And they got away with it. I’ll always regret not fingering them in the show.
Charles
To Meriwether, while I am sorry for your stepfather’s death I don’t understand why u would only say something like this 2 years after the episode’s airing. And not to be rude but the internet is filled with trolls and scammers pretending to be other people, how do I know your the real Meriwether and not someone else. Could u maybe make a YouTube video or something to discuss your theory on the assassins, so that way we know your legit? Thank u
Emily Gastelum
I’m sorry for your loss. But I do not believe the neighbors did it. I know you want to blame someone but his injuries can be consistent with the trash compactor. Furthermore, he was located in a city where he did not frequent at all, and he got there by foot or taxi. He was not going around town in his own car, so how could someone track him? Additionally, no one brought up the possiblity of a person or group of people that thought he was homeless. There are many accounts where homeless people are assaulted or killed for no reason other than being homeless. This would explain why no one saw anything, especially if he was sleeping in an alley or by a dumpster.
Tiffani
If this is the case, where’d the brief case? Examiners determined his death was a homicide due to the injuries. You can’t just rule that information out.
Binkster
I see your point about his behavior, but this does not explain how he died from the massive blunt force trauma injuries he sustained.
Chris
I just watched this episode and I’m sitting there saying to myself, “he died from being crushed in the trash truck compactor”. Agree…he was having a mental breakdown of some kind, even the parking lot attendant said he sounded confused and agitated. He got tired from walking, found himself in the back of a building and for whatever reason crawled into the dumpster. Trash truck picks it up in the morning and he could not alert the driver in time. Once the dumpster is dumped into the truck, the compactor is activated. He died in the trash truck and ended up in the landfill. While I do believe political figures are often murdered, that did not happen here. This wasn’t a “professional hit” by any means and it wasn’t a mugging.
Meyer
I watched the Netflix episode several times…I am intrigued, totally…a guy who served his country so well in so many ways and was the guy who made the Vietnam Veterans Memorial possible. He served in 3 presidential administrations and was deservedly buried with honors at Arlington National Cemetery.
My observations:
1. There was no reason for Wheeler to be in Newark.. it makes no sense at all. it’s out of the way of everything and everywhere he was logically supposed to go. The only reason he may have ended up there is because he was taken there to be murdered.
2. His injuries were brutal…he was attacked by someone he knew, who knew him, and who hated him. The crime was so personal, so violent…no dumpster could have caused injuries of that magnitude. The attack was vicious and personal. The only indication of conflict in this story involved the builders of the house across the street. Look there for the perpetrator of this crime. I believe his troubles started at the pharmacy… he was followed, or taken to the Wilmington parking garage and possibly attacked there. He hid out at the Nemoures Mall to get away from the attackers..who eventually found him again later and brutally murdered him.
3. The Newark connection is flimsy at best. There is the possibility he wasn’t even there.
4. I believe he had a bipolar episode. That bipolar episode caused him to (a) set the smoke bombs in the house across the street — where he lost his cellphone (which further aggravated him), and (b) trash his own kitchen. There was no mention of forced entry into the kitchen, no mention of damage to the kitchen door that was left ajar, and no mention of valuables taken. The West Point sword and shield are big clues…evidence of just how distressed and aggravated he was with the situation. In addition, I hope they tried to verify the owner of that footprint in the white powder….I am betting it was Mr. Wheeler’s.
5. It baffles me that a guy who attended Harvard, Yale, and West Point, served 3 presidential administrations, and made the Vietnam Vet Memorial a reality could not even find where he parked his own car….he wasn’t even at the right parking garage ….how is this even possible?
In any event, a man of his stature and credentials deserves respect and justice…I hope the crime is solved soon.
Oscar
They need to be more quirky. in the last videos he wears a black sweatshirt and when he leaves the garage. Really. he is not. the man walks armless. and really. the last videos he does not walk one arm. perhaps. they were able to kill him inside and take him out in a car. to avoid the security cameras. As for who left and who entered. if they find it inside
Jessie
The Wilmington/Newark connection isn’t that much of a stretch. Amtrak from NY to DC stops at both. We know he traveled from NY to DC and vise versa.
There is no mention whether his injuries were post mortem. Seeing the bulldosers pushing trash around throughout the episode, there is no way a body wouldn’t be mangled as his was.
Barshaba Gordon
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Seba
Y que paso von la supuesta huella descalza que estaba en el polvo ?? Que acaso no tomaron adn o alguna pista de eso o de quien era es demaciado raro
Heather
It seems pretty clear that the blunt force trauma came from the garbage compactor in the garbage truck. I think he was having a pretty severe mental break. Poor thing. I think he caused the damages at his house.
Dennis
Wheeler shows up at his residence in Wilmington after a day of travel and work in DC. Neighbor calls police about activity in vacant house across the street at approximately 11:30 pm….. police find smoke bomb damage and Wheelers phone laying on ground. By 11:30 pm Wheeler has probably been fast asleep for at least a couple of hours after a long day. Which means the breaking and entering probably occurred while he was sleeping and was not professional whatsoever but rather local teenagers most likely. There was no “struggle” in the kitchen it was most likely teenagers that found his Sword and Shield hanging on his wall and destroyed his kitchen with just being destructive. Upon leaving they probably took the suitcase and the phone. After robbing Wheelers house the teens continue their vandalism spree across the street setting off smoke bombs (teenage vandals) at which point they probably ditched the phone because of password and possible tracking. So the teens left the phone. When wheeler wakes up he walks through the mess in the kitchen and realizes his suitcase and phone are stolen. He can access his emails for business but has no other contacts at hand. So he walks to the closest store he is family with which is the pharmacy…. by this point he is limping because he has been waking in dress shoes for miles. Same thing once he makes it to the parking garage… he’s has been on foot and waking for hours…. in late December up north it’s cold. Man got lost one way or another crawled into a dumpster freezing and exhausted. Blunt force trauma is exactly what a garbage truck is gonna do to someone. Giant trash compactor. I’d put my money on a series of terribly unfortunate events all started by local teens vandalizing and breaking and entering. Teenagers probably local delinquents from 15-17 that lived within 2 or 3 blocks and walk through the neighborhood often and don’t have driver’s license. Looking for larceny of breaking and entering charges. If there is a person or people at “fault” it would be the teenagers.
SaulZain
That’s exactly what I was screaming at my TV when I watched the episode! I kept waiting for the detectives to say they had conducted tests to see if it’s possible for a person to get the kind of injuries described in the autopsy from the garbage truck’s compression of his load! This is NOT murder, but a coincidence of circumstances that led to his death!
Jennifer
1. Secure equipment loss, you call boss first
2. What fingerprints were on his cell phone and smoke bombs
3. What did the autopsy say about blood levels for medications on versus not
4. With his various job history, you would think he would be more aware of his surroundings
Dd
Excellent analysis !
Gabriel
Wheeler get’s home and finds somebody in the house ,maybe searching or trying to make look like a robbery . Now wheeler opens the door see the guy and he just run dropping the briefcase . The question îs why wheeler running ? The robber was after him and who planed with the drop of the body in the garbage he knows the area really well , maybe an asociate în Something shaddy cuz he was a powerfull Man in that tine he always can choose to fi to police but he didint he can use public thelephones , why no cab ?? Cuz he know he can ne located .. i need more info , sry for my english il
Francisco Navarro
Ia it possible that the trauma discovered on the body was the result of being tossed and tumbled about in a sanitation truck, and then the same done when at the landfill? Also, what was the time of death? Was he dead when he was already in the dumpster?
Chung nguyen
Tại sao không ai điều tra nơi anh ta gửi xe và bị mất chiếc cặp .có rất nhiều phương án để tìm ra nguyên nhân mất chiếc cặp .từ đó sẽ có hướng điều tra tốt hơn .chiếc cặp vô tình bị lấy trộm hay kẻ lấy chiếc cặp có chủ đích từ trước
MelCalDy
I watched this episode several times, still boggled by the way this man died and nobody knows anything still. Did they actually question the people building the home that was smoke bombed? Couldn’t the conclusion be as simple as the people building the house hired “contractors” that kept the project going on no matter what ? If Jack had the means to hault the construction as the episode claims and didn’t, wouldn’t it also be assumed the people building it, who weren’t stopped have the power to stop him ? Essentially that’s what happened, he got stopped from haulting the construction???
Ann Hicks
Is it possible that he had a Bipolar panic episode, where he honestly in his mind thought someone was after him and then ended up climbing in the dumpster to either hide or for warmth and fell asleep.
The garbage man picked up the dumpster him asleep inside and was put into the trash compactor and crushed by it possible.
Know ours when they put trash in has a steel wall like piece that comes and mashed it compact to get more trash into the truck. Is it possible that’s what happened to him and foul play wasn’t involved.
Keith
It depends if his watch and ring are damaged.
It never said if they was or not, but if the watch isn’t damaged then it’s likely that he wasn’t crushed by the metal.
John
Presuming it is foul play, do not look for a complicated, conspiracy based answer. The person or persons responsible for this would most likely live in the area of that dumpster and have a prior record. That is their area of comfort.
The Newark, DE Police are sharp; I am sure they have a list of characters but need that one piece of info. to tie this together. Someone will talk at some point, probably to get something in return. The sad truth is we lost a great American.
Elijah Leeman
As I’m watching the show, they showed a security camera footage of when John was in the basement walking alone with his suit but then later when he goes out he had a jacket on and everything? Where did he get the jacket from?
al
It can also be the cause of which he was tortured, this was planned. John had enough power to stop the construction of the house, he also knew how to defend himself cz he was retired so perhaps he did not directly ask the police or someone else for help. The way he died was probably slow and painful, which could be positioned as revenge, he had enough money to stay somewhere, and his blood was discovered in the garbage can. Most likely they threw it there, it was the people from the new house who did it. That is why there was no major damage to the construction, they probably followed it and investigated it for months. Which would explain how they took advantage of their work, illness and distraction from directions.
al
I don’t think it was the government, if it had been he would never have been found. I think the theory of the government is something that the murderer could have taken advantage of, they knew that people would think that this was the cause. Also bipolarity, I think it was most likely that his house was robbed and that the murderer left his cell phone at the scene to incriminate John. I think it was the neighbors, I don’t understand why they didn’t question the neighbors.
Colleen Crossley
There is a thread on reddit called r/unresolvedmysteries that has a lot of interesting theories about Mr. Wheeler’s death. Personnally, i believed he suffered from a manic episode and he ended up in the dumpster by himself after he got lost. He died inside the dumpster truck, his injuries perfectly match what a truck compactor can do.
Good luck for the rest of your research.
Amy
may have been an attempted mugging, a violent one. he got away, dropping the briefcase, which they probably took, and then hid in the dumpster where he succumbed to his wounds.
Rooster
Bipolar episode, manic state, climbed in dumpster, crushed and dumped at land fill
Jodi
Did anyone question the neighbors that were building the house across the street? Sometimes fueds get out of hand and bad things happen.
Seve d
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Andrew Stull
A lot of interesting theories here but it makes the most sense to me to that this man suffered a mental break down, sleep in the dumpster and died by the way of the trash compactor.
Dunja
Ganz klar. Er ist vollkommen durcheinander und völlig neben der Spur, läuft sogar ohne Schuh draußen herum und übernachtet im Keller eines fremden Gebäudes in einer fremden Stadt. Der ist komplett verwirrt. Dann noch die fehlenden Tabletten… Wäre er klar im Kopf, hätte er nur zur Polizei gehen müssen. Man sieht klar auf den Videos dass er verwirrt ist. Das hat nichts mit Mord zu tun. Aber eine geistige Verwirrung darf nicht sein. Ist nicht erlaubt. Daher darf die Polizei nicht mit Selbstverschulden aufklären. ALLE Beweise sprechen klar gegen Mord.
Johnny Rodgers
This one shouldn’t be a mystery. Mr. Wheeler’s family said he had a big heart and was “so good.” That’s unless you were hoping to build a home directly across the street from his house, apparently. Then you were his worst enemy for simply trying to do exactly what he did which was build a home. Mr. Wheeler was “on a mission” to stop the construction of the house across the street from his. On the night in question, it seems clear that Mr. Wheeler most likely set off the “smoke bombs” on the property of the house under construction across the street from his home. While there that night, it seems that he dropped his cell-phone (where it was later recovered). When he was back at his house he realized he couldn’t find his phone and went into a rage realizing that he couldn’t go back and look for it at the property he vandalized since the fire engines could be heard en route. In a rage he tore apart his house probably looking for his phone and cut his foot on the glass he smashed (hence the reason why he was limping later). Knowing that this vandalism of the property across from his would significantly tarnish his reputation, he panicked and went literally down the rabbit hole. He downtown and starting wandering around trying to locate his “car.” He was literally out of his mind and had many chances to reach out for help if he was in real trouble from a third party. This was all a cover-up to his vandalism where he probably knew by know his phone would be found. He totally looked confused (not beat up) and he was trying to get away (from himself and what he did) and unfortunately, the weather got the best of this guy when he tried to stay warm by entering that dumpster….probably hadn’t taken his medication either.
Joani
There is a thread on reddit called r/unresolvedmysteries that has a lot of interesting theories about Mr. Wheeler’s death. Personnally, i believed he suffered from a manic episode and he ended up in the dumpster by himself after he got lost. He died inside the dumpster truck, his injuries perfectly match what a truck compactor can do.
Good luck for the rest of your research.
Harold
This sounds like he knew something and whatever he knew it was inside the briefcase that was never found. Everybody knows Politics can be a dirty. Some people would do anything to move up the ladder.
matti
trump wasn’t president at that year and time:))
A
what about those people who gave him a ride from the farmacy? where they came from and if the farmacist knew John and saw he wasn’t good, how did he not bother to let him go somewhere into the night with some unknown people appearing out of nowhere?
Natália
Yes! I was thinking about this the entire time
Stella
This case isn’t as Netflix portrays it to be and at times comes off as quite leading and biased. Nothing new with some of these shows but best to get the facts of the case as a whole instead of cherry picking.
Being he was bipolar which I’m intricately familiar with, Wheeler was clearly having an episode. Seems manic but possibly mixed. Course, anyone could seen that. Even if he was on his meds at the time, mania still happens which is as normal as a cup of coffee with us. It just happens then passes.
Clearly something occurred here but I’m guessing not what many assume. His relationship with his wife one should
Look into further because important facts were left out. His heart attack etc. he was supposedly beaten so there’s that but it doesn’t mean it was political.
Lisa
It looks like he is on his phone in the surveillance video (19:54) in the pharmacy? I thought it had been stolen?
Rissa
Trump killed wheeler. Case closed.
Lucila
Hola, el pie que está marcado en la casa con el polvo blanco coincide con el pie que Jack llevaba descalzo.
M
lol reaching with this episode. The man obviously suffered a mental episode. Poor guy ended up sleeping in the trashcan and got crashed. Very similar behavior to Elisa Lam.
suzy
he was clearly suffering and episode, his wife said he was forgetful and he smoke bombed the house he didn’t want to be built and forgot his phone there and had a fit in his own house when he realized he left it. He slept in a garbage can ,after confirmed sleeping in a basement (which was on film), and later slept in a garbage can and was crushed by the garbage truck. The injuries line up with being crushed by a garbage truck compactor. this is not a mystery
dctom
Honestly I think the conspiracy theories with this one are wrong…this seems medical. We’re talking about a guy that regularly can’t remember where he parked his car….
So on the way from DC, he forgets his briefcase–with his work ID and maybe his bipolar meds–on the train. He realizes this when he gets to the house in New Castle and decides he’ll report to his employer (but not the police, that would be a false report) that his briefcase was “stolen”–so he messes up his own house to make it look good, just in case. For good measure, and because he’s pissed off about the house across the street, he drops the smoke bombs off there as well and drops his phone while he’s at it.
After that, he figure he’ll run up to Wilmington to get his car…maybe he’s got more meds in the car too. As usual, UM does not address key questions–why did he go to the pharmacy? Just for a ride to Wilmington?
Seems like a strange place to go ask for a ride? Or did he go to replace his meds which were in his briefcase, but could not for some reason (system down, prescription expired, who knows?) Anyway, he forgets where he parks, and because he hasn’t had his meds in a while, starts totally losing it, wandering around the city. He sleeps in the dumpster and is killed when he’s dumped into the trash truck. His injuries as described seem wholly consistent with going through a compacter in a trash truck. That’s it…
Carrie
Good morning
They said he had removed one shoe and was walking wx it.
Diana
I 100% don’t believe Jack died because of anything related to BP disorder. It could explain some of his “extreme” emotions but this man worked for a defense contractor. He had real connections to many powerful people in the military. I think he knew something and he died for it. He was robbed and then someone set those some bombs across the street, for what reason I am not sure. Maybe a distraction? Jack reports his stolen badge and briefcase to work, which is weird, like why not the police? Maybe he knows something is wrong and decides to grab his car, that car ride there is a real mystery, what happened there? Somehow ends up in that basement and hides there, probs waiting something out? He finally leaves to perhaps deal with whatever he was hiding from and died. I just wish there was more info on what projects he was working on at the time, perhaps there is a connection there.
Leah
This is exactly what I was confused about. Why was the car ride from the pharmacy to the parking garage (the unaccounted 40 minutes) brushed off? They are questioning why he went from a normal state in the pharmacy and then in panic mode when seen in the garage. Why is no one talking about who gave him the ride? Or how he got there? I truly believe there is something more there. I called one of my friends who also watched and listened to this story. She didn’t even think about whether the car ride had anything to do with it.
Louise
I’m a podiatrist and I have just seen the film of john wheeler. The video of him in the underground of the building and the video of him in the hoodie walking past the hotel look strange. It maybe that I only saw a very short clip but it looks like his stance changes its him but walking different his whole demeanor is more assured, not sure what that would mean but thought I would say
Aude
When I saw that video of a man walking past the hotel, I thought (and actually said out loud): but that’s not him. The way he walks is indeed different.