Ricky Johnson, David Harrington, and Clayton McGeeney were discovered deceased in Jordan Willis’ yard on January 9, two days following their attendance at a Chiefs game at Willis’ residence.
Authorities have apprehended two individuals linked to the fatalities of three Kansas City men discovered outside a residence days after observing a football match.
Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd reported that two bags, one with cocaine and the other with fentanyl, were discovered at the residence.
A forensic examination revealed that the three friends “all passed away due to a combination of Fentanyl and cocaine toxicity.”
More than a year after Ricky Johnson, David Harrington, and Clayton McGeeney were discovered deceased outside a Kansas City residence days after attending a Chiefs football game, two individuals have been apprehended and charged.
Following an investigation lasting almost 14 months, two individuals are currently confronting felony charges in Platte County, including involuntary manslaughter, connected to the fatalities of three Chiefs supporters in January 2024,” the Kansas City Missouri Police Department stated in an update on Wednesday, March 5.
During a press conference, Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd announced that the suspects, named Jordan Willis and Ivory Carson, faced charges of “distribution of a controlled substance and three counts of involuntary manslaughter.” According to the Associated Press, Willis and Carson are detained under a cash bond of $100,000.
Every charge holds a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. The Kansas City Police Department verified the arrests with PEOPLE.
Zahnd stated that during the search of the residence following the incident, law enforcement discovered two plastic bags with “white powdery substances.” Following police testing, one of the bags returned a positive result for cocaine.
“The probable cause statement claims that Mr. Willis was identified as the primary source of DNA discovered on that bag,” stated Zahnd. “The second bag held fentanyl, and the probable cause statement claims that Mr. Carson was identified as the primary donor of DNA on that bag.”
Zahnd additionally mentioned that a witness claimed to have been with the three friends at “Mr. Harrington’s residence” on the night of the football game “where he observed a large plate of cocaine reportedly provided by Mr. Willis that everyone was consuming.”
A different witness reportedly stated that he was at Willis’ residence with the three friends later that evening, “where they consumed alcohol, smoked marijuana, and used cocaine.” That observer departed just prior to midnight.
Zahnd asserts that text messages supposedly show that “Mr. Carson provided Mr. Harrington with cocaine.”
The prosecutor remarked that a forensic examination concluded that the trio of friends “all succumbed to combined toxicity from Fentanyl and cocaine.”
INDIVIDUALS contacted the Platte County Prosecutor’s Office for a response.
Johnson, Harrington, and McGeeney were discovered deceased on January 9, 2024, two days following their visit to the rental house of their friend, Willis, to watch the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers.
Willis’ attorney, John Picerno, informed PEOPLE in a statement on January 23, 2024, that his client stated that the last time he encountered the men “was when they departed his residence, and he went to sleep.” The lawyer asserted that Willis did not know friends and family were attempting to find them “before being reached out to by law enforcement.”
In a statement provided to KCTV on Wednesday, Picerno expressed that the charges against Willis were unexpected and were “contrary” to what prosecutors had informed him months earlier.
“The probable cause statement provided by the state aligns with what Jordan reported occurred,” said Picerno. Jordan asserts that he is not liable for acquiring or providing the drugs that caused the fatalities of his three friends. We are eagerly anticipating the day when a jury will hear all the evidence related to this case.
A woman looking for her fiancé, Mcgeeney, found one of the men on Willis’ rear porch. The Kansas City Police Department informed PEOPLE in an earlier statement that the bodies of the other two men were subsequently discovered in the backyard.
Two of the cars belonging to the victims were parked on the street, but Picerno noted that it was common for Willis’ friends to leave their vehicles there overnight.
“Speaking for Jordan and his family, we want to extend our heartfelt condolences to the loved ones of these young men; our thoughts and prayers are with them,” Picerno stated in a released message in 2024.
During the inquiry at the beginning of last year, authorities consistently stated that “no foul play” had been “noticed or anticipated.”
Johnson’s sibling, Jonathan Price, earlier informed PEOPLE that he thought “something must have been in their system” other than alcohol.
“If I were to propose a theory… regarding the deaths of the three men, there must have been something present in their systems,” Price, who has the same mother as Johnson, stated in a January interview. “I’m not sure if it was taken consciously, and I won’t respond to that.”
On February 1, 2024, preliminary toxicology findings allegedly showed that the men had cocaine and fentanyl in their systems, according to WDAF and TMZ, which referenced sources.
Despite persistent rumors following the reports, on February 3, 2024, a KCPD spokesperson reiterated to PEOPLE that the case was still an “ongoing death investigation.”
The spokesperson stated, “KCPD Detectives and the Platte County Prosecutor’s Office have contacted the families of the deceased men and continue to maintain communication with them as the investigation progresses.”