He was beaten and thrown around in such a way that he had several severe injuries all over his body. While this theory might explain Wheeler going into hiding and the disappearance of his briefcase, it explains little else regarding the odd circumstances of his death. }); I bet they were wheelers. He reached his destination, worked for the day, and then left to go to New Castle, his second home, for the night. That same night, a smoke bomb went off in the house that was under construction right across from his place. This mirrors the recent Unsolved Mysteries episode on Jack Wheeler, which aired last October. Reply Bing987 . The body of an African-American female toddler was discovered Thursday afternoon in a pond off of Interstate 94 in Northwest Indiana. By the way, whenever I need a ride somewhere I always go to the pharmacy and ask someone to take me. An autopsy was performed that same day which determined that Jack had been murdered. Lauren Kranc is the assistant content strategy editor at Esquire, where she runs the brands social media accounts and covers pop culture and television, with entirely too narrow an expertise on true crime shows. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Katherines a Boston-based contributor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestylefrom Clueless to Everlane to news about Lizzo. hitType: 'event', He was trying to stay out of sight because someone might have been following him.". Police have officially ruled Wheeler's death a homicide, though no killer is named or really even suspected. Heres how it works. Related: Unsolved Mysteries: Every Jack Wheeler Death Theory, Explained. "Whats puzzling about that case is it wasnt just a random assault or street mugging. "He was beaten to death. Murphy's 1-year-old daughter, Jacklyn "Angel" Dobbs, remains missing. Lets not oversimplify. A ring stood out as no ring that I had ever seen before. It was a West Pont Military Academy ring, class of 1966. The autopsy of JFK, President John f Kennedy was conducted By: Then the compactor made it worse when it crushed the body further. .css-gk9meg{display:block;font-family:Lausanne,Arial,sans-serif;font-weight:normal;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding-top:0.25rem;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-gk9meg:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.15;margin-bottom:0.25rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.625rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 73.75rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}So, Which Band Inspired 'Daisy Jones & The Six'? He was also limping, or maybe that was his normal gait, at the pharmacy. Some type of black garment covered his upper torso area. This would also explain the heart attack Wheeler suffered, as he could have either had it during the night of December 30th and been left too weak to leave the dumpster when it was picked up or had it while his body was being crushed by the compactor. Wheeler's body was later found in a landfill. Grandmother with dementia died from face wound neglected by staff for days. My wife suggested something that I thought fit the details given, maybe while he was meandering around Newark he wandered out into the street and was hit by a car, he was dressed in all black. Despite having Bipolar disorder, John Jack Parsons Wheeler III, had built an unprecedented resume in 66 years. "I think he might have pissed someone off and I think his movements reflected that. Subsequently, all the dumpsters in Newark were examined, and a partial DNA match with Jack from inside one of them was found. Jack WAS a patriot. Phone records show that he worked in DC for only a day. From 1978 to 1986, Jack served as special counsel to chairman, and secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), from 1988 to 1989, he was in President G H W Bushs transition team, from 2005 to 2008, he worked as the special assistant to the secretary of the Air Force, and from 2009-2010 he worked as a consultant in Mitre Corporation. Taking to Twitter, one fan wrote: "@Unsolved did police interview the guys who gave Jack Wheeler a ride from the pharmacy to parking garage about what they talked about? In the end, nothing about who could have possibly wanted to harm Jack in such a way was found. His body was later crushed by the compactor of the garbage truck that picked up his dumpster, resulting in the blunt force trauma that caused his death. All the nudity of porn, but with the plot and storylines of mainstream film. Wheeler had been beaten severely and suffered a heart attack, according to the cops. 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We are one of the worlds fastest growing That just sounds like a pro to me.. reporters on a platform technologically tailored to meet the needs of the modern reader. document.querySelector("#adunit").addEventListener('click',function(){ Yes, he did have a second home in New Castle, Delaware, but Wilmington was a completely different area. I still like season 2 but it kinda feels like the detective work is lacking a bit. We're at the Cherry Island Landfill in Wilmington, Delaware where on December 31, 2010 landfill employees discovered a body of a man dumped there. Wheeler's autopsy also revealed that he had suffered a heart attack, but still listed the cause of his death as blunt force trauma. An endangered missing person advisory issued Thursday did not say where in Missouri the person and van were located. Dis friends have said she referred to the doctor as the love of her life.. Here's everything we know about who killed Jack Wheeler, plus details on the White House aide and exclusive intel from series co-creator and executive producer Terry Meurer. On the evening of December 29, Wheeler was seen at his local pharmacy in New Castle, where he asked several people if they could give him a ride to Wilmington. The injuries Wheeler sustained simply could not have been the result of his being harmed by a trash truck. During his mental break, he might have made a pass at one or both of the guys who was . It's also believed that a professional assassin would have shot Wheeler from a distance, rather than beating him to death physically. ga('ads.send', { Whenever possible, actual redditors have participated in investigating the events. And its just by the grace of God that his body was found.". Never even addressed this and the journalist thought those minutes were the biggest mystery. Titled "Washington Insider Murder," the episode details the bizarre circumstances of Wheeler's death. So, Which Band Inspired 'Daisy Jones & The Six'? SkyFOX was over the scene where a body of a toddler was found Thursday. Netflix revealed images of Wheeler's autopsy which lists several injuries, including. },false) Although the injuries don't add up, my guess was that he had had a mental break. What you are about to read is not a news broadcast. However, an autopsy report suggested that Jack had taken quite a beating. I agree. The actress opens up about the surreal process of playing the Lark in the Netflix fantasy prequel. Notifications can be turned off anytime from browser settings. Days before his death, Wheeler had filed a lawsuit attempting to halt the construction of a house across the street from his home in New Castle. This case is covered in the first episode of .css-umdwtv{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:.0625rem;text-decoration-color:#FF3A30;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:inherit;-webkit-transition:background 0.4s;transition:background 0.4s;background:linear-gradient(#ffffff, #ffffff 50%, #d5dbe3 50%, #d5dbe3);-webkit-background-size:100% 200%;background-size:100% 200%;}.css-umdwtv:hover{color:#000000;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;-webkit-background-position:100% 100%;background-position:100% 100%;}Volume Two of Netflix's Unsolved Mysteries reboot. The next day, on December 29, Wheeler took a cab to theHotel du Pont in downtown Wilmington, Delaware, where he notified his employer by e-mail that his phone and briefcase had been stolen. The victim had very strong ties to the government which could be understood by merely glancing at his career. hitType: 'event', The footage clearly shows that he was distressed and agitated, looking over his shoulders and into corners every few seconds as if he was scared that somebody would jump out. So theres been a theory of Jacks death that maybe he wanders out into the night, maybe he just gets cold and crawls into a dumpster to escape the winter, Volk said. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? These Are the 30 Best True Crime Podcasts. On December 28, he left his home in the morning, telling his wife that he had to go to Washington D.C. for some important work, not unusual considering how busy he liked to keep himself. Also, Jack was wearing only one shoe, carrying the other in his hand, and repeatedly telling the personnel there that his briefcase was stolen. Over the course of his travels to the dump, he could have had several dumpsters worth of trash compacted against him. He had one shoe off and the other shoe in his hand. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. He was the chairman in charge of strategy guidance for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund and served as a senior planner for Amtrak. You can follow his adventures on Twitter, @senseistarman. Dill also reported a bare footprint. eventAction: 'click_image_ads' Most states require a written request for the autopsy report. Even weirder was the presence of Wheeler's ceremonial West Point sword and shield on the floor, covered in spilled cleaning supplies. }); Plot details forUnsolved Mysteriesahead. One theory is that Jack Wheeler was experiencing a bipolar episode, which caused his erratic behavior. Where the Cast of 'Boy Meets World' Is Now, Don't Despair, But 'The Last of Us' Is Nearly Over, 'The Last of Us' Season 2 Might Start Filming Soon, Facts You Didn't Know About That '70s Show, The Cast of 'The Mandalorian' in Real Life, 'The Mandalorian' Season 3, Episode 1 Recap, 'The Mandalorian' Season 3 is About to Commence. "But it is just one aspect, it's not the focus of our investigation.". Visit our corporate site. document.querySelector("#ads").addEventListener('click',function(){ Curiously, Wheeler did not call the police regarding the break-in or the theft. Discussing Jack's final hours show's co-creator Terry Meurer told The Wrap: "Jack went into the pharmacy and he asked the pharmacist, who he knew, to give him a ride to Wilmington. At 6:42 p.m., he was seen in a parking garage there. The Mountbatten-Windsors have been recastagain. Related: Everything Unsolved Mysteries Leaves Out About The Oslo Plaza Woman. After Wheeler spent Christmas with his family in 2010, on December 28, he left New York to go back to Washington DC. He saw a therapist and took medication. On 31st December 2010, the body of John P. Wheeler III (also known as Jack) was found in the Cherry Island Landfill in Delaware. His body was found in a landfill. interesting that the documentary didnt mention anything further about the footprints found in the kitchen. "His family was travelling, so no one reported him missing," Farrall said. And if their wasnt, why does he tell work it is missing? His entire life had been dedicated to public service, even as he personally battled depression and bipolar disorder. He was happily married to Katherine "Kathy" Klyce; they each had two children. (Featured Image Credit: Netflix). But they also pointed out that he was diligent with his medication, so it wasnt likely. 3. This also assumes that Wheeler would ever consider committing a crime. A few days later, a neighbor noticed an open window and found Wheeler's New Castle home in disarray, with a copy ofThe Long Gray Line(in which Wheeler is featured) on the table. It is unclear how Wheeler wound up in that dumpster and if he was alive or dead at the time. Wheeler's death has saddened many of his close friends, including former CIA Director Jim Woolsey and author James Fallows. Content warning: violence. He got his start writing for the legendary DC Comics digital fanzine Fanzing, before receiving his own column, The Mount. "I think he might have pissed someone offand I think his movements reflected that. I have a theory that Jack Wheeler was the victim of a gay bashing. His once orderly life seemed to be unraveling in his last days, which has further befuddled. Another relevant detail is that Wheeler suffered from bipolar disorder. eventAction: 'render' But at this point, he said, police have no information about Wheeler's whereabouts that week. This does seem most plausible. Klyce maintains Wheeler's death was a hired hit. This December marks the 10th anniversary of Wheeler's death, and since the episode began airing, conspiracy theories regarding what happened to Jack Wheeler have flooded the internet. He seemed disoriented and agitated, with one shoe torn; he carried it in his hand. However, the "fire bombs" used in the incident were later determined to be simple smoke bombs used by exterminators for flushing out rodents. media-tech companies with hubs around the world. John "Jack" Wheeler was known as a man of honor: a West Point graduate, a Vietnam veteran, and the man who was the driving force behind financing the construction of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Her death was ruled a homicide. He made it to Newark, crawled into the Dumpster to keep warm, and was crushed by the trash compactor. Still, his murder remains an utter mystery, and it is unclear whether the property dispute is related to Wheeler's death. Someone attempted to set the house across the street from Wheelers residence on fire that night. He also reported that his house had been broken into and claimed his briefcase had been stolen. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), I am failing to understand why his injuries are not believed to be consistent with being crushed by the trash compactor. Wheeler's death was ruled a homicide. Around that same time, he sent an e-mail to Mitre, telling them that there had been a break-in in his home and that his Mitre badge, wallet, key fob, briefcase, and cellphone had been taken. Unsolved Mysteries is available on Netflix now. Seems the simplest explanation is he had a mental break. That's why it is so sad and ironic, his friends say, that he himself would be murdered, and his body dumped with the garbage into a landfill not far from his home. As a high-ranking official who was well-connected, knew a lot of important information relating to cybersecurity and was suffering from a mental health disorder, he could have been seen as a liability. This content is imported from youTube. }); The footage shows him walking toward Rodney Square at around 8:40 p.m. }) Investigator Joe Salerno said that since Jack had a very strong network with the government, "he may have been a target of a murder-for-hire type situation. Steve Volk, an investigative journalist, said, "What we know is that at the time of his death, he was working as a consultant for the Mitre Corporation, which is a defense contracting firm. If it was a psychotic break, I am not sure how this fits in. ga('ads.send', { And thats when everything changed. According to aWashington Postarticle, Wheeler emailed his therapist after he emailed Mitre, saying after a fight with his wife he felt dazed, boxed in a corner. The office building he ended up spending the night at was one in which he had visited to request a consultation with a lawyer, although he left without getting counsel. There is also some question as to whether or not the injuries Wheeler suffered could have been inflicted by a trash compactor and how he came to be in Newark in the first place, as the medical examiner believed the extent and nature of the injuries were more in line with a severe beating than being crushed. John Wheeler, an attorney and businessman, touches the name of a friend engraved in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, May 17, 1994. . But because there was video footage of Jack from days before his estimated date of death seemingly not acting himself, it brought more questions into the fray. Ultimately, his cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma, and his manner of death was ruled a homicide. Wheeler's erratic behavior before his death and his avoiding his home and cabs in favor of hitchhiking and traveling on foot could be taken as signs that he feared he was being stalked and that the thieves were hunting him to cover their tracks. After spending the evening and most of the day of December 30 in the basement of the Nemours building in downtown Wilmington, Wheeler was captured on camera leaving the Nemours building at 8:30 pm and was last seen walking past the valet station at the Hotel du Pont at 8:41 pm. Per the crime scene, Wheeler's body had ended up there because it had been in a dumpster in Newark, DEmiles away from Wilmington. He spoke about a stolen briefcase. Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. They left his watch, they left his money," Meurer tells Parade.com. Wheeler lived in Washington, D.C. and part-time in the historic district of New Castle, Delaware. "The sensational aspects of Jack's murder were what first attracted me. A neighbor, Robert Dill, reported the potential burglary when he noticed the second floor window of Jack's house was open. pg.acq.push(function() { The screen is still black as we hear birds cry and then, the first image we see is tons of garbage. Trash car drivers told investigators that it was fairly common that people would climb into a dumpster to find some warmth in the winter. Investigators said his body was disposed of in a dumpster. On the morning of Dec. 30, Wheeler is believed to have boarded an Amtrak train in Washington, D.C., headed for Wilmington. According to Today, the coroner's report said Murphy . if(document.querySelector("#adunit")){ Wheeler's death was ruled a homicide, due to the intensive damage dealt to his body, which included a punctured lung, broken ribs and a wound on his head. pg.acq.push(function() { Bush, and George W. Bush. He told the people in the parking garage that his briefcase had been stolen. Wheeler considered the construction "sacrilegious" and was in the process of filing legal challenges against the homeowners. What little spare time he has is devoted towards acting, role-playing, movie-riffing and sarcasm. However, there are two main schools of thought regarding that his death was somehow related to his bipolar disorder. Police ultimately ruled his death a homicide caused. Surveillance footage showed him visiting a local pharmacy at night on December 29 looking for a ride to Wilmington, where he had left his car in a garage. An hour later, Wheeler shows up in security footage at a parking garage. The chief problem with this theory is that few believe Wheeler would have sought shelter in a garbage dumpster, even if he were afraid of being watched on the street, after spending most of his first night on the run in the basement of an office building. Clueless and 8 Mile star Brittany Murphy was only 32 years old when she passed away from what her autopsy declared was pneumonia. The first episode of Unsolved Mysteries Volume 2 examined the curious death of Jack Wheeler. He seemed in a lot of distress at the parking garage. He served three presidents -- Ronald Reagan, George H.W. WHEELING, Ill. - A 21-year-old mother who was found murdered in Wheeling this week was strangled to death, according to autopsy results released Thursday afternoon. That reward was worth $25,000 just for information, for the record. One of the to-do lists Wheeler left behind, dated Dec. 5, mentions hacking a target associated with the construction dispute. There wasnt much damage but police found a cell phone at the scene and when they examined it, discovered it was Wheelers. This would seem to be the most logicalscenario given Wheeler's employment history and status as a Washington DC insider with a high-level security clearance. In 2017, Wheelers wife Kathy Klyce told the Washington Post that she believed Jack set off the smoke bombs in the home across the street from theirs, and also that he was experiencing a bipolar episode at the time of his death.