He spoke about a stolen briefcase. I think he might have pissed someone off, his wife Kathy told the Washington Post in 2017, and I think his movements reflected that. Dis friends have said she referred to the doctor as the love of her life.. . But you could say I came for the murder and ended up staying for the man, right, because he lived a really fascinating life," Volk says. Police have officially ruled Wheeler's death a homicide, though no killer is named or really even suspected. ", A third agreed, writing: "Who drove Jack from the pharmacy to the parking garage? "Jack's murder has all these facts around it that just naturally confound," investigative journalist Steve Volk says in the episode entitled "Washington Insider Murder. Same size as his? }); On 31st December 2010, the body of John P. Wheeler III (also known as Jack) was found in the Cherry Island Landfill in Delaware. Also whats up with the sword and shield on his kitchen floor powdered with comet or something? pg.acq.push(function() { Jack Wheeler was a graduate of Yale, Harvard, and West Point, a military consultant, and served as a special assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force under Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. When the dumpster was picked up by a truck, the body ended up at the Cherry Hill landfill, where it was found December 31 (six miles from his home) shortly after the truck dumped out its contents. The puzzling death of former White House aide Jack Wheeler is explored in a new episode of "Unsolved Mysteries." By Gina Tron. Jack WAS a patriot. He had one shoe off and the other shoe in his hand. (More on that later). 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. (opens in new tab)Wheeler's body was found on December 31, 2010, in a landfill, under mysterious circumstances. Bush, and George W. Bush. hitType: 'event', This content is imported from youTube. He didn't seem panicked at all to us, maybe senile or in a confused manic state which would explain losing his possessions. However, those who knew Wheeler best say this wasn't too out of character; he was constantly getting lost and forgetting things, and apparently had a terrible sense of direction. According to Today, the coroner's report said Murphy . But that chilling scene is only the beginning of a sprawling unsolved murder of a former Pentagon official and presidential aide. An autopsy was performed that same day which determined that Jack had been murdered. An hour later, Wheeler shows up in security footage at a parking garage. Witnesses and family members say that Wheeler arrived at the wrong parking garage in Wilmington as his car was actually parked in a different garage. Write a request for the autopsy report. The man was John"Jack" Wheeler III, a West Point Academy alum and former aide to President George W. Bush. Investigators struggled to tie the murder, burglary, and the smoke bomb incident although they could not dispel it as mere coincidence. The actress opens up about the surreal process of playing the Lark in the Netflix fantasy prequel. He also maintains a personal blog called My Geeky Geeky Ways which hosts his extensive episode guide for the television series making up The Arrowverse as well as his comedic Lets Play videos. "It was definitely homicide," she says. Netflixs Unsolved Mysteries is back again with Volume 2, and it is as intriguing and bone-chilling as ever. "The sensational aspects of Jack's murder were what first attracted me. eventAction: 'click_image_ads' Family members say that he could have periods of manic energy and depressionbut that it fueled his energy and drive, and that his disorder was well-controlled. Like those would be some of the first people I would talk to. At 6.42 pm the same day, Wheeler was seen at a garage trying to find his car but he was at the wrong garage. We may earn a commission from these links. At the time of his death, Wheeler was employed by the Mitre Corporation, a cybersecurity firm, but he was also an authority on chemical and biological warfare. Who Is Hasnat Khan, Princess Dianas Boyfriend on Season 5 of The Crown. The mystery surrounding Wheeler's death was never solved. Per the crime scene, Wheeler's body had ended up there because it had been in a dumpster in Newark, DEmiles away from Wilmington. That was seemingly forgotten on the show. He reached his destination, worked for the day, and then left to go to New Castle, his second home, for the night. eventAction: 'view' The victim had very strong ties to the government which could be understood by merely glancing at his career. Notifications can be turned off anytime from browser settings. All the nudity of porn, but with the plot and storylines of mainstream film. document.querySelector("#google_image_div").addEventListener('click',function(){ Jack was devoted to causes that were for the great benefit of the country such as being executive director of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial," Bayard Marin, Wheelers attorney, said. If there was a robbery, it was never reported and doesnt quite fit into a psychotic break. Geez. That just sounds like a pro to me.". 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Lets not oversimplify. Given Wheeler's connections at the Pentagon and his background in biological warfare and cybersecurity, it's possible that he could have been the Edward Snowden before Edward Snowden had he discovered something illegal. 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. He left the Harlem home that he shared with his wife, Katherine Klyce, after Christmas, on December 28, 2010, but never made it back alive. These Are the 30 Best True Crime Podcasts. Unsolved Mysteries executive producer Terry Dunn Muerer is hoping, with this season, to change that. I mean this guy was extremely bright. He holds both an MS in Information Science from the University of North Texas and a BFA from the University of Texas at Arlington. A well-educated man, not used to being homeless would not jump in a dumpster night 1 on the streets. Since he was the caretaker of Jacks house, he went into the house and saw the house was in disarray. 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 the garage surveillance footage, Wheeler seemed distressed and agitated. He was several blocks from the parking garage where his car was located, and he appeared visibility distressed, repeatedly telling the attendant that his briefcase had been stolen. If you have information about Wheeler's death, visit unsolved.com. That in and of itself seemed strange lol. Without Jacks phone, all the investigators had was video surveillance to track him. He is carrying one shoe. On 31st December 2010, the body of John P. Wheeler III (also known as Jack) was found in the Cherry Island Landfill in Delaware. Theories about Jack Wheeler's mysterious death run the gamut. Jack served in the Vietnam War and after he came back he began planning a memorial for all who fought and died there. "The pharmacist couldnt leave the shop, so he offered to call Jack a cab. Because he was such a well known figure people just dont want to accept that its not a conspiracy theory. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. } 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. He was responsible for the smoke bombs in the neighboring house, and for trashing his kitchen. I think perhaps no one has been on the reward because theyve already been paid, she said. I dont see that, plus the ruling is homicide. Wheeler reportedly was in a running dispute with a neighbor who was building a house across the street from his home in New Castle. 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. "I think he might have pissed someone offand I think his movements reflected that. 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. Unsolved Mysteries Volume 2 | Official Clip | No Evidence | Netflix, How Unsolved Mysteries Could Find Real Answers. } At around 7:15 P.M., EST. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. As mentioned in the episode, Wheeler's emotional distress and his death seem unconnected to each other. That just sounds like a pro to me.. When he entered the house, though, he saw that the whole place had been overturned and thrashed, with things scattered on the floor and cutlery broken in the sink, and so he dialed 911. }); THE JOHN F KENNEDY, JFK ASSASSINATION AUTOPSY: The Naval Ambulance arrived at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. However, there have always been other theories about Wheeler's mysterious death. Never even addressed this and the journalist thought those minutes were the biggest mystery. }) You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. 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. In fact, he didnt communicate with either of them for the rest of his time alive. 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. And why wasnt the two guys he hitched with questioned?! window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotOnload', function(event) { And still wearing his West Point ring to boot? A prominent figure and a strong advocate for veterans, Wheeler was known for his passion about the causes he supported. After spending the day in Washington, he traveled to New Castle, Delaware, where he owned a house. Prior to the pharmacy, he emails his work saying his security badge was stolen, although never reports this to police. One of the to-do lists Wheeler left behind, dated Dec. 5, mentions hacking a target associated with the construction dispute. That reward was worth $25,000 just for information, for the record. The body of an African-American female toddler was discovered Thursday afternoon in a pond off of Interstate 94 in Northwest Indiana. One of the more disturbing aspects of Wheeler's case was that he apparently had some kind of medical episode during the two days he was wandering the streets of Wilmington. "I think he might have pissed someone off and I think his movements reflected that. 3:30 p.m. Wheeler is spotted in the area of 10th and Orange streets in Wilmington. Wheeler was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors in April of 2011. In 2011, Kathy Klyce told Slate that she suspects the murder was a hired hit. Wheeler's body was later found in a landfill. However, the main problem with this theory is that Wheeler wasn't robbed: He still was wearing an expensive watch and his West Point ring when his body was found. There's also the fact that muggers who kill their victims usually don't bother with hiding the body, much less transporting it 15 miles out of their way to a dumpster in another city. Unsolved Mysteries is back and more haunting than ever.The first episode of the season's second volume explores what happened to John "Jack" Wheeler. Known as a font of comic book history trivia, he has delivered lectures on the history of American Comic Books, Japanese Manga, Doctor Who, and Cosplay at over a dozen conventions and served as an Expert In-Residence for a course on Graphic Novels for Librarians at the University of North Texas. Jack Wheeler did not have a known connection to the Nemours building, and investigators in Unsolved Mysteries believe his activities denote the behavior of someone trying to hide. Wheeler had notified Mitre his phone was missing but didn't tell his wife or the police. Wheeler's autopsy result concluded he died from blunt force trauma but as of today, his. Matt Morrison has been writing about comics since before the word "blogging" was coined. Some type of black garment covered his upper torso area. At least one shoe didnt agree with him. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), It was possible that Wheeler had some mental breakdown due to his disorder or he was being physically attacked. A witness did come forward to state that they shared a cab with Jack at around 11 p.m. that night, which Jack had climbed into after hearing that it was headed to Newark. Wheeler also spoke about an interest in hacking to people he knew, in relation to an informal investigation he was making into corruption of Delaware public officials. }); Also, Jack had some cash on him when his body was found, had his Rolex and West Point ring. True crime docuseries Unsolved Mysteries Volume Two, now available on Netflix, kicks off with a disturbing first episode. Curious to know all the details? } Later on, Jack worked as the special assistant to the secretary of the Air Force, Mike Wynne, and was a national security consultant to the defense firm Mitre Corporation in the cybersecurity area. According to the Washington Post, he also emailed his therapist that morning saying that he felt dazed, boxed in a corner regarding a fight with his wife, Kathy. NY 10036. Related: Unsolved Mysteries: Every Jack Wheeler Death Theory, Explained. ", Klyce believes that Wheeler was in the midst of a bipolar episodebut also says she believes her husband was targeted for some reason. As shown in the Unsolved Mysteries Volume 2episode, police were eventually able to trace Wheeler's body to a particular garbage truck and found his DNA in a dumpster in Newark, Delaware; a city nearly 15 miles southwest of where Wheeler was last seen alive and roughly the same distance from where his body was found. We know that the 66-year-old husband and father's body was discovered in a Delaware landfill on Dec. 31, one day after his disappearance. Jack Wheeler's death is the focus of an Unsolved Mysteries episode Credit: YouTube Jack's body was found in a Delaware landfill one day after his disappearance in December 2010, having last. 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. He was a graduate of West Point Academy, Yale and Harvard and was a special assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force through three presidencies: Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Wheeler declines their help. However, the "fire bombs" used in the incident were later determined to be simple smoke bombs used by exterminators for flushing out rodents. Wheeler's death was ruled a homicide. Jack had been driven to the parking garage from a pharmacy, but it is not clear who took him between the two places. A Washington insider with an exemplary career as a soldier and security expert, Wheeler's beaten and bruised body was found in a landfill in Wilmington, Delaware. Content warning: violence. Her death was ruled a homicide. Jack said No, thanks,'. He was the chairman in charge of strategy guidance for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund and served as a senior planner for Amtrak. Unsolved Mysteries is available on Netflix now. Fallows wrote a tribute to Wheeler in the Atlantic Magazine online, saying, "I feel terrible for his family and hope they will eventually find comfort in knowing how many important things he achieved. ga('ads.send', { }); He didnt beat himself up.". The second season of the hit Netflix series features a number of different cases, with one episode focusing on the mysterious 2010 disappearance of former presidential aide Jack Wheeler. The injuries Wheeler sustained simply could not have been the result of his being harmed by a trash truck. This also assumes that Wheeler would ever consider committing a crime. Nevertheless, some people believe that his murder was the direct result of a professional hit job, considering all the evidence, or the lack thereof. pg.acq.push(function() { The person had a relationship with Murphy, and was last seen with her on Monday, around the time her family last had contact with her, according to Wheeling police. Wheeler's body was apparently dumped in a dumpster in Newark, Delaware, which was 14 kilometers from Wilmington. They specialize in stuff like artificial intelligence, satellite systems for the military. The second season of Netflix's 'Unsolved Mysteries' opens with this case as it interviews detectives and expert witnesses involved in it and also talks to the victim's family to help decode what might have happened to John Wheeler, who was referred by most as simply "Jack." }); "What's important now is to establish the location of the crime.". An endangered missing person advisory issued Thursday did not say where in Missouri the person and van were located. 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. 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. 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. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), This mirrors the recent Unsolved Mysteries episode on Jack Wheeler, which aired last October. 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. The way they disposed of his body, its a miracle anybody ever found it. According to an operations report originally obtained by The Daily Beast, a K-9 unit consisting of one bloodhound and . This resulted in the panicked criminals dumping Wheeler's body in a dumpster and running for it before their crime was reported. He also, interestingly, asked for train fare, despite refusing the offer of a cab from parking attendants the night before. He was beaten and thrown around in such a way that he had several severe injuries all over his body. Family, friends, and investigators express in the episode their hope that someone has information about what happened to Wheeler in his final days. He appeared disorientated and anxious in the video, it could be that he thought he was being followed and was extremely paranoid and hid in the dumpster. Murphy's 1-year-old daughter, Jacklyn "Angel . It also covers everything from homicide to tales of lost ones to paranormal activities, all the while encouraging viewers to provide information that might help bring it to a close. Over the course of his travels to the dump, he could have had several dumpsters worth of trash compacted against him. He was last seen alive on 10th Street and Orange in. I agree. A neighbor, Robert Dill, reported the potential burglary when he noticed the second floor window of Jack's house was open. This is the last known sighting of Wheeler, who in the footage, seems to be walking in the opposite direction of his home. John 'Jack' Wheeler's body was found in a landfill His body was found 14 hours later on December 31 in a landfill after being dumped from a trash truck. In light of the case getting attention again as part ofUnsolved Mysteries Volume Two, many have been sharing their theories online of what could have happened to Jack. On the evening of December 30, he was seen in the basement of an office complex in downtown Wilmington. Then, when the garbage truck came in the morning to dispose of the dumpster, the machinery man-handling him could have killed him, leaving him with wounds and contusions that resembled a beating. It is possible, however, that the stress of his briefcase and phone disappearing may have triggered a manic episode. Investigators were back at the landfill today, scouring for leads. The first episode of Unsolved Mysteries Volume 2 centers on the murder of Jack Wheeler, a Washington insider and former aide to . Delaware Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward for information leading to the arrest of subjects responsible for the death of the victim. hitType: 'event', Heres how it works. Yeah, I mean everytime they dump something new in the dumpster things are going to get pressed against him. Surely he talked during that trip? Farrall said that Wheeler, who who has homes in Washington, D.C., and in New Castle, Del., was scheduled to take a train from Washington to Wilmington on Dec. 28. 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? 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. Police ultimately ruled his death a homicide caused. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? 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. As if the circumstances surrounding Wheeler's death weren't odd enough, by the time he was identified and the New Castle City Police Department was notified, an investigation of a potential burglary was already underway at his home in New Castle. He was blocks away from where he had actually left his car. ga('ads.send', { You can follow his adventures on Twitter, @senseistarman. interesting that the documentary didnt mention anything further about the footprints found in the kitchen. Whatever the truth behind Jack Wheeler's death, it cannot be denied that Unsolved Mysteries Volume 2 chose an incredibly intriguing case with which to open its new season. Investigators soon found Jacks phone, but it was in the under-construction house across the street, making them think that maybe Jack had set off those smoke bombs. This is what I thought but it doesnt explain the missing briefcase and other items. Clueless and 8 Mile star Brittany Murphy was only 32 years old when she passed away from what her autopsy declared was pneumonia. John P. Wheeler III, (opens in new tab)known as "Jack," was a graduate of prestigious military academy West Point with a long and impressive resum: presidential aide to Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush, a critical part of getting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial built, and eventually a consultant at Mitre working on classified information in cybersecurity. The Mountbatten-Windsors have been recastagain. He moved easily among Washington's elite, working most recently as a military consultant. Another theory is that Wheeler's strange behavior wasn't related to his bipolar at all. Investigators believe that Jack spent the night of December 29 and part of the day on December 30 in the basement of the office building, and the last known footage of Jack alive is of him leaving the building in the evening of December 30. This does seem most plausible. 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. In 1982, as we were building the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, he provided the overall strategy, guidance, was the chairman of the board. I vote for him. Yes, he did have a second home in New Castle, Delaware, but Wilmington was a completely different area. }); The autopsy report doesn't correlate with someone getting crushed by a compactor. Jack wandered around Delaware disoriented and unable to contact anyone for help. John Wheeler: Decade after White House aide's body was found in dumpster, agencies still clueless about murder. Bush and George W. Bush, for whom he was a special assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force. Despite having Bipolar disorder, John Jack Parsons Wheeler III, had built an unprecedented resume in 66 years. Jack was working in the area of cybersecurity. By the way, whenever I need a ride somewhere I always go to the pharmacy and ask someone to take me. Additionally, it seems unlikely that Wheeler would have gone to ground without making some kind of effort to make sure his wife and children were protected if he thought he was being targeted by assassins as the result of a long-term investigation into government corruption. 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. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, John Wheeler, an attorney and businessman, touches the name of a friend engraved in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, May 17, 1994. . I have a theory that Jack Wheeler was the victim of a gay bashing. "The home construction dispute is one aspect we are considering," Farrall said. No. In 2017, Wheeler's wife Kathy Klyce toldWashington Post she believed he messed with the wrong person. According to the Delaware state medical examiner's office, Jack's official cause of death was blunt force trauma. Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. The show uses re-enactments and in-depth interviews with professionals and loved ones to retell the circumstances surrounding old cases that are, well, unsolved. An autopsy was performed tha. After his body was secured and sent to the coroners office, the autopsy performed confirmed that he had died in the worst of ways. Several people approach him because he appears disoriented or confused. "So some of those details they would have because they were the law enforcement that spoke to that couple, but we dont have any of those details.. He had left his car in the city before he went home for Christmas, so it seemed as if he just wanted it back. Somebody didnt want his body to be found. His body was found in a landfill. After Wheeler spent Christmas with his family in 2010, on December 28, he left New York to go back to Washington DC. }) Shes been afreelancerfor 11 years and has had roles with Cosmopolitan and Bustle, with bylines in Parents, Seventeen, and elsewhere. In this footage, he appears frenetic and confused. Wheeler shows up on security footage later in the night. 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. Some investigators theorized he might have died after seeking refuge in the dumpster, but his brutal wounds are inconsistent with thatWheeler was pretty badly beaten, according to the report. Jack's body was found in a Delaware landfill one day after his disappearance in December 2010, having last been seen alive on a street in Wilmington. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Sources tell FOX 32 News that authorities are investigating to see if there is a connection between the toddler and Dobbs. Bush and George W. Bush. His family confirmed that Jack was directionally challenged, and his behavior could have been due to his Bipolar disorder. Theories ranged from a professional hit in relation to Jack's job, or one of his previous positions, to his neighbours being responsible.More #UnsolvedMysteries cases: JoAnn Romain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlyvrBvUkLoTsunami Spirits: https://youtu.be/e4ohyRvcuxUAlonzo Brooks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuJo7HDMeqoJoin the Internet Mystery Sleuths Discord server: https://discord.gg/QC36rVT On the night before he died, security footage filmed Wheeler at a New Castle pharmacy. On December 31, 2010 the body of John "Jack" Wheeler III was discovered in a Delaware landfill after it had come off of a dump truck. Because of the way Jack Wheeler was found, it was evident that foul play was involved, so as soon as the investigators arrived, they secured the landfill and began combing through the tons and tons of trash for any evidence. That same night, a smoke bomb went off in the house that was under construction right across from his place. "His family was travelling, so no one reported him missing," Farrall said. reporters on a platform technologically tailored to meet the needs of the modern reader. What robber is barefoot? As mentioned in the episode, Wheeler's emotional distress and his death seem unconnected to each other.