And why wasnt the two guys he hitched with questioned?! 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. "He was beaten to death. 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. Some Redditors in the mainUnsolved Mysteriesthread believe Wheeler was exhibiting symptoms of early onset dementia, a disease that Wheeler's bipolar disorder could have predispositioned him to. Robert Dill, Jacks neighbor at the time, discovered Jacks second-floor window was open. On the morning his body was discovered, his neighbor called the police to report a burglary at his place. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotOnload', function(event) { "But it is just one aspect, it's not the focus of our investigation.". 2023 FOX Television Stations, from SAT 8:00 PM CST until WED 4:30 AM CST, Newton County, until SUN 12:00 PM CST, Lake County, Kenosha County, from SAT 12:00 PM CST until WED 6:00 AM CST, Jasper County, from SUN 6:00 AM CST until MON 6:00 AM CST, Lake County, Newton County, is in effect, Kane County, Lake County, McHenry County, Porter County, Jasper County, Indiana State Police trooper killed after suspect fleeing from police strikes him with vehicle on I-69, 6 injured, 2 seriously in 3-car crash on Near West Side, Feds raid suburban Chicago home of businessman who ran for state office, Lightfoot loses re-election bid, this is the date she will leave office, Police investigate 4 smash-and-grabs in Chicago suburb, Man found shot to death in North Side home: police, Police Chase: Gunman waits for kids to cross street near Lakewood; Opens fire at several different locations, Chicago weather: Slushy, stormy conditions take hold Friday, Replay Lincoln Park transforms into iconic 'Paddy's Pub'. The consensus of homicide stems largely in part from severe injuries to Wheeler's body: blunt force trauma, broken ribs, and contusions on his face. Anyone with information can call Wheeling police at (847) 459-2632. eventAction: 'click_adunit' Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. hitType: 'event', On the one hand, some people say, as the result of a bipolar episode, Wheeler could have been confused and disoriented, and therefore made a seemingly odd decisionsuch as climbing into a dumpster for warmth in the middle of the night. Delaware Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward for information leading to the arrest of subjects responsible for the death of the victim. As mentioned in the episode, Wheeler's emotional distress and his death seem unconnected to each other. Wheeler's death was ruled a homicide. But they also pointed out that he was diligent with his medication, so it wasnt likely. Related: Unsolved Mysteries: Every Jack Wheeler Death Theory, Explained. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, murdered, and his body dumped with the garbage into a landfill, Wheeler's body was discovered New Year's Eve. 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. 40 minutes later, he was captured on tape by a security camera at a parking garage in Wilmington, limping and carrying one of his shoes. And if their wasnt, why does he tell work it is missing? All the dance numbers! "'I thought it was a little odd,' says [a hacker he spoke to]. ", 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. document.querySelector("#google_image_div").addEventListener('click',function(){ When you look at the autopsy and the degree to which he was beaten, its just not consistent with a fall from the dumpster. He also added that Jack could not have been mugged as street robbers leave the body where they attack and usually dont load it into dumpsters. To make matters even more confusing, Wheeler's phone was found by the police at the construction site across the street from his home after his death, as they were investigating the possible arson attempt. SIGN UP FOR EMAIL UPDATES FROM FOX 32 NEWS. I agree. Her death was ruled a homicide. That same night, a smoke bomb went off in the house that was under construction right across from his place. 3:30 p.m. Wheeler is spotted in the area of 10th and Orange streets in Wilmington. Come morning, Katherine tried calling him, but he didnt pick up. 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 explored the Washington insider's 2010 death. eventAction: 'render' window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotRenderEnded', function(event) { 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. Without Jacks phone, all the investigators had was video surveillance to track him. This does seem most plausible. Everything is 20% off (and we've broken down our picks by dress code, naturally). Who Is Hasnat Khan, Princess Dianas Boyfriend on Season 5 of The Crown. MEAWW brings you the best content from its global team of John "Jack" Wheeler, a veterans' advocate and D.C. insider, went missing in 2010. Michael Lawson, a retired detective who worked with the Wilmington Police Department at the time, said that when he approached Wheeler's body in the landfill after getting reports of the same, he could see it was a White male with no obvious signs of injury like a gunshot wound or a stab wound. 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. 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. }); The police have largely dismissed this idea, yet they have no explanation for how Wheeler's phone wound up at the arson site. 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. And since the trash surrounding his body was determined to be from there as well, it is plausible that it happened. interesting that the documentary didnt mention anything further about the footprints found in the kitchen. "The sensational aspects of Jack's murder were what first attracted me. Episode One of Netflix's Unsolved Mysteries Volume Two details the death of a former Pentagon official and presidential aide. }) One theory is that Jack Wheeler was experiencing a bipolar episode, which caused his erratic behavior. "The pharmacist couldnt leave the shop, so he offered to call Jack a cab. } He told the people in the parking garage that his briefcase had been stolen. In addition, Wheeler's Rolex watch, West Point ring, and wallet with money were all left on him. The autopsy of JFK, President John f Kennedy was conducted By: The victim had very strong ties to the government which could be understood by merely glancing at his career. Wheeler was last seen alive on surveillance video inside the Nemours. The strangest thing, though, was the state of his New Castle home and the evidence found near there. Investigators were back at the landfill today, scouring for leads. Jacqueline and Robert Kennedy were escorted to the VIP suites on the seventeenth floor and the autopsy began at 7:35 P.M. Still, his murder remains an utter mystery, and it is unclear whether the property dispute is related to Wheeler's death. 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." hitType: 'event', Bush and George W. Bush, for whom he was a special assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force. :) Yeah. I think the episode didnt do much in the way of giving us any kind of good theories or leads, however. 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. Footage shows the pharmacist offering to call Wheeler a cab and then Wheeler declining. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), According to Today, the coroner's report said Murphy . 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. 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. While Jack Wheeler was not a munitions expert, it still seems unlikely he would make such a rudimentary mistake given how meticulous he was in all other aspects of his work. Dis friends have said she referred to the doctor as the love of her life.. The way they disposed of his body, its a miracle anybody ever found it. 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. He holds both an MS in Information Science from the University of North Texas and a BFA from the University of Texas at Arlington. The screen is still black as we hear birds cry and then, the first image we see is tons of garbage. 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. 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. But his many public accomplishments were considered even more impressive when considering his personal plights: Wheeler was diagnosed with depression and bipolar disorder. So either someone robbed him of it and set off the smoke bombs or he did it. At least, not directly. What Happened to Xavier Dupont de Ligonns? Wheeler was, at the time, embroiled in a legal battle against the houses construction, and his cell phone was found there after his death. 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. A neighbor, Robert Dill, reported the potential burglary when he noticed the second floor window of Jack's house was open. Wheeler had bipolar disorder and was on medication for his condition, but he was usually good about taking his medicine. That was seemingly forgotten on the show. However, an autopsy report suggested that Jack had taken quite a beating. 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. 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. 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. Looking for a new Netflix series to binge or the best movies to watch on Amazon Prime? However, the "fire bombs" used in the incident were later determined to be simple smoke bombs used by exterminators for flushing out rodents. 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. Proponents of this theory point to the fact that Wheeler's briefcase has never been recovered and that he contacted his employer about the theft but not the police an action he would presumably avoid if he were fearful that classified information had been stolen from his home. Unsolved Mysteries is available on Netflix now. On the morning of Dec. 30, Wheeler is believed to have boarded an Amtrak train in Washington, D.C., headed for Wilmington. Wheeler reportedly was in a running dispute with a neighbor who was building a house across the street from his home in New Castle. However, no concrete motive or evidence has ever surfaced in the decade since the dedicated public servant was killed. He oversaw Jacks property, so when he noticed that a second-floor window was open, he decided to check it out. However it happened, some theorize is that a confused Wheeler may have been mugged on the streets of Wilmington or Newark and suffered a heart attack as a result of the stress of the encounter (the Unsolved Mysteriesepisode leaves out that Wheeler's bodyshowed signs of cardiac arrest). He seemed disoriented and agitated, with one shoe torn; he carried it in his hand. He had left his car in the city before he went home for Christmas, so it seemed as if he just wanted it back. A prominent figure and a strong advocate for veterans, Wheeler was known for his passion about the causes he supported. 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. Wheeler did not go to work the following day on December 29he emailed that his home had been broken into and that his cellphone, badge, and briefcase were missing. Also, Jack had some cash on him when his body was found, had his Rolex and West Point ring. He saw a therapist and took medication. 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. 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. Getty Images. document.querySelector("#adunit").addEventListener('click',function(){ But the question still remains as to why Jack was in Newark or a dumpster. Wheeler's death has saddened many of his close friends, including former CIA Director Jim Woolsey and author James Fallows. Then the compactor made it worse when it crushed the body further. The first episode of Unsolved Mysteries shows evidence photos of the house in a state of disarray: there was a tree indoors, spices and broken dishes in the kitchen, and white Comet powder and Jacks West Point sword and shield on the floor. In addition to his work for Screen Rant, Matt is currently the Editor In Chief of Kabooooom.com and writes reviews for No Flying, No Tights a graphic literature and anime review site aimed at teachers and librarians. SkyFOX was over the scene where a body of a toddler was found Thursday. document.querySelector("#ads").addEventListener('click',function(){ window.googletag.cmd.push(function() { On the evening of December 30, he was seen in the basement of an office complex in downtown Wilmington. 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. Shes been afreelancerfor 11 years and has had roles with Cosmopolitan and Bustle, with bylines in Parents, Seventeen, and elsewhere. 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. 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. Wheeler lived in Washington, D.C. and part-time in the historic district of New Castle, Delaware.