What happened to Jack Wheeler?
A reboot of Netflix's "Unsolved Mysteries" (opens in new tab) will debut on October 19, and will have viewers unraveling unsolved murders, disappearances, and generally spooky events, including the phenomenon of increased ghost sightings after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the The first case is the escape of a former death row inmate in 1973 (who is still at large), and the strange circumstances surrounding the murder of a longtime informant in Washington, D.C. The second case is the disappearance of a former death row inmate in 2010. The last case, the last few days before Jack Wheeler was found dead in a Delaware landfill on New Year's Eve 2010 (opens in a new tab), opens the second volume of the program. Although his death was ruled a homicide, 10 years later, authorities still do not have any solid clues as to what really happened to Wheeler.
The first volume of "Unsolved Mysteries" investigates the suspicious deaths of Ray Rivera (open in new tab), Alonzo Brooks (open in new tab), and others, reopening the case, a more extensive investigation, and reliable information that may help finally solve some of the tragic cases ( open in new tab) resulted in a flood of information.
Here is everything we know about the Jack Wheeler case. With any luck, a combination of renewed publicity and the deductive powers of the "Unsolved Mysteries" audience will soon bring us one step closer to a solution.
Born John P. Wheeler III, Wheeler graduated from the Military Academy and was a Vietnam veteran. To name a few: a Pentagon official, a senior official at the Securities and Exchange Commission, a special assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force, and aides in the Reagan and Bush administrations.
He was also chairman of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, founding CEO of the Vietnam Children's Fund, president and CEO of the Hearing Health Foundation, and president and CEO of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
On December 31, 2010, Wheeler's body was discovered while his garbage truck was being emptied at the Cherry Island Landfill in Wilmington, Delaware. Police eventually ruled his death a homicide due to assault and blunt force trauma, but were unable to identify a suspect or obtain any solid leads in the case. Wheeler was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in April 2011.
The investigation revealed erratic behavior in the days leading up to Wheeler's death; according to an Associated Press report (opens in new tab), on December 29, 66-year-old Wheeler was wearing only one shoe and no winter coat when he attempted to enter a Wilmington parking lot. He was not wearing a winter coat. His briefcase was not found, but he was wearing valuables such as cash, a watch, and a West Point ring.
The next day, surveillance video and witness statements revealed that Wheeler was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and prowling several office buildings, including the Mitre Corporation, where he had worked as a consultant since 2009. During this time, Wheeler appeared disoriented and refused to call for help. According to The Daily Press of Virginia, Wheeler was last seen at 8:42 p.m. on December 30, when surveillance video showed him walking toward a high-crime area in Wilmington.
On the morning of December 30. On the 31st, his body was found in a garbage truck passing through Newark, Delaware, a few miles from Wilmington. Police have not been able to determine how Wheeler ended up in Newark, much less in a commercial dumpster there.
Ten years after Wheeler's tragic and mysterious death, investigators still have no idea who committed this horrific crime and have been unable to identify any strong suspects. As you can imagine, the bizarre circumstances surrounding Wheeler's death, not to mention his high profile as a government official, have led to a flurry of conspiracy theories. Some repeat the old adage that "he knew too much" or "he was killed by his political enemies," while others, especially since much of his consulting work at the time of his death involved national cybersecurity, suspect that "he was killed in a terrible but random incident when he wandered into a dangerous part of town Some suspect that "he was killed in a terrible but indiscriminate incident. [Wheeler's home in New Castle, one block from Wilmington, was apparently burglarized on December 30, with open windows, shattered dishes in the kitchen sink inside, bottles of spices scattered throughout the room, and Wheeler's West Point sword and shield on the floor, covered with a Comet detergent on the floor, and a neighbor found them covered in what appeared to be Comet detergent. It is unclear whether Wheeler returned to his home in the last few days or whether someone broke in.
Additionally, on December 28, a smoke bomb was thrown into the window of the house across the street. Police were unable to identify the culprit, but Wheeler's cell phone was found at the scene, and he and his wife were involved in a legal battle with a builder over the exterior of the house at the time. Police were unable to determine how, if at all, these series of incidents on Wheeler's street shortly before his death were involved in the crime.
Wheeler's wife, Catherine Kreis, told Slate (opens in new tab) in 2011 that she bet the killer was a hired hit man because no one had come forward to accept the $25,000 reward offered by the family for substantial information regarding Wheeler's death He said he was betting on a hired hit man. 'Probably no one touched the bounty because it had already been paid. To me it seems like a pro."
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