CHILLING
JOHN "Jack" Wheeler was brutally murdered with “blunt force” and dumped at Cherry Island Landfill in Delaware.
His death in 2010 remains a mystery, but some say the chairman of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund appeared to be erratic and disoriented days before his body was found.
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What happened to Jack Wheeler?
John "Jack" Parsons Wheeler, 66, is the subject of a Netflix series called Unsolved Mysteries.
Wheeler was slain after being found wandering outside several office buildings looking “confused and disoriented” at 8:30pm on December 30, 2010.
A decade later, it is unclear how he was murdered - and who killed him.
He was spotted on December 29 wearing a black suit and only one shoe, according to The Washington Post.
One eyewitness had assumed he was "homeless".
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Wheeler was apparently trying to gain access to a garage and wanted to pay for a parking fee but his car was in a different garage at the time.
He had also mentioned to a parking attendant that his briefcase had been stolen.
Wheeler went into a store and approached a pharmacist asking for a ride to Wilmington, Delaware.
The pharmacist offered to call him a cab and Wheeler then left.
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His body was found 14 hours later on December 31 in a landfill after being dumped from a trash truck.
Wheeler had been beaten severely and suffered a heart attack, according to the cops.
But his widow, Katherine Klyce, told reporters police had given her conflicting information on the cause of his death.
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Who was Jack Wheeler?
John Parsons Wheeler, also known as Jack Wheeler, was chairman of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund prior to his death.
He was also employed as a senior planner for Amtrak, an official of the Securities and Exchange Commission, CEO of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, consultant to the Mitre Corporation, and presidential aide to Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.
Wheeler "carried out projects for Presidents Carter and Reagan, helped guide Macy’s out of bankruptcy and built 51 schools in Vietnam," says the Post.
After serving in Vietnam, he co-founded the organization that built the Vietnam Veterans Memorial - known as the Wall - which draws more than five million visitors annually.
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Has anyone been arrested in connection to his death?
No suspects have been arrested in connection to Wheeler’s death.
His murder remains unsolved as cops still have no idea whether he ended up dead as a result of either a random or deliberate attack.
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What are the theories about his death?
The latter part of Wheeler's career was spent working as special assistant to the secretary of the Air Force.
He was also a national security consultant for the research and development firm Mitre Corp, reports The Washington Post.
The Vietnam vet had "forged an interest in cybersecurity, a remarkable professional turn for a man in his 60s," after a "decades-long battle with depression and bipolar disorder, which triggered bouts of frenetic activity and dramatic mood swings", the paper adds.
Wannabe sleuths have for ten years drawn their own conclusions about Wheeler's death.
And there have been quite a few clues to ponder.
For example, surveillance footage showed him in Wilmington before he was killed.
The CCTV clip shows an upset and confused Wheeler, looking scruffy and seeking a ride out of the town while complaining that he’d been robbed.
His wife, Kathy Klyce, told The News Journal: "I think he was afraid. I don't think he was acting abnormal."
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She said that despite making "lots of enemies" while involved in national defense and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial there was "nobody that would kill him".
Former homicide investigator Brad Garrett told ABC News: “So the question for investigators is, does it all really go together or is it pieces?
"When I say pieces, did he have a stroke, for example? Becomes disoriented, he wanders around. He hits into the wrong crowd. They kill him. They rob him, whatever they might do.”
Yet Klyce disputes that version, pointing out that his body was found with expensive jewelry, including his Rolex watch.
Hours before his death Wheeler had emailed Mitre, saying his home had been broken into, and his cellphone, badge, key fob and briefcase were stolen.
He had told Klyce that he needed to spend a couple of days working at Mitre - leaving her feeling "ticked off".
The couple then argued for a couple of days by text and email exchanges, before Wheeler failed to reply.
At the Wheelers' second home, in New Castle, Delaware, on the night of December 28, a neighbor spotted the silhouette of a man appearing to ignite material, to allegedly try and set light to a home under construction.
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Wheeler had apparently battled the building of the three-story house, saying it was sited on an area of historical significance as Colonists, and then the Revolutionaries, had maintained a defensive battery there, writes the Post.
"The alleged arson attempt added to the mystery," the paper adds.
Also puzzling is that, on the morning of December 30, a neighbor noticed that - despite the couple being away - an upstairs window and side door were both open.
Rob Dill told the Post: “My first thought was that there was a break-in."
Inside, he found an overturned dining room chair, broken dishes in the sink, spices and bottles spread over the counter, and Wheeler’s West Point cadet sword, a prized possession, "on the floor, unsheathed", says the paper.
Oddly, among the mess was one glaring object - a book which featured Wheeler, The Long Gray Line, was lying open on the kitchen counter.
MORE UNSOLVED MYSTERIES
When is Unsolved Mysteries airing?
Netflix released Unsolved Mysteries Volume 2 on Monday, October 19.
Read More on The US Sun
The show’s second volume will feature six new episodes.
Season one is still available to watch on the streaming site.