Two people came forward saying that they saw John Wheeler alive two days before the Presidential adviser’s body turned up in a Delaware landfill.
John P. Wheeler III was a decorated war veteran who served three Presidents.
But his distinguished life ended sometime before New Years Eve and police are working to find out exactly what led to his murder.
Newark Police say a surveillance video was taken of Wheeler inside the Nemours Building located at 10th and Orange Streets in Wilmington as late as 8:30 p.m. last Thursday.
The 66-year-old Vietnam vet appeared to be confused in the video, according to a news release from the Newark Police.
Police claim that earlier that day, several people offered Wheeler assitance but he declined.
Wheeler was also seen in Wilmington on Wednesday night around 7 p.m. by a security guard at the New Castle County Courthouse.
"He told us he had been robbed," Cathy Boyer said. "Also the guy had dirt all down the right side of his pants... it was just something strange."
He also seemed to have lost his briefcase.
"He told me they took my briefcase -- who and when and when and where -- he didn’t specify anything," said parking attendant Sammy Abdalaziz.
The witnesses said that Wheeler didn't appear to be drunk but that he was disoriented and disheveled.
"In my mind I wanted to call the cops... I just wish I had," Boyer said.
He was also spotted Thursday around 3:30 p.m. near the intersection of 10th and Orange Streets near the Hotel Dupont.
So how did he wind up in a dumpster in Newark, Del. and finally in a Wilmington landfill on Friday?
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“We’re asking for anybody who may have information as to his activities around that location or his whereabouts after that time period, please contact the Newark Police Department,” Lt. Mark Farrall said.
Wheeler, who went by the name "Jack," was a U.S. Army Captain who graduated from West Point, lived in New Castle and was one of the driving forces behind the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington.
He would often commute to D.C., where he worked as an adviser to the Department of Defense.
"The last information we were able to determine is that he scheduled to take a train from Washington, D.C. to Wilmington," said Farrall earlier in the week. Police were pouring over surveillance video to see if they could spot Wheeler getting off the train.
Someone unloading a trash truck at the Cherry Island Landfill on E. 12th Street discovered Wheeler’s body. Based on the autopsy, police believe that his body wasn't in the trash bin for a long time. They also believe he was dumped in one of about ten dumpsters in Newark.
On Tuesday investigators went back to the landfill to search for clues. Exactly what clues, they wouldn't say.
Wheeler was a decorated veteran who served in Vietnam. He also served as the Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force in Washington, D.C. from 2005-2008, according to police. He was a graduate of Harvard and Yale Universities.
Bayard Marin, Wheeler's lawyer, described him as a good man.
"He was a brilliant man. Not someone who ends up in a dumpster," Marin said.
Wheeler leaves behind a wife and children. The veteran's grieving family asked for privacy Monday night:
“As you must appreciate, this is a tragic time for the family. We are grieving our loss. Please understand that the family has no further comment at this time. We trust that everyone will respect the family’s privacy.”
The Newark Police Department is asking anyone with information regarding Wheeler's whereabouts after 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 30 to contact Detective Nicholas Sansome at 302-366-7110 ext. 135.
You can also provide information anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333 where a reward may be available.
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