Renowned pathologist weighs in on three friends who died in freezing backyard
Dr. Baden assesses what may have killed Chiefs fans outside friend's house
Forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden on the ongoing investigation into the mysterious deaths of three Chiefs fans
Forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden delivered his assessment Monday on the deaths of three Kansas City Chiefs fans discovered in their friend Jordan Willis' frigid backyard.
"It may be that all four of them took something that made them pass out. He [Willis] passed out indoors and slept it off. They passed out in the cold weather and snow, and within an hour, the body temperature would go down from 98 degrees to 80 degrees and the heart rhythm goes awry, and the person dies of a cardiac arrest. Because of hypothermia," Baden said Monday on "Fox & Friends."
David Harrington, far left, Clayton McGeeney, second from right, and Ricky Johnson, right, were found dead in their friend's backyard two days after they had gathered to watch the Kansas City Chiefs playoff game. (Ricky Johnson on Facebook)
He told co-host Steve Doocy the toxicology test results will provide more information on whether drugs were consumed and at what level.
"This may be just a recreational level, and they didn't die of a drug overdose," he explained.
However, Baden said most simultaneous deaths are caused by carbon monoxide poisoning, but only indoors.
The outdoor deaths, he continued, point to drugs having been the likeliest cause.
An exterior view of the porch of Jordan Willis’s home in Kansas City, Missouri on Friday, January 26, 2024. The bodies of Willis’ three friends - Ricky Johnson, Clayton McGeeney, and David Harrington - were found in Willis’ backyard, with one body found on the porch, on January 9, 2024 - two days after attending a Kansas City Chiefs watch party at the home. (Delbert Shaw for Fox News Digital)
"They may not have known what was in the material they were taking, and they got confused. They passed out. One passes out indoors and sleeps it off. All the others are outdoors and die of the cold," he said.
"I'm sure the police already know. They were at the scene. They got information from the scene, what was used, I'm sure this Willis person is talking and cooperating with them [and is telling] what he knows. The police are looking for whoever supplied the drug, and when they find out, they'll release the information. They know the cause of death. They know what the toxicology is by now."
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Meanwhile, a source close to Jordan Willis' family told Fox Nation he has been "depressed" about people speculating that he had something to do with his friends' deaths and is also "devastated" by the loss.
The three fans were discovered outside Willis' home after a Jan. 7 NFL watch party. Experts previously told Fox News Digital that fentanyl-laced drugs or K2, a drug commonly mistaken for marijuana, could have been the culprit.
Fox News' Christina Coulter contributed to this report.
Taylor Penley is an associate editor with Fox News.
