Northland overdose victim’s father files wrongful death lawsuit

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Over a year after three men’s bodies were found in a Northland backyard, the suspects are in custody and a victim’s family member is filing suit against them.

On March 5, 2025, the Platte County Prosecutor’s Office charged Jordan Willis and Ivory Carson with two counts of delivering a controlled substance and three counts of involuntary manslaughter.

The charges stem from the suspects’ alleged involvement in the deaths of three men in January 2024.

Now, according to a petition filed with the Platte County Circuit Court, Jon Harrington is suing Willis and Carson for negligence that he says caused his son, David Harrington, to fatally overdose.

The document states that Willis and Carson were not “licensed or qualified to be licensed to distribute drugs,” and that they “should have known of the presence of the cocaine and the dangers and hazards that it posed including the possibility of being lethal to anyone that might ingest it.”

It further blames the suspects for failing to help David Harrington once he began to “suffer from the dangers” of the drugs, saying this caused or contributed to his death.

In response, Jon Harrington is seeking $100,000 in total damages from Willis and Carson.

Unfolding the details

David Harrington, 37, and two other men, 36-year-old Clayton McGeeney and 38-year-old Ricky Johnson, were found frozen in the backyard of Willis’ Northland home around 10 p.m. on Jan. 9, 2024.

A probable cause document indicated they died from a combined toxicity of fentanyl and cocaine.

According to previous reporting, a witness told investigators they had all partied at Harrington’s house two nights before, on Jan. 7, while watching the Kansas City Chiefs v. Los Angeles Chargers game before the victims later left for Willis’ house.

They also said cocaine was present, reportedly supplied by Willis. The witness claimed that Willis was known for being able to supply large amounts of the drug and had a history of offering it to his friends when they were low on money.

That witness went on to say that when the group gets cocaine, their usual supplier was someone they knew as “Blade Brown,” identified by police as Carson. Police wrote that Carson later itted to selling cocaine by the gram to the group previously.

On Jan. 9, 2024, a woman called the police after she found one body on the back porch and two in the backyard of a home located in the NW. Waukomis Drive and NW. Barry Road.

She said she went to the home looking for her fiancé, and when no one answered the door, she said she broke into the basement of the home before finding the bodies. That home was later confirmed to be Willis’.

In 2024, his attorney John Picerno told KCTV5 in part that “Jordan is unaware of how his friends died.”

“Prior to being ed by police, he did not receive any phone calls or text messages from friends or family of the deceased. Two people came to his house; however, he did not hear them as he sleeps with air buds and a loud fan. One of those people, the wife of one of the deceased, tried to reach him via Facebook messenger, unfortunately, he did not see this message until after the police ed him,” Picerno said.

More recently, Picerno said there is no evidence that Willis bought the drugs that his friends ingested before their deaths, noting the partying had been going on all day. He has also said Willis didn’t know that they were still in his backyard — or that they needed medical attention — until police showed up.

Carson does not currently have an attorney and will reportedly apply for a public defender.

The men pleaded not guilty on March 6, 2025. Their next hearing is on March 11 for a judge to consider whether the bond should remain at $100,00 cash only.

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