Body of Pentagon official in landfill site
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.police in Delaware are investigating the murder of a former Pentagon official after his body was found in a rubbish dump.
The corpse of John Wheeler, 66 – who had worked for three presidents – was discovered when a refuse truck deposited its load at the Cherry Island landfill site in Wilmington on New Year's Eve. A spokesman said: "A spotter observed a body coming out of a truck."
The state medical examiner has ruled that the death was homicide.
Mr Wheeler, a special assistant to the Air Force Secretary in the Bush administration from 2005 until 2008, was last seen on a train from Washington to Delaware on Thursday.
A Vietnam veteran, he served in the administrations of former presidents George Bush Snr and Ronald Reagan and is a past chairman of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, which built the Washington monument to soldiers killed in the war.
Former Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne described his former colleague as a "patriot" and added: "He's the most unlikely candidate for someone to do this to."
Bayard Marin, a lawyer who was representing Mr Wheeler in a property dispute, commented: "He was just not the sort of person who would wind up in a landfill."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments