Unsolved Mysteries & the Case of Jack Wheeler: What You Didn't See on Netflix
If you watched the "Washington Insider Murder" episode of Netflix Unsolved Mysteries season 15, you know that Jack Wheeler's death is a bizarre one. We're talking Cold Case level strange. Sure, the Unsolved Mysteries episode gives you the basic facts: high-level government insider, Cherry Island Landfill, dumpster, and that Jack Wheeler death remains unsolved. But the True Crime case gets much more bizarre and the Unsolved Mysteries 2020 version doesn't show you everything!
So, what did the show leave out?
Unsolved Mysteries wants to make us think Jack Wheeler was the target of a hit. He was, after all, a security consultant with clearance for some top-secret stuff. Plus, Unsolved Mysteries played up the "Washington insider" aspect of his life, almost like they were suggesting an assassination of some sort. But...wait, they didn't show that Wheeler had mental health issues.
What was up with his mental health?
Apparently, he was a Vietnam vet and dealt with bipolar disorder, so it seems Unsolved Mysteries kind of ignored his inner turmoil in favor of this super-suspenseful "secret government agent" story. We're told his kitchen looked crazy after his death, but maybe he was having a breakdown. It was, after all, a super rough time.
There was that fire, though...
The show does show that smoke bombs were thrown in a nearby building site. A crazy story all in itself. Apparently, Jack was the one behind this crazy action as he really disliked that new house. Some theorize it was a result of his bipolar disorder.
What the heck about that car, and that missing car in that parking garage?
Yes! The show has him as the "directionally challenged" dude. Turns out, Wheeler went to this high-rise office building, possibly for some kind of lawyer consult. But he also was supposed to visit his wife, yet didn't. We learn about the car issue...he parked at the wrong garage. Really?! Unsolved Mysteries makes this seem ordinary, when maybe something super fishy happened here.
What did Unsolved Mysteries get wrong?
The show failed to mention that he had a heart attack. Omg. His injuries were consistent with being beaten, but he was in a heart attack? What does it mean?? They also skipped the fact that Jack was in a fight with his wife, Kathy Klyce, before his death. Oh, yeah, and Unsolved Mysteries kind of missed that Jack Wheeler had filed a lawsuit to stop that darn construction that set him off, potentially to protect historical lands.
What are we left with?
The Jack Wheeler murder case remains unsolved. It’s a messy one for sure, filled with crazy events, conflicting information and a dead man’s story that seems to lead down endless paths. No real leads, no suspects. Only the big, unsolved question...what really happened to Jack Wheeler?
