Cops: Former Bush Aide Killed, Found in Landfill

Former Bush Aide Found Dead In Landfill: MyFoxPHILLY.com

Delaware Police are investigating the apparent murder of a former Bush aide who also championed the fund-raising effort to build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the Mall in Washington, D.C.

John P. Wheeler III, 66, was found dead in a Delaware landfill, and his death has been ruled a homicide by Newark, Del., police. They are asking the public for leads in the case.

Wheeler’s body was found in Wilmington on Friday after a disposal truck containing his body made pickups in Newark.

Wheeler, a Vietnam veteran who lived in New Castle and worked as a defense consultant, had a long and decorated military career and worked in both the Reagan and George W. Bush administrations. He was also chairman of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund and was an experienced business turnaround consultant.

Police believe Wheeler's body had been placed inside one of the bins in Newark before a disposal truck arrived.

He was last seen getting off of an Amtrak train in Wilmington on his way back from work in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, Newark Police Lt. Mark Farrall told Delaware Online.

Wheeler graduated from West Point in 1966, had a law degree from Yale and a business degree from Harvard, Bayard Marin, Wheeler's attorney, told the website.

Under Reagan, Wheeler founded the Vietnam Veterans Leadership Program, to help find veterans employment opportunities.

Wheeler and his wife, Katherine Klyce, filed a lawsuit in 2009 to prevent their neighbors from constructing a home that would have blocked their view, Delaware Online reported.

The Newark Police Department is asking anyone with information regarding Wheeler to contact them at 1-800-TIP-3333.