Video footage shows Wheeler wandering hours before his death
Newark police reported Wednesday that John P. Wheeler III was spotted at 8:30 p.m. Dec. 30 as he wandered through a DuPont Co. building, apparently confused and disoriented — filling in five more hours leading up to the discovery of his body in a Wilmington landfill. The former Pentagon official's body was found about 13 hours later, on New Year's Eve , lying in refuse at Wilmington's Cherry Island Landfill. Law enforcement officials also confirmed Wednesday they are looking into a Dec. 28 smoke bomb incident at a New Castle home that had been the focus of several lawsuits filed by the 66-year-old Wheeler. The home, which is under construction, is directly across the street from Wheeler's house, blocking his view of the Delaware River. Wheeler contended in a long-running legal dispute the home violates the historic town's zoning codes. FINAL DAYS: Ex-Pentagon official appeared disheveled State fire officials reported that several low-powered devices — ...