By Larry Judkins
Glenn County Observer
A news release by the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office regarding the death of Jordan Windus seems to raise more questions than it answers.
According to a July 19 update from the sheriff’s office, there were “no indicators of foul play” in the death of Windus, 28, of Corning. His lifeless body was found on the floor of a trailer parked in the back lot of a northeast Willows business on July 1.
“No indicators of foul play,” despite an earlier official document written by Glenn County Sheriff’s Sergeant Travis Johnsen, stating that Deputies Mitchell Tuma and Trevor Goodwin noticed that “there was a large amount of what appeared to be blood” around the body of Windus (third paragraph), that these same deputies “noted there was a large amount of blood inside the trailer” (fifth paragraph), and that Sgt. Johnsen himself wrote, it “was clear [Windus] had been bleeding from the mouth and there was blood on his face” (sixth paragraph).
Sgt. Johnsen also wrote in the sixth paragraph, “[Windus] also had what appeared to be an injury to the top of his head. Without manipulating the [body of Windus] or the evidence,” Sgt. Johnsen stated, he “could not tell where all the blood in the trailer had come from.”
Sgt. Johnsen continued, “It was unclear if [Windus] had major trauma to other parts of his body.” Also noteworthy is that Johnsen saw an unspent .22 caliber bullet on the floor of the trailer near the body of Windus.
Sgt. Johnsen wrote that he has been to many incidents involving people who have died after overdosing on drugs, but he has never seen a person who has died from a drug overdose who sustained major trauma and blood loss as a result of overdosing alone. “Based on the blood loss and what appeared to be trauma to [Windus’s] head,” Sgt. Johnsen believed “criminal activity could have caused or contributed to [Windus’s] death.”
Contrary to what Sgt. Johnsen wrote in his declaration, the July 19 news release said, “Following the completion of an autopsy, investigators determined there were no indicators of foul play and the death appeared to be drug related. The official cause of death is pending the return of toxicology reports.”
No mention is made in the July 19 release concerning the blood that was found. This raises a number of questions, such as:
Was it not really blood?
Windus was just a visitor to the trailer where he died. Another man, Brian Wuelfing, an employee of the business, lived in the trailer.
Was the blood Wuelfing’s rather than Windus’s? Or:
Had there been a third person in the trailer earlier?
Was there really an injury to the top of Windus’s head?
If so, what caused the injury?
Was the injury serious enough to account for all the blood?
Others have questions as well. Nona Eggerman sent the following message to The Observer, reproduced here verbatim:
“I am having a hard time finding truth in what i am reading! This article [‘More learned about Willows Death’, Observer, July 13, 2022] says Jordan had a possible injury to of his head and there was lot of blood.
“When reading the Sheriffs Press Release today it states the coroner report found no indication of foul play. One of these cannot be right! Which One?
“If it is the sheriff report then I would like to talk to the person who wrote this article about saying lies or embellishing the truth. His family did read this and was very upset with the wording and content of this article! WE just want the truth”
As for which document should be trusted – the July 19 sheriff’s press release or the earlier document by Sgt. Johnsen that mentioned the blood and head injury – it should be noted that Sgt. Johnsen declared his statement (submitted to a judge) was “true and correct” “under penalty of perjury”. The press release, on the other hand, can say whatever its author(s) want it to say.
However, it should be noted that Sgt. Johnsen was generally cautious about what he said about the death of Windus. He wrote, “Based on the blood loss and what appears to be trauma to the Decedent’s head, your Affiant [that is, Sgt. Johnsen] believes criminal activity could have caused or contributed to the Decedent’s death.”
Note the wording, “what appears to be trauma” and “criminal activity could have caused or contributed to the Decedent’s death” (emphasis by The Observer). Sgt. Johnsen’s statement leaves at least a little bit of wiggle room as to whether Windus died as the result of foul play.
Both Sgt. Johnsen’s statement and the July 19 release agree that drugs were involved in some way. Sgt. Johnsen’s declaration says that when the deputies and medical personnel arrived at the scene, Wuelfing “appeared to be having a medical emergency” and was “displaying symptoms of being under the influence of a drug.”
A “loose white powder” was found inside the trailer. At Glenn Medical Center, Wuelfing reportedly told Sgt. Jon Owens this white powder was fentanyl.
As for the July 19 release, it said, “During the investigation, Sheriff’s Deputies located small amounts of Methamphetamine and Fentanyl inside of the trailer…. Following the completion of an autopsy, investigators determined there were no indicators of foul play and the death appeared to be drug related.”
The release adds, “The official cause of death is pending the return of toxicology reports.”
Unfortunately, Action News Now, a local television news show, reported on July 20, “Glenn County Sheriff’s investigators now say Jordan Windus of Corning died of a fentanyl overdose.” In reality, the July 19 sheriff’s office release says no such thing.
Again, it says that methamphetamine and fentanyl were found inside the trailer, and it states, “the death appeared to be drug related” (emphasis added), but it also states, “The official cause of death is pending the return of toxicology reports.” It does not state as an established fact that Windus “died of a fentanyl overdose.”
The Wednesday, July 20, issue of The Sacramento Valley Mirror simply copied and pasted the July 19 sheriff’s office release. If the people at The Mirror even knew about “the large amount of blood inside the trailer,” they never mentioned the issue.
Sgt. Johnsen’s statement indicated he had a number of questions for Wuelfing: “Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opiate,” Sgt. Johnsen wrote. “Just 2 mg [milligrams] of pure fentanyl is enough to kill a person.”
Sgt. Johnsen also said that the “high” of an opiate lasts between six and eight hours. This means that it is likely that at some point in time, Wuelfing would have been sober enough to realized Windus had died or was having a medical emergency.
“It is unknown why Wuelfing did not call for help,” Sgt. Johnsen wrote.
The July 19 release does not refer to Wuelfing by name. Instead, it states:
“The property owner reported he checked a travel trailer located on the property and found two male subjects inside. One deceased and the other experiencing a medical emergency.
“Glenn County Sheriff’s Deputies and EMS responded and found a 39-year-old male inside the trailer who was experiencing a medical emergency. EMS transported the male subject to the hospital.
“Glenn County Sheriff’s Deputies found 28-year-old Jordan Windus of Corning deceased inside of the trailer.”
The release gives not so much as a hint whether investigators ever interviewed Wuelfing and discovered “why Wuelfing did not call for help” if or when he found Windus dead or dying.
The sheriff’s office requests, “Anyone with additional information regarding this investigation is urged to contact the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office Investigative Task Force (GLINTF) in person at 543 West Oak Street, or by phone at (530) 934-6431.
The Glenn County Observer 