The former defense consultant and key backer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial who was found dead in a Delaware landfill last month died from blunt-force trauma, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

John P. Wheeler III, 66, died from "blunt-force trauma after being assaulted," the Delaware medical examiner's office told the newspaper.

His body was found dumped in a Newark, Del., landfill Dec. 31. Police say the case is still under investigation.

In the days prior to his death, video surveillance captured a disoriented Wheeler walking around Wilmington.