But his parents would later maintain that his size versus the size of the mat alone was enough to debunk the investigators case. The findings of the second autopsy, that Johnsons death was not accidental and caused by blunt force trauma likely due to being struck in the neck with a 45lb dumbbell, were confirmed. The sheriff said he spent 15 months reading every page in that file, but found that they did not show any criminal action whatsoever.. [5] Crump's application to practice law in Georgia representing Johnson's parents was not ruled on, and he withdrew from representing the family and is no longer participating in the case. Furthermore, a whole hour of footage from the gym was missing, right at the time which would have shed light on what happened that day. This is how you roll in Valdosta. She and her family maintain that young Kendrick was murdered. For the sake of his family, I hope that the case of Kendrick Johnson can be closed in a way that provides closure. However, Paulk claimed a woman with the Department of Justice and a man performing the autopsies had developed a close relationship with at one point, the woman saying in an email, I had to make him feel like a man so that he would be open to talking.. The parents asserted that the sons of the FBI agent killed Johnson and used their connections to cover up the investigation. The U.S. Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Georgia was recused from the investigation many years ago.. [12], A subsequent investigation by the Georgia Secretary of State's office found that the funeral home did not follow "best practice" and that other material was "more acceptable than newspaper." From there until now, we feel like this has been a cover-up at a very high level. Have you subscribed to the Grio podcasts Dear Culture or Acting Up? Download our newest episodes now!TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Roku. We are cautiously optimistic now.. His family and friends described him as a sweet and quiet boy. His body was discovered by a teacher the next day rolled up inside the gym mat. The mysterious death of Kendrick Johnson was initially ruled an accident by law enforcement, but his family was not convinced. On that tape, you very clearly hear what appears to be a caucasian young male admitting very tearful, very fearful and stating twice that he knows that hes going to get caught, Marcus Coleman, a spokesperson for the Johnson family, told Oxygen.com. CNN A second local investigation into the 2013 death of Kendrick Johnson, the Georgia teenager who was found dead in a rolled-up gym mat, has been closed with no charges filed, according to. But Johnsons parents felt that his death was not being taken seriously, in part because of his race, or because a larger cover-up was at play. This is how you roll in Valdosta, Jackie Johnson said. Eight years ago, classmates at Lowndes High School in Valdosta found 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson's body inside an upright mat. Lowndes County police said they believed Kendrick crawled into the mat to retrieve his shoes, became stuck, and continued to burrow into the mat until he became completely trapped and died. You do not believe there was anything criminal? reporter Tony Thomas asked Paulk. The familys attorney, Chevene King, expressed thatif Kendrick had been white, the case would have been handled differently. It includes photographs from the schools gymnasium. His parents believe Kendrick was murdered. By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. He was never shown within or leaving the gym and indeed, he never did show up for his following classes. But it doesnt look like thats ever going to happen.. The Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI) claimed that when the body was sent to the funeral home after the first autopsy, Johnsons organs had been put back inside the body. Kenneth and Jacquelyn Johnson stand next to a banner on their SUV showing their late son, Kendrick Johnson, on Dec. 13, 2013, in Valdosta, Ga. Lowndes County Sheriffs Office reopened Kendricks case last March. As a result of this new evidence, Matthew Moore, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announced a formal review of the case. A recordingthat reportedly contains an emotional confession of an individual who may have been involved in the suspicious 2013 death of teenagerKendrick Johnsonin Georgiais now being vetted by authorities, police said this week. FacebookKendrick Johnson with his mother. WSB-TV Channel 2 - Atlanta facebook feed(Opens a new window), WSB-TV Channel 2 - Atlanta twitter feed(Opens a new window), WSB-TV Channel 2 - Atlanta instagram feed(Opens a new window), WSB-TV Channel 2 - Atlanta youtube feed(Opens a new window), Lowndes County Sheriff's findings on death of Kendrick Johnson, Missing Pennsylvania woman found alive after more than 30 years, Reality star Honey Boo Boo was inside speeding Dodge Charger involved in chase with Ga. deputies, Former Atlanta Hawk, Ga. Tech star charged with choking, kidnapping N.C. woman, Surveillance video shows moments leading up to deadly UGA crash, A 17-year-old Gwinnett County girl thought she was taking Percocet; now shes dead. Kendrick Johnson was black and the Lowndes County Sheriff, Chris Prines, and his investigators were all white. When Johnson was exhumed for the first independent autopsy in June 2013, it was discovered that every organ from his pelvis to his skull, including his brain, heart, lungs, and liver, was gone and replaced with newspaper. On June 20, 2016, the Department of Justice announced that it would not be filing any criminal charges related to Johnson's death. However, these things really happen in the world. Georgia Judge Richard Porter ordered the Johnsons and their attorney to pay more than $292,000 in legal fees to the defendants, accusing them of fabricating evidence to support their claims. On January 11, 2013, the body of 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson was found in the most unusual of circumstances: upside-down and rolled up in a school gym mat. He was found rolled up in a gym mat at Lowndes High School the next day. Earlier in March, Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk announced that officials were reopening the investigation and reevaluating the previously-sealed evidence. A recently-completed investigation found no evidence of a coverup in the 2013 death of Kendrick Johnson, who was found in a rolled-up mat at his Georgia high school. VALDOSTA, Ga. - A Georgia sheriff says his office has received new information in the death investigation ofa Valdosta teenager whose body was found at school inside a rolled-up gym mat. [15], Johnson's family filed a legal action to open a coroner's inquest into his death. [12], The independent autopsy found that some time after Johnson's body was recovered from the mat and had passed through a funeral home, it had been stuffed with newspapers. We already knew what team you were on. Unsatisfied with the result of the investigation, they hired an independent autopsy conducted by William R. Anderson with Forensic Dimensions in Heathrow, Florida, on June 15, 2013. The funeral home said that it received the body without organs which it replaced with paper or sawdust as is common practice while embalming. The brothers father,Rick Bell, was an FBI special agent who ultimately resignedafter his home was raided and searched for evidence, according to NBC. "They had a recording that they actually purchased from someone who said that it would be valuable as far as saying who possibly had committed the crime and change their situation," Paulk said. The police took videotape from the school and could see him entering the gym, but they havent released video that shows anything else. But investigators quickly closed their case on the theory that Johnson had simply fallen into the mat while reaching for one of his sneakers. Local authorities investigation has found, once again, that Johnson may have reached into the mat to retrieve a shoe, got stuck, then suffocated. Kendrick Johnsons shoe laying in the pool of blood. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. This is how you roll in Valdosta, the dead teens mother, Jaqueline Johnson, said of the Lowndes County Sheriffs new findings. Eight years ago, classmates at Lowndes High School in Valdosta found 17-year-old Kendrick Johnsons body inside an upright mat. [11] An autopsy by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) stated that Johnson had died from positional asphyxia,[12] and the case was ruled an accidental death by the Lowndes County investigators. The case was closed almost half a decade ago due to insufficient evidence of foul play, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 1 of 2. That material included grand jury testimony, results from an autopsy conducted by federal authorities and additional digital evidence. Furthermore, Johnsons parents argued, if this was an accident, how could no one have heard Kendrick call for help in a high school of over 3,000 students? Authorities say they are working to verify an audio recording of someone admitting to Kendrick Johnson's death. I just keep waiting for someone to be honest with [the Johnsons], Karen Bell, the mother of Brian and Branden Bell, said. The amended report stated his cause and manner of death were undetermined. Kendrick Johnson, photo from Medium.com Kendrick Johnson was a sports-loving, ball-playing high school student in Valdosta, Georgia until January 11, 2013, when he was found dead in his school's gymnasium. Kendrick Johnsons body has been exhumed twice in recent years. Kendrick Johnsons body inside an upright mat. They purchased this from an individual and he did not give them his true name. Absolutely, they were extorted.. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. Johnson's mother told Channel 2s Tony Thomas . On October 31, 2013, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia announced that his office would open a formal review into Johnson's death. Investigators, who suspected hed become trapped after attempting to grab a pair of sneakers, ruled his deatha freak accident. The description of these brothers closely resembled that of Brian and Brandon Bell, who the magazine claimed had killed Kendrick because of a fight they had had over a year earlier which had escalated. But it is what it is.. "[26] After Moore resigned in 2015,[27] the case was transferred to the Northern District of Ohio under U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach. The mat was vertical. The origin and credibility of the recording which was provided to the Lowndes County Sheriffs Office after being purchased by Johnsons family are bothnow being investigated. We have buried kj 3 times and it felt like 3 funerals and i lost him 3 times.. Abducted in Plain Sight Kendrick Johnson, center, watches as Assistant District Attorney Sarah Seely, left, hands a piece of evidence to his defense attorneys during the first day of his murder trial Tuesday, Nov . Upon releasing a 16-page synopsis report, sheriff Ashley Paulk told WCTV that he is 100 percent sure there was no foul play based on the federal case documents he reviewed and interviews police conducted with people involved in the initial investigation. He was found dead in a rolled up wresting mat. Nonetheless, the investigation cleared the funeral home of any wrongdoing. [26], Shortly before the lawsuit was filed, U.S. Attorney Michael J. Moore said in a statement that a federal investigation was still open and that "the investigation has proven more complicated and taken longer than originally anticipated. "[35][36], On March 10, 2021, the case was officially reopened. All things mysterious, murderous, and macabre. Kendrick Johnson's family and several friends gathered and held a balloon . Since 17 year old Kendrick Johnson was found dead, in a rolled up gym mat, the question has remained; was this a tragic accident, or a well orchestrated and quickly hidden murder. We aint cheering, but we know this is the only path that we can get for justice for Kendrick Johnson, Marcus Coleman said this week. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! [12][16] The funeral home that processed the body following the FBI's autopsy stated that they never received Johnson's internal organs from the coroner; the organs were said to have been "destroyed through natural process" and "discarded by the prosector before the body was sent back to Valdosta," according to the funeral home owner. The late teen's parents, Kenneth and Jacquelyn Johnson, filed the lawsuit in January, claiming their son was the victim of foul play. Policeand eventually the states attorneysaid he went headfirst into the mat to get a sneaker at the bottom, and that he died from positional asphyxia when he couldnt get out. In November 2013, 290 hours of surveillance tape from 35 cameras that covered the gym area were released to CNN following a court request. News of the re-openedinvestigation was welcomed by Johnsons family. Kendrick Johnsons parents released a photo to the media of their sons face as he lay in the funeral home. Allegedly they were in an altercation on a school bus prior to Kendricks death. The suit alleges the boys family conspired with former Lowndes County Sheriff Chris Prine and county school officials to cover up the death. In the latest report, Paulk dispelled rumors that Johnson and the Bell brothers had any contact on the day Johnson died. A second local investigation into the 2013 death of Kendrick Johnson, the Georgia teenager who was found dead in a rolled-up gym mat, has been closed with no charges filed, according to a report released by Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk.