kendrick johnson crime

State medical examiners concluded that. Nearly a decade after Kendrick Johnsons body was found in a high school gymnasium, investigators have announced a new probe into the Black teenagers mysterious death. VALDOSTA, Ga. (WALB) - Kendrick Johnson's family is full of hope after they brought a new recording to light with a possible confession to law enforcement. Johnson's family has rejected officials' determination that Johnson's death was accidental and has accused brothers Brian and Branden Bell of murdering Johnson. Eight years ago, classmates at Lowndes High School in Valdosta found 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson's body inside an upright mat. 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. He was found rolled up in a gym mat at Lowndes High School the next day. [39] In January 2022, the second investigation was closed with no charges filed. The Grizzlies played in Denver on Friday night and are scheduled to fly to Los Angeles on Saturday . I encourage everyone to study ALL the evidence in this file before forming an opinion.. "[35][36], On March 10, 2021, the case was officially reopened. Paulk and his team were able to secure a wealth of evidence from federal authorities, in part thanks to an appeal from Johnsons family in November 2020. He was found dead in a rolled up wresting mat. Possible Audio Confession In Kendrick Johnson's Death Investigated. Investigators, who suspected hed become trapped after attempting to grab a pair of sneakers, ruled his deatha freak accident. An investigation into the death of Kendrick Johnson, the Georgia teenager found dead in a rolled-up gym mat eight years ago, has been reopened, according to Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk. 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. But those dreams were cut short when his body was found by students entering the gymnasium rolled up in a standing gym mat. Johnson, 17, was found dead in Lowndes High School's gymnasium in January 2013. Finding Kendrick Johnson is an interesting true crime documentary. 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.. His mother posted on her Facebook: No mother or father should ever have to bury their child under these circumstances. Investigators concluded he died in a freak accident. But investigators quickly closed their case on the theory that Johnson had simply fallen into the mat while reaching for one of his sneakers. They also reported that the blood had likely been there for a long time. Now, positional asphyxia is a legitimate cause of death. Local law enforcement was quick to rule it an accident and move on but the family is sure this is a case of murder being covered up. [PHOTOS: Images included in Kendrick Johnson death findings report]. Then, read about the horrifying murder of Emmett Till. This will be the final [investigation], as far as Im concerned, he said. Nonetheless, the investigation cleared the funeral home of any wrongdoing. The funeral home said that it received the body without organs which it replaced with paper or sawdust as is common practice while embalming. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! The sheriff released a 16-page summary of his investigation on Wednesday including pictures from the Lowndes County gym. He wrote that the FBI reviewed footage from 62 cameras on campus, and Johnson never crossed paths with the brothers. But Johnsons parents would still not give up. This time, the autopsy revealed that Kendrick Johnson had suffered hemorrhaging on the right side of his neck, which meant that he likely died from blunt force trauma. Respondents include three of Johnson's classmates (two or three respondents are unnamed) and local, state, and federal officials: the school superintendent of Lowndes County, the Valdosta-Lowndes crime lab, the police chief of Valdosta, many sheriff's deputies, the city of Valdosta, the state medical examiner, the GBI and five of its agents, and one FBI agent. We have not had faith in Lowndes County. [25], In January 2015, Johnson's family filed a $100 million civil lawsuit in the Superior Court of DeKalb County against 38 individuals. On Jan. 11, 2013, the body of 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson, a popular student and promising athlete at Lowndes High School, in Valdosta, Ga., was found rolled up upside down in a . 2023 FOX Television Stations, Kendrick Johnson with his mother and father, Kenneth and Jackie Johnson. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The body of 17-year-old Johnson was found upside down in a mat in Lowndes County High School in January 2013. A hoodie and a pair of orange and black gym shoes were also found lying on the floor of the gym, as well as traces of blood on the wall nearby. From there until now, we feel like this has been a cover-up at a very high level. The17-year-olds death was ultimately ruled accidental and amedical examiner concluded the teen died from positional asphyxia. The case wasclosed nearly five years ago due to "insufficient evidence"supporting foul play, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Kendrick Johnson was black and the Lowndes County Sheriff, Chris Prines, and his investigators were all white. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. They purchased this from an individual and he did not give them his true name. ", Kendrick Johnsons body has been exhumed twice in recent years. [12] The funeral home owner stated that it is standard practice to fill a void in this fashion, and that cotton or sawdust may also be employed for this purpose. 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 schools gymnasium. The suit also alleged that school officials failed to "properly monitor the activities of students throughout all areas" of the campus and to "maintain a properly functioning video surveillance system. Itll be a lot of work, he explained. I would be suspicious too, if I were Kendricks parents, that there may be some kind of cover up occurring because, lets face it, who has ever heard of someone dying in a rolled up gym mat? As parents, our hearts are broken, but we are determined to prevent a tragedy of this magnitude from occurring again., In March of last year, the family received an audio clip from a tipster who was paid for the information; in part, the voice said, I was just young and stupid. We know that.. Paulk also claimed a camera in the gymnasium which apparently shows Johnson before his death was realigned 13 months earlier. FacebookKendrick Johnson with his mother. Although no charges were ever brought to light, and his death was ruled accidental.. [2], Authorities hypothesized that Johnson had fallen into the mat while looking for a shoe and died after being unable to get out. The brothers father,Rick Bell, was an FBI special agent who ultimately resignedafter his home was raided and searched for evidence, according to NBC. But this is one of the most baffling mysteries of this case: the black and white gym shoe that lay on the ground below Kendrick Johnson, the one he was presumed to be reaching for, was lying on top of a pool of blood, but there was no blood on the shoe itself. The Johnsons have filed several lawsuits since their son's death, winning none of them. The request, however, was denied, even though the coroner Bill Watson had originally expressed a lack of confidence in the Sheriff Departments handling of the case. Paulk estimated it might take six months to process everything. The YSL Case Is Stretching Fulton County's Justice System to Its Breaking Point. However, the coroner said these organs were not sent to the funeral home because they were too decomposed and were instead disposed of beforehand. NY Daily News/Valdosta/Lowndes Regional Crime Labratory via CNN. In their lawsuit, the parents of the accused boys assert that their sons were not involved in the death, are not considered suspects, and have been harassed as a result of the publication. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. "It has been our position that Kendrick was struck with an object that caused severe hemorrhaging, Coleman also told WAGA-TV. You cant do an investigation with the same investigators who covered it up. You do not believe there was anything criminal? reporter Tony Thomas asked Paulk. The pathologist concluded his death was not an accident. Paulk called the teenagers death a weird accident, telling CNN, there is nothing to substantiate a homicide.. [28] Shortly after receiving the case, Dettlebach also resigned. Parents' lawsuit in Georgia gym mat death is dismissed. On June 22, 2018, Johnson's body was exhumed.[19]. Though 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson's death was ruled accidental after his body was found inside a gym mat on January 11, 2013, many suspect foul play. 2. Frederick, MD tanker explosion leaves 1 dead; Shuts down part of US-15, Georgia baby girl reported missing with man diagnosed with mental illness, police say, Jesse Wilson: Adoptive mother arrested in boy's death in Arizona, Georgia Power proposes $2.1-billion rate hike, Floyd County cleaning up after trees, power lines downed during severe storms, Clayton County twin sisters make history rising the ranks in Georgia UPS facility, Surveillance captures shooting death of man robbed at MARTA bus stop, Alex Murdaugh killed wife, son to buy time, prosecutor says, UGA football staffer drunk and traveling over 100 mph before fatal crash, police say, DNA links Indiana man to Georgia woman's 33-year-old cold case murder: sheriff. In 2013, the 17-year-olds body was found upside down inside a rolled-up gym mat at a Georgia high school; he'd suffocated to death. The familys attorney, Chevene King, expressed thatif Kendrick had been white, the case would have been handled differently. Johnsons parents were suspicious of the investigation from the beginning. This is a very unusual accident. Students had also told police that it was common for them to leave their belongings in the mats when they didnt want to pay for a locker. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation previously determined Johnsons death was accidental despite two independent autopsies finding the teen died of non-accidental blunt force trauma. Thing is, he wasnt just found dead. The Johnsons did try to sue the funeral home for mishandling their sons body, and perhaps having done so in order to cover up his true cause of death, but this case was dropped. While the lawsuit did not name the person or persons allegedly involved in the January 10 event, nor identify the race of alleged perpetrators, it implied a race-based dimension to the hypothetical assault. Sheriff says case closed after his investigation finds Kendrick Johnsons death was no crime, Sheriff says recording thought to show proof Kendrick Johnson was murdered, was a cruel hoax. Kendrick Johnson: Unsolved Crime or Tragic Accident. County authorities are currently combing through a trove of boxes of evidence, including computer hard drives, documents, and other files relevant to the investigation. We already knew that nothing was going to be done on your watch, she contended. For years, however, the teenager's family has insisted the 17-year-old was murdered and that investigators actively worked to .