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. Im going through everything myself, Paulk said. They believed that the Sheriffs Department wastoo quick to rule out foul play as a cause for Johnsons death, considering that within 24 hours of finding Kendrick Johnsons body, they concluded that it was an accident. 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. On top of this, the second autopsy revealed that some of Johnsons organs were missing and in their place, his body had been stuffed with newspaper. However, Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk announced the re-opening of the case on Tuesday. Kendrick Johnson's Family's Quest For Answers Moves To Georgia Capitol", "National Civil Rights Attorney No Longer Involved In Kendrick Johnson Case | Valdosta Today", "Kendrick Johnson family holds rally after filing complaint about missing organs", "Parents of Georgia teen found dead in gym mat sue funeral home", "No Wrongdoing Detected in Kendrick Johnson Funeral Home Probe", "Kendrick Johnson footage released; expert finds it 'highly suspicious', "Rose, Touchton believe no coverup in Johnson case", "Georgia school officials sued in Kendrick Johnson's gym death", "Local, federal investigations into gym mat death continue", "FBI agent, wife file $5 million defamation suit against Ebony.com and crime writer for KJ stories", "Parents File $100 Million Suit in Gym-Mat Death of Georgia Teen Kendrick Johnson", "Second U.S. Attorney in charge of KJ case resigns", "Kendrick Johnson probe: Attorney exits mark shift", "KJ Family Drops $100 Million Wrongful Death Suit | Valdosta Today", "US Justice Department: No criminal charges in gym mat death", "Judge: Parents owe $292,000 for suit in son's gym mat death", "Investigation into death of Georgia teen found in a rolled-up gym mat 8 years ago will be reopened", "Georgia sheriff vows to personally, thoroughly investigate re-opened case of teen found dead in gym mat", "Sheriff reopens Kendrick Johnson case in Valdosta", "A second local investigation into the death of a Georgia teen found in a rolled-up gym mat has closed with no charges filed", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Death_of_Kendrick_Johnson&oldid=1136987199. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. [11] A student at the school said that he shared a pair of Adidas shoes with Johnson, and that after gym class Johnson would always "go to the mats, jump up and toss the shoes inside the middle of the hole. Kendrick Johnson was a 17-year-old student at Lowndes County High School. That students father is a retired FBI agent. The latest report addresses several controversial topics at the center of Johnsons death, including the teens autopsy, where his body was found, and cameras located at Lowndes High School. He was just in his socks. Kendrick Johnsons casket was unearthed for a second time for a third autopsy. [21] Other missing footage was the result of the camera's motion-activated function not being triggered. [5], Johnson's family filed a $100 million civil lawsuit against 38 individuals, stating that his death was a murder and that the respondents were participants in a conspiracy to cover up the homicide, which they claimed involved two sons of an FBI agent. Paulk noted that Branden Bell left campus an hour before Johnson vanished. RELATED:Body Parts Are Missing: Newly-Released Footage of Kendrick Johnsons Last Moments, the Latest in Troubling Death Investigation. His mother posted on her Facebook: No mother or father should ever have to bury their child under these circumstances. Its an active case so the contents of the recording or anything else, were not going to divulge right now, Paulk said. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. All things mysterious, murderous, and macabre. The next investigation was a federal one. The case was. Law enforcement has ruled Kendrick's death an . [11] Some of the apparent lapses in coverage were found to result from camera systems that were not synchronized with one another. Were actively hunting for the person that provided it, Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk told Oxygen.com. But you have to wonder. [1][2][3][4] After a preliminary investigation and autopsy concluded that Johnson's death was accidental, his family had a private pathologist conduct a second autopsy which concluded that he died from blunt force trauma. A number of community activists have also spoken out in favor of the forthcoming probe into the Georgia teens death. Kendrick Johnson (Part 1) Crime Weekly. According to CNN, funeral director Antonio Harrington claimed the 17-year-olds organs were destroyed through [the] natural process due to the position of his body when he died. The article used as a source an anonymous email to the sheriff's office. Meet The Damselfly, Your New Favorite Insect, Man Who Had Part Of His Brain Removed To Cure Him Of Seizures Says He No Longer Feels Fear, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. [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. Listen Now Episode Info The Suspicious Death of Kendrick Johnson.Plus many more disturbing stories.The stories in this Episodes are shocking and exhibit human behavior at its absolute worst. 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. For years, however, the teenager's family has insisted the 17-year-old was murdered and that investigators actively worked to . 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. Download theGrio today! Wikimedia CommonsSeventeen-year-old Kendrick Johnsons body was inexplicably found upside-down in a rolled-up gym mat in 2013. Discovery Company. His mother posted on her Facebook: No mother or father should ever have to bury their child under these circumstances. 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. 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. "This week we are trying Kendrick Johnson as the shooter, the organizer and the planner of Delindsey Mack's murder," she told . Download the FOX 5 Atlanta appfor breaking news and weather alerts. Though Paulk said the investigation may take up to six months, both he and the Johnson family are optimistic that justice will finally be served. 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. I will fight as long as I have to, to uncover what happened to Kendrick Johnson.. 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. Anderson claimed that his findings indicated traces of blunt force trauma to the right neck and soft tissues, and suggested the death was not accidental. Im feeling hopeful.. [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. 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. However,. We already knew what team you were on. By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. [14] The governor's office released a statement indicating that they would await the report of the U.S. appreciated. The, death was ultimately ruled accidental and amedical examiner concluded the teen died from, nearly five years ago due to "insufficient evidence", Were actively hunting for the person that provided it, Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk told, . Jackie Johnson told Thomas moments after the sheriff released his findings that shell continue to ask the Department of Justice to reopen its investigation. You do not believe there was anything criminal? reporter Tony Thomas asked Paulk. There are no suspects because we havent made a determination as to whether or not this was murder, Paulk added. 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. The photo, in which Kendrick Johnsons face is extremely swollen, almost does not look human. It includes photographs from the schools gymnasium. [31] They were subsequently sued for more than $850,000 in attorney fees[32] and $1,000,000 in defamation damages. Share. [6] That lawsuit was subsequently withdrawn. The YSL Case Is Stretching Fulton County's Justice System to Its Breaking Point. "[11], Lt. Stryde Jones, who headed up the investigation for the Lowndes County Sheriff's Office, stated: "We never had credible information that indicated this was anything other than an 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 mat was vertical. They purchased this from an individual and he did not give them his true name. Johnson's family didn't accept the. In 2013, Johnsons body was found rolled up in a mat inside a Valdosta-area high school gymnasium. [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. You are not on the team of righteousness, Jackie Johnson said. 'Finding Kendrick Johnson' Documentary Shows Facts, Not Conspiracies Crime 'Somebody Knows' What Happened: Doc Filmmaker Speaks on Case About Georgia Teen Found Dead Inside a Gym Mat Finding. The teens parents say they are not convinced. The Johnsons have filed several lawsuits since their son's death, winning none of them. But his parents would later maintain that his size versus the size of the mat alone was enough to debunk the investigators case. In 2015, the Johnsons filed a $100 million civil lawsuit against 38 people, including three of their sons classmates, the school, the local crime lab, state and federal officials, five agents of the GBI, an FBI agent, and more. VALDOSTA, Ga. - The brothers accused in a civil suit of killing Kendrick Johnson, the Georgia teen found dead inside a rolled-up gym mat in his high school two years ago, are suing Johnson's . Paulk also claimed a camera in the gymnasium which apparently shows Johnson before his death was realigned 13 months earlier. The body was discovered by fellow students who had climbed up to the top of a cluster of mats, each of which stood nearly 6 feet (1.8m) tall and 3 feet (0.91m) wide. And potentially missing videotape? Johnsons family has long-suspected the teen was killed by classmates and theorized that their parents conspired with school and law enforcement officials to cover up hisdeath. [6] That lawsuit was subsequently withdrawn. He was never shown within or leaving the gym and indeed, he never did show up for his following classes. Finding Kendrick Johnson is an interesting true crime documentary. Idk why but this case in particular seems to bring out the worst in a lot of true crime podcast hosts. In a statement to CNN, the US Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Georgia said, the final conclusion in the Kendrick Johnson investigation was reached and announced in 2016 by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Ohio (USAO NDOH), which handled the matter. Authorities were tight-lipped about whether the Bell brothers were suspects in Kendrick Johnsons death. Kendrick Johnson was a Georgia teen, who was found dead inside a rolled up wrestling mat. Kendrick Johnson's family and several friends gathered and held a balloon . Kendrick Johnson was found dead in a gym mat at Lowndes High School in January 2013. The lawsuit alleged that the FBI agent ordered his two sons and a classmate to attack Johnson, that his death was a murder, and that the respondents engaged in a conspiracy to cover up the homicide. The lawsuit alleged that the defendants were negligent and violated Johnson's constitutional right to equal protection based on race. The dead teens mother, Jaqueline Johnson, told the TV station she is not surprised by the sheriffs findings. All Rights Reserved. The states attorney has said that anyone who objectively looks at the case details can only come to one conclusion: this was an accidental death. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. For years, however, the teenagers family has insisted the 17-year-old was murdered and that investigators actively worked to stifle the familys pleas for justice. Speculation and outrageous theories always run wild and it takes away from the victims story. The emotions are reflective of one someone who has a burden like hell on their shoulders.. "[26] After Moore resigned in 2015,[27] the case was transferred to the Northern District of Ohio under U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach. "Nobody really cares, Jackie Johnson, the teenagers mother, WAGA-TV. Listen to the latest episode: Join Nancy Grace for her new online video series designed to help you protect what you love most your children. And now, authorities say they have an audio recording of someone admitting to Johnson's death. Parents' lawsuit in Georgia gym mat death is dismissed. 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. A Warner Bros. Johnson's family has rejected officials' determination that Johnson's death was accidental and has accused brothers Brian and Branden Bell of murdering Johnson. On January 11 in Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Georgia, 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson was found dead, rolled up inside a large gym mat. Investigators did not take the hoodie and orange and black gym shoes into evidence. [Featured image: Kendrick Johnson/Contributed], Life Without Parole: Convicted Kidnappers of Slain Toddler Kamille McKinney Sentenced, Squatter Charged With Murder of Missing Teen Farmer Dylan Rounds, Teen Who Rapped About Shooting Rival Gang Member in Back Charged with Murder. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. The sheriff released a 16-page summary of his investigation on Wednesday including pictures from the Lowndes County gym. "[23], In August 2014, a $5 million lawsuit against Ebony magazine was filed, after the magazine published a series of articles naming two students as possible suspects in Johnson's death. You didnt find nothing in 17 boxes? This will be the final [investigation], as far as Im concerned, he said. It does appear, however, that their quest for answers has only led to more questions. The case was closed almost half a decade ago due to insufficient evidence of foul play, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. NY Daily News/Valdosta/Lowndes Regional Crime Labratory via CNN. I encourage everyone to study ALL the evidence in this file before forming an opinion.. We have buried kj 3 times and it felt like 3 funerals and i lost him 3 times.. No further information was readily provided by law enforcement. 2. Its been eight long years, said Kendrick Johnsons mother, Jacquelyn. Abducted in Plain Sight His parents believe Kendrick was murdered. It's just like,'shut this family up,' sending them on their way, but what they didn't realize is the Johnson family is not going anywhere.". Investigators, who suspected hed become trapped after attempting to grab a pair of sneakers, ruled his deatha freak accident. Finally, in March 2021, authorities reopened their investigation into Kendrick Johnsons death. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Investigators tested the blood which revealed that it did not belong to Kendrick Johnson. Coleman didnt speculate on the speakers identity but emphasized the voice sounded younger in age. He also claimed the tapes unidentified seller, who supposedly sent the Johnsons several texts to orchestrate the purchase, is a white male. I made a promise to the people Id go through every piece of [evidence].. A recording that reportedly contains an emotional confession of an individual who may have been involved in the suspicious 2013 death of teenager Kendrick Johnson in Georgia is now being vetted by authorities, police said this week.