[14] On October 31, 2013, U.S. Attorney Michael J. Moore announced that his office would open a formal review into Johnson's death. 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. In an autopsy, organs are removed and examined before being returned to the body for burial. Johnson's family said Anderson also revealed that most of his internal organs were missing and the body cavity was filled with newspaper. Pollock believed the evidence was so crucial that he flew to Georgia to show Kendricks parents. But the Justice Department found insufficient evidence to support an investigation. But his parents would later maintain that his size versus the size of the mat alone was enough to debunk the investigators case. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. He concluded the teenager died from blunt force trauma near his carotid artery and that the fatal blow appeared to be non-accidental. It's another disappointing answer for parents determined to know what happened to their son before and now after his death. "They brought me in to make sure this is not able to be swept under the rug in small-town Georgia and they never get justice for their child.". 1. [6] That lawsuit was subsequently withdrawn. But Johnsons parents would still not give up. His mother posted on her Facebook: No mother or father should ever have to bury their child under these circumstances. Kendrick reportedly walked away from Rick, who has denied this encounter ever transpired. - were not with the body," Anderson said. He was discovered rolled up in a gym mat on Friday 1/11. From May 17 to 24, a white mob of 700 lynched at least 13 African Americans, including pregnant 21-year-old Mary Turner. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Meanwhile, Johnson's parents are preparing to file a lawsuit asking a judge to order a coroner's inquest in their son's death, said Chevene King, an attorney working with the family. "I don't think I've ever talked to anyone who told me they've used old newspapers," Fountain said. But Johnson's family believes he was killed and has been pressuring authorities into taking a second look at the case. The body of Kendrick Johnson, 17, was found Jan. 11 in south Georgia, and Lowndes County sheriff's investigators concluded that he died in a freak accident - falling headfirst into an upright. The Johnsons hired Doctor Bill Anderson to conduct an independent second autopsy. Kendrick Johnson, a 5-foot-10, 160-pound multi-talented athlete, attended classes on the morning of January 10, 2012. Although it is one of the most complex of all musical instruments, the organ . [25], In January 2015, Johnson's family filed a $100 million civil lawsuit in the Superior Court of DeKalb County against 38 individuals. "[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. On January 11, 2013, the body of Kendrick Johnson (October 10, 1995 January 10, 2013) was discovered inside a vertical rolled-up mat in the gymnasium of Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Georgia, United States, where he was a student. On January 11, 2013, the body of Kendrick Johnson (October 10, 1995 - January 10, 2013) was discovered inside a vertical rolled-up mat in the gymnasium of Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Georgia, United States, where he was a student. Lowndes County sheriff's investigators concluded that he died in a freak accident, falling headfirst into an upright mat and becoming trapped. [Featured image: Nikkolas Smith/Millennial PR], North Carolina Cop, Wife Found Shot Dead in Fayetteville Home, We Have Zero Leads: $80,000 Reward Offered for Information Leading to Man Who Gunned Down Texas Family, Missing: 18-Year-Old Mom Takes Toddler Son From Dads During Supervised Visit. Investigators tested the blood which revealed that it did not belong to Kendrick Johnson. We have buried kj 3 times and it felt like 3 funerals and i lost him 3 times.. Nor had the president of the National Association of Medical Examiners, who said he's "never heard of this practice.". While Jacquelyn may have been kept from her son to secure the scene and possible evidence, Pollock told CrimeOnline that Lowndes High School was not placed on lockdown the morning the teens body was found on campus. In that autopsy, Anderson told the Johnsons he'd found evidence that Kendrick died as the result of a blow to the neck, and not accidental asphyxia after slipping into a rolled gym mat at school as investigators in Georgia had said. Despite this, the Department of Justice closed the investigation in June 2016, citing insufficient evidence. [22], Johnson's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Lowndes County Board of Education, its superintendent and the principal of Lowndes High School. Finding Kendrick Johnson makes the claim that the 17-year-olds killer has been in plain sight all these years with an alibi that had already been refuted by federal investigators. "There may not be any law that prohibits it. Now, the sheriffs have enough evidence in hand to perhaps allow them to solve this mystery once and for all. The pathologist concluded the teenager had died from blunt force trauma near his carotid artery and that the fatal blow appeared to be "non-accidental.". A pair of Nike shoes was found in the mat with Kendrick, and one black and white Adidas shoe was found near Kendrick in a pool of blood. (AP). The initial autopsy revealed that Johnson died due to positional asphyxia or that he suffocated as a result of being stuck upside-down in an enclosed space for an extended period of time. In the face of this racist mob violence, some 500 . An all-white jury acquitted Bryants husband and brother-in-law within an hour. "When you think about it logically, it seems to be some kind of conspiracy to conceal the truth about what happened to Kendrick and who did it to him," Crump said. Kendrick Johnson case: What happened to him and when did he die? organ, in music, a keyboard instrument, operated by the player's hands and feet, in which pressurized air produces notes through a series of pipes organized in scalelike rows. Georgia state law dictates that the coroner be contacted immediately on the discovery of a body, but Watson claimed that he was not notified until six hours later. Kenneth said within an hour and a half of that conference authorities called him and said he could see Kendricks body at the local Crime Lab. GBI spokeswoman Sherry Lang said the agency stands by its original findings. Kendrick Johnson death investigation will be reopened, Georgia sheriff The mat was positioned upright. As Pollock explained to CrimeOnline, the bombshell evidence did not come from an anonymous source or undercover sleuthing it was plainly stated in the FBIs 2014 analysis report. Just after 1pm, he entered the gym, never to come out alive. (CBS/AP) SAVANNAH, Ga. - The parents of a Georgia teenager whose body was found inside a rolled-up wrestling mat at school said Thursday the fact that their son was recently found to be buried without his internal organs is a new reason to suspect signs of foul play were covered by investigators. Sheriff Chris Prine has said he suspected Johnson became trapped trying to retrieve a shoe that fell into the center of the large, rolled mat. Two entities had custody of Kendrick's body and access to his organs the first time he was buried: the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which conducted the first autopsy in January, and Harrington Funeral Home, which the Johnsons chose to embalm and prepare Kendrick's body for burial, days later. 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. In a letter to the Johnsons' attorney, Harrington Funeral Home owner Antonio Harrington denies he received Kendrick's organs. In 2007, Bryant allegedly revealed to. Kendrick Johnson, 17, was found dead and rolled up inside a high school gym mat back in 2013. . 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. For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the Crime Stories with Nancy Grace podcast. Credle, who was on the case for eight months, alleged that almost every person they interviewed mentioned Rick approaching them at some point about Kendricks case. The brothers father, As Pollock explained to CrimeOnline, the bombshell evidence did not come from an anonymous source or undercover sleuthing it was plainly stated in the FBIs 2014 analysis report. One of the coroners reports on Kendrick Johnsons autopsy. Till was found in the river with a cotton gin fan tied to his neck with barbed wire. More migrants expected Monday as Lightfoot pleads with Texas governor, EXCLUSIVE: Mayor Lightfoot opens up about election defeat, Crews to begin removing tree older than Chicago at Lincoln Park Zoo, JPMorgan Chase to take over most assets of First Republic Bank, At least 27 shot, 5 fatally, in Chicago weekend shootings: police, Toddler dies after being shot inside Chicago home last week: officials, Teen boy shot to death on South Side ID'd: officials, NFL player's 2-year-old daughter drowns in swimming pool, Authorities continue search for Texas man suspected of killing 5, NW Side restaurant burglarized 4 times in 5 weeks, owners say: VIDEO, Chicago family escapes Sudan as deadly fighting rages on, Paying more despite good credit? The lawsuit further alleged that another student, Brian Bell, "had a history of provoking and attacking" Johnson at school, stating that the provocations took place "in the presence of the coaching staff and employees" after his mother complained about previous attacks. When rolled up, the mat left a 14-inch hole in diameter in the center. FacebookKendrick Johnson with his mother. He also stated the funeral home never had Johnsons organs, saying they were discarded by the prosecutor before the body was sent back to Valdosta for burial. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Moore did not immediately return a phone message Thursday. "[34] On August 10, 2017, Georgia Judge Richard Porter ruled that Johnson's family and their attorney had to pay more than $292,000 in legal fees to the dozens of respondents in their civil suit, writing "testimony shows that they had no evidence to support their claims that the [brothers] killed Johnson or that any of the other defendants engaged in a conspiracy to conceal the cause or manner of Johnson's death. The second shoe was discovered on the floor in front of one of the mats in the gym, according to the local news outlet. The photo, in which Kendrick Johnsons face is extremely swollen, almost does not look human. Copyright 2023 WLS-TV. He was never shown within or leaving the gym and indeed, he never did show up for his following classes. Hundreds Rally in Support of Kendrick Johnson's Family 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. "There may not be any law that prohibits it. A spokeswoman for the state told CNN after its autopsy, "the organs were placed in Johnson's body, the body was closed, then the body was released to the funeral home." [2][13], After the opinion of the private pathologist was released, Johnson's family stated that they believed Johnson had been murdered. 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. [2] That left a void, which the funeral home filled. [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. Similar to Kendricks mother, Tills mother, Mamie Till Mobley, wanted to call attention to what happened to her son, so she held an open-casket funeral and allowed Jet magazine to publish photographs of her childs disfigured and bloated corpse. As Kendrick lay dead in the gym, the basketball and color guard teams held their night practices. U.S. Attorney Michael Moore in Macon has been monitoring the case but has yet to announce whether he'll take any further action. [21] The president of the Valdosta-Lowndes County chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the former lead investigator for that chapter have stated that they believe the attorneys for the Johnsons have "not been entirely truthful in their statements" and that there was no cover-up in this case. Kendrick was found dead in the gymnasium at 10:30 a.m. on January 11, roughly 10 hours after his family reported him missing. Body parts are missing, evidence is missing. "I'm terribly sorry for the family," Watson said. 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. So what exactly did the Harrington Funeral Home do with Kendrick's organs and why was he stuffed with old newspaper? R.I.P Kendrick Johnson FacebookOne of the coroners reports on Kendrick Johnsons autopsy. Lowndes County sheriff's investigators concluded that he died in a freak accident, falling headfirst into an upright mat. The county medical examiner concluded Johnson died of positional asphyxia and deemed his death accidental. Harrington Funeral Home in Valdosta, which handled Johnson's body, referred calls to attorney Roy Copeland. "But I don't think raising all this Cain down here is going to bring closure to them. Notably, the shoe located on top of the blood is spotless suggesting, in the view of the family and film producers, that the item was planted. The three teens were classmates. [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. As Kendrick lay dead in the gym, the basketball and color guard teams held their night practices. The episode, entitled "Dare," sees a young girl tragically dying in a gymnasium. Eight years after the body of Kendrick Johnson was found in a rolled-up gym mat at a high school in Georgia, the Lowndes County Sheriff's Office has announced it is reopening the case after . Johnson's family said Anderson also revealed that most of his internal organs were missing and the body cavity was filled with newspaper. Medical examiners commonly remove internal organs during forensic autopsies. His parents also revealed that when Johnson's body was exhumed over the summer for a second autopsy, the private pathologist discovered his organs were missing and newspaper had been used to fill the body cavity. READ More: Five decades later, Emmett Till accuser recants claims. 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.. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. They were sued for more than $850,000 in attorney fees and more than one million in defamation charges. 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. Kendrick Johnson's Body Stuffed With Newspapers, Organs Removed Sheriff Chris Prine has said he suspected Johnson became trapped while trying to retrieve a shoe that fell into the center of the large rolled mat. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Through interviews, police documents, and forensic evidence, Finding Kendrick Johnson illustrates how a 17-year-old boys disappearance and death sparked years worth of investigations, controversies, and a possible cover-up. They also reported that the blood had likely been there for a long time. But during a second autopsy, a private pathologist discovered Johnson's organs were missing and newspaper was used to replace them. When authorities ruled Kendrick's death accidental, theorizing he had fallen into the opening at the center of the mat and suffocated, the Johnsons conducted an independent autopsy of their own,. 'Body Parts Are Missing': Newly-Released Footage of Kendrick Johnson's The second time, he was being pulled out of it. In November 2013, 290 hours of surveillance tape from 35 cameras that covered the gym area were released to CNN following a court request. A private pathologist was hired to carry out a second autopsy. An inquest would present the evidence in Johnson's death in a public hearing, much like a trial. More from CNN at http://www.cnn.comTo lice. An inquest would present the evidence in Johnson's death in a public hearing, much like a trial. Meanwhile, Johnson's parents are preparing to file a lawsuit asking a judge to order a coroner's inquest in their son's death, said Chevene King, an attorney working with the family. Almost a full day had passed until Johnson had been discovered. They saw that report in 2014, they saw that photograph of the boys standing next to each other and they let the Bells go television and say they hadnt seen KJ, Pollock told CrimeOnline. "Those organs were in the body when we sent it back to the funeral home," said Lang, who added that the GBI stands by the conclusions of its autopsy that found no foul play involved. "[11] Johnson's family questioned this hypothesis. School officials found Johnson's body in the gym after his parents reported him missing the night before. CNN's Victor Blackwell investigates what happened to Kendrick Johnson's missing organs after his mysterious death. Police said the latest probe would include reinterviews of witnesses and consultations with other law enforcement agencies to ensure nothing was missed or incorrectly reported during the initial probe. [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.