[2], Authorities hypothesized that Johnson had fallen into the mat while looking for a shoe and died after being unable to get out. [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. Kendricks father was shocked by his sons disfigured body. The familys attorney, Chevene King, expressed thatif Kendrick had been white, the case would have been handled differently. "When we got the body for the second autopsy, the organs - the heart, lungs, liver etc. Nonetheless, the investigation cleared the funeral home of any wrongdoing. The private pathologist presented a four-page report of his findings Aug. 15 saying he detected hemorrhaging on the right side of Johnson's neck. On June 22, 2018, Johnson's body was exhumed.[19]. The Johnsons were also sure that their sons body had been moved, which was corroborated by Lowndes County Coroner, Bill Watson. A medical examiner backed up that claim . Credle along with Kendricks parents, relatives, and friends recounted their experiences for Finding Kendrick Johnson, a new documentary that is available on various streaming platforms, including Amazon Prime Video and Google Play. And they admit, they're struggling. Pollock told CrimeOnline that the lungs of someone who asphyxiates are heavier because the lungs fill with fluid, causing death. [17], Johnson's family requested that his body be exhumed for a second time and was granted permission by Valdosta city officials. U.S. Attorney Michael Moore in Macon has been monitoring the case but has yet to announce whether he'll take any further action. Finding Kendrick Johnson is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video and Google Play. Kendricks first exhumation was met with controversy; when it was revealed that every organ from his pelvis to his skull, including his brain, heart, lungs, and liver, was gone and replaced with newspaper. The three teens were classmates. When organs are missing, such as in cases involving organ donors, space inside the body cavity often is filled with an absorbent, preservative powder, Fountain said. 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. 1. Credle is also shown the report and says he also has never been seen this footage despite being the federal investigator reviewing Kendricks case. 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 . Its been eight long years, said Kendrick Johnsons mother, Jacquelyn. The county medical examiner concluded Johnson died of positional asphyxia and deemed his death accidental. 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. Wrongful death, Kendrick Johnson's family vs. Lowndes County Board of Education and school officials. [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. "This is a real-life murder mystery where these parents sent their child to school with a book bag and he was returned to them in a body bag," Crump said in a phone interview. [12][16] Johnson's family filed a complaint with a regulatory body against the funeral home operator. An inquest would present the evidence in Johnson's death in a public hearing, much like a trial. 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. 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." U.S. Attorney Michael Moore in Macon has been monitoring the case but has yet to announce whether he'll take any further action. He said Kendrick Johnson's brain, heart and tongue were among the missing organs. One of Kendricks close friends and classmates, Malik Austin, explained in the documentary that the students did not lean into the mat to retrieve their shoes; they tilted the mat to release the shoes. [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. Investigators tested the blood which revealed that it did not belong to Kendrick Johnson. [31] They were subsequently sued for more than $850,000 in attorney fees[32] and $1,000,000 in defamation damages. Credle along with Kendricks parents, relatives, and friends recounted their experiences for Finding Kendrick Johnson, a new documentary that is available on various streaming platforms, including. "It's unbearable, just about. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. "[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. [25], In January 2015, Johnson's family filed a $100 million civil lawsuit in the Superior Court of DeKalb County against 38 individuals. The teen's father, Kenneth Johnson, spoke about the missing organs during the rally. [12] Three students at Lowndes High School told investigators that it was common for some students to store their shoes behind or under the rolled up mats, Johnson was not wearing shoes when he was found. 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. 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. "It would've been during or immediately after the autopsy," he said. [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." CrimeOnline has chosen not to publish the most graphic of those images. The family, together with the NAACP and other civil rights activists, then held a rally at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta. 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. Im feeling hopeful.. Johnson's parents hope the outcome would be to change the manner of death listed on his death certificate from accidental to homicide -- paving the way to reopen a criminal investigation. They said they later tested the blood and it was not a match for Kendrick, but it remains unclear who it belongs to. [11] Some of the apparent lapses in coverage were found to result from camera systems that were not synchronized with one another. Under normal circumstances, the tongue is a pink, muscular organ located within the oral cavity proper. 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. The crowd of city residents and out-of-town supporters, including several youth activists from #ItsBiggerThanYou, came to demand justice for Kendrick Johnson. [37] However, Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk stated that he would not be claiming there was something wrong with the original investigation or that the original investigation's conclusion of an accidental death was wrong. 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. Why would the funeral home discard his organs and replace them with newspaper? But the teen's parents, Kenneth and Jacquelyn Johnson, hired Dr. William R. Anderson to provide a second opinion after a judge agreed in May to exhume the body. [6] That lawsuit was subsequently withdrawn. Pollock believed the evidence was so crucial that he flew to Georgia to show Kendricks parents. While the FBI concluded in 2016 that the Bells were in different areas of the school when Kendrick entered the gym, Pollock claimed the agencys own 2014 analysis report cites surveillance stills that show Brian in the hallway with Kendrick before he died. This 2018 autopsy concludes that the cause of death was "apparent non . Kendrick Johnsons parents hoped that with the results of this third autopsy, the surveillance footage which they were convinced had been tampered with, and the mishandling of evidence at the scene, would be enough to reopen their sons case. State and local law enforcement officials ruled the death an accidental. When doctors are not sure how someone died, they tell us, Detective, find me something that can help me lead towards a direction. He was never shown within or leaving the gym and indeed, he never did show up for his following classes. 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. Regardless, the organs were lost and could not be tested during the second autopsy, which further aroused suspicions in Johnsons parents that this was a cover-up. His mother posted on her Facebook: No mother or father should ever have to bury their child under these circumstances. [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. A Georgia Bureau of Investigation medical examiner concluded that he died from positional asphyxia, his body stuck in a position in which he couldn't breathe. - were not with the body," Anderson said. 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. Johnsons father, however, admitted that he had no hard evidence to back up any of these claims and the Johnsons had to drop the suit. ", Complete coverage of Kendrick Johnson on Crimesider, First published on October 11, 2013 / 11:31 AM. CrimeOnlines continuing coverage of the Kendrick Johnson case, blood splatter located 40 feet from Kendricks body, blunt force trauma, right neck, involving right mandible, Kendricks organs were returned to his body following the autopsy, Five decades later, Emmett Till accuser recants claims, Rick Bell, was an FBI special agent who ultimately resigned, subscribe to the Crime Stories with Nancy Grace podcast. Trayvon family lawyer joins outcry over Ga. death. GBI spokeswoman Sherry Lang told CNN that after the autopsy, "the organs were placed in Johnson's . From May 17 to 24, a white mob of 700 lynched at least 13 African Americans, including pregnant 21-year-old Mary Turner. The episode, entitled "Dare," sees a young girl tragically dying in a gymnasium. We have buried kj 3 times and it felt like 3 funerals and i lost him 3 times.. "We just can't allow this to happen again and again and again.". NY Daily News/Valdosta/Lowndes Regional Crime Labratory via CNN. 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. The swift determination drew skepticism from many, including Johnsons family, Credle, and Pollock. U.S. Attorney Michael Moore in Macon has been monitoring the case but has yet to announce whether he'll take any further action. The fact that a filmmaker, whos basically an artist college dropouthad to do the work that no one did in Georgia for eight years. The tongue is a mobile, muscular organ that lies within the mouth and partly extends into the upper throat. The body of Kendrick Johnson, 17, was found Jan. 11 in south Georgia. Kendrick Johnson was black and the Lowndes County Sheriff, Chris Prines, and his investigators were all white. Johnson's family asked the Justice Department to get involved, arguing that authorities failed to investigate Johnson's death thoroughly because he's black. But the Justice Department found insufficient evidence to support an investigation. October 11, 2013 / 11:31 AM Moore did not immediately return a phone message Thursday. "I'm not sure at this point who did not return the organs to the body, but I know when we got the body, the organs were not there," Anderson said. In June 2018, Kendrick Johnsons body was exhumed for a second time and a third autopsy was performed. The body of Kendrick Johnson, 17, was found Jan. 11 in South Georgia. 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.. After this sad look at the case and death of Kendrick Johnson, read up on another mysterious disappearance, that of Elisa Lam. Market data provided by Factset. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Kendrick Johnson's family was not able to perform a legitimate autopsy until June 2013. The town of Valdosta, Ga., witnessed, on Jan. 10, the kind of militant protest march that characterizes the "Black Lives Matter" movement across the country. Then, in 2014, Kendrick Johnsons parents filed a wrongful death suit against the schools officials, alleging that Johnson had been harassed by a white student which went neglected by the school, perhaps due to his race. Asked how he planned to do that, Crump said, "We're going to have to look at getting the courts involved." The mysterious death of Kendrick Johnson was initially ruled an accident by law enforcement, but his family was not convinced. Johnsons shoulders measured 19 across and he was five feet, ten inches tall. But those dreams were cut short when his body was found by students entering the gymnasium rolled up in a standing gym mat. The Johnsons hoped for a coroners inquest, which would begin the process ofreclassifying the cause of Kendrick Johnsons death as non-accidental and reopening the investigation. However, his family believes he was murdered by schoolmates and . But the Justice Department found insufficient evidence to support an investigation. The article used as a source an anonymous email to the sheriff's office. 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,. 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. In the documentary, Kendricks parents claimed Lowndes County police barred them from seeing his body for three days. [7][8][9][10], On January 11, 2013, the body of Kendrick Johnson was discovered in the gymnasium of Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Georgia, found headfirst in the center of a vertical rolled-up wrestling mat. In June 2016, the Department of Justice announced no charges would be filed against anyone in relation to Kendrick Johnsons death, considering there was insufficient evidence to support federal criminal charges.. 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. Its not Kendricks blood, now we do not know whose blood it is. Every organ from the top of Kendrick's head to his pelvis was gone. CBS affiliate WCTV reports the family's lawyer is also calling on authorities to release surveillance video that they say could have captured what happened in the gym the day Johnson died. [26] All local Superior Court judges recused themselves from presiding over the case, preventing the lawsuit from being filed and heard in Lowndes County, citing their close proximity to the accused. But Johnsons parents would still not give up. However, Pollock said Kendricks lungs post mortem were a normal weight for a boy his age and size. Some even drew comparisons to the death of Kendrick Johnson, the Georgia high school athlete whose suspicious 2013 death was ruled an accident, despite his family's demand for further investigation. (AP). A Georgia Bureau of Investigation medical examiner concluded that the youth died from positional asphyxia, his body stuck in a position in which he couldn't breathe. The body of Kendrick Johnson, 17, was found Jan. 11 in south Georgia. Though surveillance cameras were located all over campus, the last footage of Kendrick shows him walking into the gym behind other students before going out of frame. Meanwhile, Pollock, who called for a federal probe, said he does not believe justice will find Kendricks case in Georgia. "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.". State investigators say it's their normal practice, but what happened after his body arrived at the funeral home was anything but normal. The 17-year-old was a well-liked honor roll student, an athlete, and his parents said he always helped out at home. 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. Kendrick Johnsons casket was unearthed for a second time for a third autopsy. Wikimedia CommonsSeventeen-year-old Kendrick Johnsons body was inexplicably found upside-down in a rolled-up gym mat in 2013. UNDATED: Kendrick Johnson,17, was found dead inside his high school's gym. While presenting the case to the public in October 2014, Lieutenant Stride Jones explained why they could not test every student. The Johnsons also accused the brothers father, an FBI agent at the time, of covering up the murder by manipulating the school and authorities involved in investigating Johnsons death. Credle was called in after several local authorities recused themselves from the case which many believe was due to the primary persons of interest being the sons of an FBI agent. It wasnt like I did anything nefarious to find it. ", Neither had the founder of a national embalming academy, who said it's "not consistent with the standards of care" in the industry. "We have an excellent team of medical examiners, and we stand by them 100 percent," Lang said. R.I.P Kendrick Johnson FacebookOne of the coroners reports on Kendrick Johnsons autopsy. [29], In November 2015, the Department of Justice filed a motion in the civil case to intervene and stay the case. The family of 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson complained after the high school student's corpse was exhumed in June 2013 and investigators discovered newsprint in place of several vital organs . His son, 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson, was dead. Despite these resignations, the Department of Justice investigation continued. 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. "I'm terribly sorry for the family," Watson said. in June 2016, citing insufficient evidence. The private pathologist performed his own autopsy in June and presented a four-page report of his findings Aug. 15. The private pathologist presented a four-page report of his findings Aug. 15 saying he detected hemorrhaging on the right side of Johnson's neck. In addition to the photos in the FBI report, the document also included a ledger that specifically said Kendrick and Brian were standing next to each other in the hallway the morning Kendrick died. "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. "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. All Rights Reserved. Kendrick Johnson's organs missing - YouTube 0:00 / 5:25 Kendrick Johnson's organs missing CNN 14.9M subscribers Subscribe 27K 3.2M views 9 years ago The body of Kendrick Johnson came back. As far as the feds were concerned, the case was officially and finally closed. Kendricks mother, Jacquelyn Johnson, told filmmakers that she was on campus when her son was found, and police would not let her or Kendricks aunt see his body. 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. Kendrick reportedly confided in his father about Branden telling classmates that the issue was not over., According to the father, Kendrick said, You know Rick Bell, Brians daddyhe came up to me at school and told me the fight on the bus wasnt a fair fight and I should come to his house and re-fight Brian.. The brothers father, Rick Bell, was an FBI special agent who ultimately resigned after his home was raided and searched for evidence, according to NBC. But Johnson's family believes he was killed and has been pressuring authorities into taking a second look at the case. However, when Dr. Bill Anderson, the independent pathologist who performed Johnson's second autopsy,. CNN's Victor Blackwell investigates what happened to Kendrick Johnson's missing organs after his mysterious death. The Georgia secretary of state's office, which regulates funeral homes in the states, is investigating how Johnson's body was handled, spokesman Jared Thomas said. But it's just not something that's within what I would consider acceptable standards.". Its up to us to move the needle for KJ, because they are never going to do it down there.. He was stuck upside down in the middle of a wrestling mat that had been rolled up and propped upright behind bleachers. School officials found Johnson's body in the gym after his parents reported him missing the night before.
