I do find it disturbing and unethical that this investigation seemed to turn into a witch hunt after the FBI told the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia that they had found nothing criminal, and they consequently were closing the case, Paulk wrote in the synopsis. in Georgiais now being vetted by authorities, police said this week. You didnt find nothing in 17 boxes? This is how you roll in Valdosta. She and her family maintain that young Kendrick was murdered. MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF: Kendrick Johnson Episode Summary In 2013 a 17-year-old boy's body was found rolled up in a high school gym mat. 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. The public was horrified by the photo and began to rally around the Johnsons in their quest for the truth. However, these things really happen in the world. However, Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk announced the re-opening of the case on Tuesday. Paulks 16-page report, which was released Wednesday and published on Scribd, is divided into nine categories, including conspiring/cover, shoe storage in wresting mats, a fight that occurred on a bus trip among the wrestling team of which Johnson was a member, the teens autopsy and observations after the discovery of his body. 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. We already knew that nothing was going to be done on your watch, she contended. 2023 Cox Media Group. 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? All things mysterious, murderous, and macabre. Attorney. We have not had faith in Lowndes County. [14] On October 31, 2013, U.S. Attorney Michael J. Moore announced that his office would open a formal review into Johnson's death. In 2018, an. "Eight long years the crying, the tears, the backlash, being talked about, ridiculed it has not been easy," Johnson added. 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. But investigators quickly closed their case on the theory that Johnson had simply fallen into the mat while reaching for one of his sneakers. Eventually, after a November 2020 visit by the Johnson family with federal investigators, that request was granted and the Justice Department turned over its investigative material to the sheriffs office. : No charges in Kendrick Johnson death, nr Blackwell Kendrick Johnson_00003415.jpg. 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. Top 15 Best True Crime Documentaries To Watch 1. This is a very unusual accident. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Speculation and outrageous theories always run wild and it takes away from the victims story. Kendrick Johnsons case closed after authorities say no crime found, Reports: 3 children dead, 2 wounded in attack at Texas home, Kellyanne Conway, George Conway To Divorce After Decadeslong Marriage: Report, School punished teen girl for working out in sports bra in 100-degree Texas heat, ACLU says, U.S. court won't require FAA to make airplane seat size, spacing rules, 'Extremely dangerous': Spike in illegal crossings at Canada-Vermont border has feds sounding alarm, SoCal in for cool start to weekend, butlight showers make brief return, Scam alert: arrest warrant calls are fake, sheriff's office says, Heidi Klum's husband thinks the couple's dogs might have been poisoned. The three teens were classmates. [39] He further stated that two brothers, named in previous legal actions by the Johnsons, are not suspects. Idk why but this case in particular seems to bring out the worst in a lot of true crime podcast hosts. Draymond Green and Kendrick Perkins don't know it, but they are the first "openly MAGA" basketball players. The Grizzlies played in Denver on Friday night and are scheduled to fly to Los Angeles on Saturday . LeBron James is still in the closet, but he will join Green and Perkins as an "America First" hoopster when Bronny James is toiling in a faraway foreign league.MAGA NBA players are annoyed that foreigners are taking over a . He wrote that the FBI reviewed footage from 62 cameras on campus, and Johnson never crossed paths with the brothers. The father of the kid who had a motive is allegedly an FBI Agent, with enough pull to supposedly save his son. The police took videotape from the school and could see him entering the gym, but they havent released video that shows anything else. Kendrick Johnson's body was found in a rolled-up gym mat in January. It's a shame we can't spend more time making fun of Perkins using his own experience in stat-padding to prove its existence, citing an obviously cherry-picked stat (MVP Magic Johnson finished 18th . Possible Audio Confession In Kendrick Johnsons Death Investigated, A recordingthat reportedly contains an emotional confession of an individual who may have been involved in the suspicious 2013 death of teenager. [6] That lawsuit was subsequently withdrawn. That students father is a retired FBI agent. 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. Kendrick Johnsons body rolled up inside the gym mat with his shoes behind his knees. [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. R.I.P Kendrick Johnson FacebookOne of the coroners reports on Kendrick Johnsons autopsy. "If it's a hoax, it's a very, very cruel hoax to do to Mrs. Johnson," he said. Your email address will not be published. The U.S. Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Georgia was recused from the investigation many years ago.. By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. Video shows him walking into the Lowndes High gym on Jan. 10, 2013. The video was streamed by Morant to his Instagram page, and it was not archived once he stopped the stream. Im going through everything myself, Paulk said,estimatingthat the reopened investigation could last a minimumof six months. It includes photographs from the schools gymnasium. All Rights Reserved. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. They purchased this from an individual and he did not give them his true name. His mother posted on her Facebook: No mother or father should ever have to bury their child under these circumstances. 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. And now, authorities say they have an audio recording of someone admitting to Johnson's death. [28] Shortly after receiving the case, Dettlebach also resigned. There are no suspects because we havent made a determination as to whether or not this was murder, Paulk added. The Lowndes County Sheriff's Office reopened Kendrick's case last March. Johnsons mother told Channel 2s Tony Thomas that shes not surprised by the findings. [12][16] Johnson's family filed a complaint with a regulatory body against the funeral home operator. 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. Finding Kendrick Johnson is an interesting true crime documentary. The funeral home said that it received the body without organs which it replaced with paper or sawdust as is common practice while embalming. He was found rolled up in a gym mat at Lowndes High School the next day. We have a good picture of him and a pretty good description. 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. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 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. 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. Wikimedia CommonsSeventeen-year-old Kendrick Johnsons body was inexplicably found upside-down in a rolled-up gym mat in 2013. Authorities were tight-lipped about whether the Bell brothers were suspects in Kendrick Johnsons death. The Johnsons have a GoFundMe account open to hire a private investigator to look into what they say is new evidence. They do an excellent job digging in to places and topics that authorities seem to avoid, not just in this case but in the others theyve explored as well, like the case of Robert Bee that I wrote about here. But it doesnt look like thats ever going to happen.. Tweet. 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. That material included grand jury testimony, results from an autopsy conducted by federal authorities and additional digital evidence. Then, read about the horrifying murder of Emmett Till. Valdosta, Georgia CNN For the local sheriff's department, the death of 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson is a closed book: A tragedy, but an accident. 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. We knew what the outcome would be from the very beginning, Kendricks father, Kenneth Johnson, told CNN. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. We are cautiously optimistic now.. Investigators tested the blood which revealed that it did not belong to Kendrick Johnson. "[26] After Moore resigned in 2015,[27] the case was transferred to the Northern District of Ohio under U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach. 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. 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. Johnsons parents have said they think their son was killed. Given the slender opening in the gym mat, this is certainly plausible, even though Kendrick was exceptionally physically fit. "Nobody really cares, Jackie Johnson, the teenagers mother, WAGA-TV. [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. [17] A spokesperson for the Secretary of State said that the investigation found that the funeral home "didn't violate any rules. On June 20, 2016, the Department of Justice announced that it would not be filing any criminal charges related to Johnson's death. From there until now, we feel like this has been a cover-up at a very high level. News of the re-openedinvestigation was welcomed by Johnsons family. An autopsy conducted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation determined the cause of Johnsons death was accidental positional asphyxia. After this sad look at the case and death of Kendrick Johnson, read up on another mysterious disappearance, that of Elisa Lam. TheLowndes County Sheriffs Office reopened Kendricks case last March. NY Daily News/Valdosta/Lowndes Regional Crime Labratory via CNNKendrick Johnsons body rolled up inside the gym mat with his shoes behind his knees. [29], In November 2015, the Department of Justice filed a motion in the civil case to intervene and stay the case. Take a look at the list below for all the gory details! In it, Paulk wrote, I am quite sure that there will still be a contingent that will believe there was foul play. But it is what it is.. Paulk wrote that he reviewed 17 boxes of files from the FBI, Department of Justice, and local authorities while revisiting this case. 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. estimatingthat the reopened investigation could last a minimumof six months. [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. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. 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. But you have to wonder. 2023 Cable News Network. Nobody wants Kendrick to get justice. One of the coroners reports on Kendrick Johnsons autopsy. In November 2013, 290 hours of surveillance tape from 35 cameras that covered the gym area were released to CNN following a court request. [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. [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. [39] In January 2022, the second investigation was closed with no charges filed. His parents believe Kendrick was murdered. 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. The next investigation was a federal one. A private pathologist was hired to carry out a second autopsy. The sheriff says his office will not be releasing the audio recording at this time. The suit alleged that Johnson "was violently assaulted, severely injured, suffered great physical pain and mental anguish, and subjected to insult and loss of life" on January 10, 2013. Kendrick Johnsons parents released a photo to the media of their sons face as he lay in the funeral home. Wrongful death, Kendrick Johnson's family vs. Lowndes County Board of Education and school officials. Discovery Company. The group is. of foul play, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. "[18] The Johnson family subsequently filed a civil lawsuit against the funeral home, seeking monetary damages. . The Sheriffs Department asserted that Johnson must have accidentally fallen into the center of the mat while reaching for a sneaker, which he had stored there so as not to have to pay for a locker. [PHOTOS: Images included in Kendrick Johnson death findings report]. 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. Paulk estimated it might take six months to process everything. Indeed, in 2013, racism in Valdosta, Georgia, was still very much alive.