[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. One of the coroners reports on Kendrick Johnsons autopsy. Why would the funeral home discard his organs and replace them with newspaper? "When we got the body for the second autopsy, the organs - the heart, lungs, liver etc. Inside Biden's new mortgage fee rules. Moore did not immediately return a phone message Thursday. 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. [26] Jim Elliott, the Lowndes County Attorney, stated that the allegations were "unfounded" and "baseless" and that any response would be made in court. His family and friends described him as a sweet and quiet boy. "Is newspaper necessarily more indicting that sawdust or cotton?" But those dreams were cut short when his body was found by students entering the gymnasium rolled up in a standing gym mat. 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. In June 2018, Kendrick Johnsons body was exhumed for a second time and a third autopsy was performed. According to Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk, If theres questions and theyre legitimate I need to know the answers myself. Time stamps between some separate camera systems differed by as much as twenty minutes for the same time period, giving the impression of a gap for portions of the footage where no gap existed. Justice for Kendrick Johnson! His sneakers were shoved behind his knees. Attorneys for the Johnson family expressed fears that the camera footage was edited as part of a cover-up. State investigators say it's their normal practice, but what happened after his body arrived at the funeral home was anything but normal. 2013 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Ill never let them forget, Jacquelyn told filmmakers. Kendricks photos drew wide comparisons to Emmett Till, a 14-year-old Black boy from Chicago who was murdered in 1955 in Money, Mississippi, after a 21-year-old white woman named Carolyn Bryant accused him of making ugly remarks and whistling at her. [11] Some of the apparent lapses in coverage were found to result from camera systems that were not synchronized with one another. "We have been let down again, and when we buried Kendrick, we thought we were burying Kendrick, not half of Kendrick," father Kenneth Johnson said. He was stuck upside down in the middle of a wrestling mat that had been rolled up and propped upright behind bleachers. Market data provided by Factset. 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. And his family had no idea. The three teens were classmates. But Johnsons parents would still not give up. The mysterious death of Kendrick Johnson was initially ruled an accident by law enforcement, but his family was not convinced. "We just can't allow this to happen again and again and again.". 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. They were sued for more than $850,000 in attorney fees and more than one million in defamation charges. 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 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. 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. Through interviews, police documents, and forensic evidence, Finding Kendrick Johnson illustrates how a 17-year-olds disappearance and death sparked years worth of investigations, controversies, and a possible cover-up. "[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. He said Johnson's organs were missing when the body arrived at Harrington. For the American professional basketball player, see, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, "Lowdes County Incident Report K. Johnson", "Gym mat death: Attorneys call for surveillance video", "Kendrick Johnson Lowndes County High School gym mat death: Lawyers ask for surveillance video", "Gym Mat Death Shocker: Body Stuffed With Newspaper", "Federal prosecutor will look into Kendrick Johnson case", "FBI agent, sons countersue parents of Ga. teen found dead in gym mat", "Defendants Seek Attorney Fees in Dismissed Kendrick Johnson Case", "Kendrick Johnson suit: Feds want to stop evidence collection", "Third autopsy claims foul play in Valdosta gym mat death case", "Kendrick Johnson's parents still searching for answers to their son's death", "Parents of Georgia teen found dead in gym mat rally for inquiry", "Kendrick Johnson investigation: Feds will not file charges", "Who Killed K.J.?! [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. Sometimes cotton is used with powder. On June 22, 2018, Johnson's body was exhumed.[19]. Russ Bynum/AP. Well, a lot of people ask why didnt you test everyone at the school? Well, number one, we dont have a legal basis, number two, youre talking about testing 3,000 people, he said. He was a three-sport athlete and dreamed of playing professional football. 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. "We have an excellent team of medical examiners, and we stand by them 100 percent," Lang said. Harrington Funeral Home in Valdosta, which handled Johnson's body, referred calls to attorney Roy Copeland. [33], On June 20, 2016, the Department of Justice announced that they would not be filing any criminal charges related to Johnson's death, stating, "After extensive investigation into this tragic event, federal investigators determined that there is insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that someone or some group of people willfully violated Kendrick Johnson's civil rights or committed any other prosecutable federal crime. [24] The magazine used pseudonyms but was otherwise accurate in descriptions of the boys, including the fact that their father was an FBI agent. 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. It does appear, however, that their quest for answers has only led to more questions. "Those organs were in the body when we sent it back to the funeral home," an agency spokesperson said. [17], Johnson's family requested that his body be exhumed for a second time and was granted permission by Valdosta city officials. Why The Accidental Death Of Kendrick Johnson Remains Suspicious To This Day. Thats another red flag.. Ebony.com described the murder of Johnson to have been at the hands of two white brothers, though they did not include names. Credle is also shown the report and says he also has never been seen this footage despite being the federal investigator reviewing Kendricks case. 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. Copyright 2023 WLS-TV. 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 mat and becoming trapped. 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. All rights reserved. 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. U.S. Attorney Michael Moore in Macon has been monitoring the case but has yet to announce whether he'll take any further action. Kendrick Johnson video analysis: part 1 The family didn't even know the late teen's brain, heart, lungs, liver and other viscera were missing until the middle of last year, when an autopsy. "I don't think I've ever talked to anyone who told me they've used old newspapers," Fountain said. "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. The only thing that wakes you up in the morning is to just keep pushing," said Jacquelyn Johnson. [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. 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. The crowd of city residents and out-of-town supporters, including several youth activists from #ItsBiggerThanYou, came to demand justice for Kendrick Johnson. The funeral home said that it received the body without organs which it replaced with paper or sawdust as is common practice while embalming. [12] The family retained the services of attorney Benjamin Crump. He was just in his socks. 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. Indeed, when the mat was first unrolled, Johnson did have one arm stretched above his head and the other down around his waist as though struggling for his shoe. UNDATED: Kendrick Johnson,17, was found dead inside his high school's gym. School officials found Johnson's body in the gym after his parents reported him missing the night before. 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. [21] The area where Johnson's body was discovered, where the gym mats were stored, was outside the range of all of the surveillance cameras. Ive never seen a doctor rule on a theory without being able to present facts to me, Credle told CrimeOnline, claiming the medical examiner kicked him out of her office when he questioned her about her findings. This finding further increased the confidence of doubters that this death was an accident. 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. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. [31] They were subsequently sued for more than $850,000 in attorney fees[32] and $1,000,000 in defamation damages. Then, read about the horrifying murder of Emmett Till. The county medical examiner concluded Johnson died of positional asphyxia and deemed his death accidental. Over the years, the Johnsons have publicly implicated brothers Brian and Branden Bell in Kendricks death. October 11, 2013 / 11:31 AM . Anatomy. However, when Dr. Bill Anderson, the independent pathologist who performed Johnson's second autopsy,. Johnson's family said Anderson also revealed that most of his internal organs were missing and the body cavity was filled with newspaper. 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. We have buried kj 3 times and it felt like 3 funerals and i lost him 3 times.. Unsatisfied with the result of the investigation, they hired an independent autopsy conducted by William R. Anderson with Forensic Dimensions in Heathrow, Florida, on June 15, 2013. In the documentary, Kendricks parents claimed Lowndes County police barred them from seeing his body for three days. ", Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. The family was given photos of the scene and Kendricks body. But his parents would later maintain that his size versus the size of the mat alone was enough to debunk the investigators case. 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. Now, the sheriffs have enough evidence in hand to perhaps allow them to solve this mystery once and for all. "I'd never heard of that before, never. Lowndes County sheriff's investigators concluded that he died in a freak accident, falling headfirst into an upright mat and becoming trapped. So what exactly did the Harrington Funeral Home do with Kendrick's organs and why was he stuffed with old newspaper? 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. Moore did not immediately return a phone message Thursday. [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. The county medical examiner concluded Johnson died of positional asphyxia and deemed his death accidental. 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. [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. All rights reserved. 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? 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. A medical examiner backed up that claim . As far as the feds were concerned, the case was officially and finally closed. School officials found Johnson's body in the gym after his parents reported him missing the night before. Crump said the Johnson family's legal team plans to focus on getting the official manner of death in the case changed from accidental to homicide. [30] After the Justice Department's motion was denied, Johnson's parents dismissed their own wrongful death lawsuit, saying that they hoped to refile it after the conclusion of the federal investigation. 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. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Its not Kendricks blood, now we do not know whose blood it is. In an autopsy, organs are removed and examined before being returned to the body for burial. Kendrick Johnsons casket was unearthed for a second time for a third autopsy. 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. Copeland said. 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. "I don't think I've ever talked to anyone who told me they've used old newspapers," Fountain said. But the Justice Department found insufficient evidence to support an investigation. Both Credle and Pollock said they are not hopeful it will provide any solace to Kendricks family. Kendrick Johnsons body rolled up inside the gym mat with his shoes behind his knees. We have buried kj 3 times and it felt like 3 funerals and i lost him 3 times.. ", Complete coverage of Kendrick Johnson on Crimesider, First published on October 11, 2013 / 11:31 AM. The mat was positioned upright. He said Johnson's organs were missing when the body arrived at Harrington. Kenneth and Jacquelyn Johnson sit beside another in Finding Kendrick Johnson [Image: Millennial PR]In March, the Lowndes County Sheriffs Office announced they were reopening Kendricks case to ensure the initial investigation was conducted properly. Kendrick Johnson's family was not able to perform a legitimate autopsy until June 2013. Watson said he reviewed the second autopsy report on Johnson, but found it vague and lacking the specifics of the GBI's findings. They were all absent.". In May of 1918, a Black farmworker named Sidney Johnson, tired of mistreatment, killed his white boss. Kendrick Johnson was last seen 1:30pm Thursday 1/10. READ: CrimeOnlines continuing coverage of the Kendrick Johnson case. The clothing he was wearing when he was found also was missing. R.I.P Kendrick Johnson FacebookOne of the coroners reports on Kendrick Johnsons autopsy. Meanwhile, Pollock, who called for a federal probe, said he does not believe justice will find Kendricks case in Georgia. Updated: 12:46 AM EST March 10, 2021 JACKSONVILLE, Fla The Lowndes County Sheriff's Office announced Friday that it has reopened the investigation into the death of Kendrick Johnson, whose. Kendrick reportedly walked away from Rick, who has denied this encounter ever transpired. But investigators quickly closed their case on the theory that Johnson had simply fallen into the mat while reaching for one of his sneakers. 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