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. October 11, 2013 / 11:31 AM 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. In an autopsy, organs are removed and examined before being returned to the body for burial. A private pathologist was hired to carry out a second autopsy. Credle is also shown the report and says he also has never been seen this footage despite being the federal investigator reviewing Kendricks case. 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. NY Daily News/Valdosta/Lowndes Regional Crime Labratory via CNN. Johnson was a three-sport . 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. The Johnsons hired Doctor Bill Anderson to conduct an independent second autopsy. GBI spokeswoman Sherry Lang said Thursday that the agency's policy is to return all organs to bodies after autopsies. More from CNN at http://www.cnn.comTo lice. "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. 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. School officials found Johnson's body in the gym after his parents reported him missing the night before. The teenager's family announced Thursday that the Florida lawyer who helped push for a criminal prosecution in the shooting of Trayvon Martin has joined efforts to reopen an investigation into Johnson's death. Hundreds Rally in Support of Kendrick Johnson's Family 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. ", Neither had the founder of a national embalming academy, who said it's "not consistent with the standards of care" in the industry. Adding to the confusion is the fact that in October 2013, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation told CBS that Kendrick's organs were returned to his body following the autopsy, as per protocol. Investigation into Georgia teen found dead in gym mat is closed without 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. All that could be seen from the cameras was Kendrick Johnson walking towards the gym, and then several seconds of footage of him jogging within the gym. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Seventeen-year-old Kendrick Johnsons body was inexplicably found upside-down in a rolled-up gym mat in 2013. [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. "I don't think I've ever talked to anyone who told me they've used old newspapers," Fountain said. 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. 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. The second time, he was being pulled out of it. But the Justice Department found insufficient evidence to support an investigation. 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. The funeral home said that it received the body without organs which it replaced with paper or sawdust as is common practice while embalming. 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. 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. However, when Dr. Bill Anderson, the independent pathologist who performed Johnson's second autopsy,. "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. The body of Kendrick Johnson, 17, was found Jan. 11 in South Georgia. U.S. Attorney Michael Moore in Macon has been monitoring the case but has yet to announce whether he'll take any further action. His body was exhumed twice for a third autopsy, Kendrick Johnson the The death of 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson at the gymnasium of Lowndes High School in Valdosta, in the U.S. on January 11, 2013, was as bizarre as the subsequent findings. Kendrick Johnson death: Parents find son's organs were missing when Austin said Kendrick got the best of Brian. Kendrick Johnson death investigation will be reopened, Georgia sheriff Watson said he reviewed the second autopsy report on Johnson, but found it vague and lacking the specifics of the GBI's findings. But Lowndes County Coroner Bill Watson said many of Johnson's organs were deemed too badly decomposed to be preserved and had to be disposed of before the body was sent to the funeral home. "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. But the Justice Department found insufficient evidence to support an investigation. 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.. Doctor Anderson has pictures of Kendrick's body he'd taken during the second autopsy, which show Black Friday ads and JC Penny circulars. 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. Tongue: Anatomy, Function, and Disorders - Verywell Health Kendrick Johnson missing organs, newspaper found instead on 2nd autopsy Both Credle and Pollock said they are not hopeful it will provide any solace to Kendricks family. Who killed Kendrick Johnson? - Workers World Asked how he planned to do that, Crump said, "We're going to have to look at getting the courts involved." 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=1143606101. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. 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. "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 rolled up, the mat left a 14-inch hole in diameter in the center. "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. Students who did not want to pay for a locker reportedly used the mats to stow their personal items. 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 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. The films producer, Jason Pollock, told CrimeOnline that he spent six years examining Kendricks case; an independent investigation he said authorities did not know about. Johnsons shoulders measured 19 across and he was five feet, ten inches tall. 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. 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. A medical examiner backed up that claim . "[18] The Johnson family subsequently filed a civil lawsuit against the funeral home, seeking monetary damages. The body of Kendrick Johnson, 17, was found Jan. 11 in south Georgia. Indeed, in 2013, racism in Valdosta, Georgia, was still very much alive. In place of the organs were crumpled pieces of newspaper. All That's Interesting is a Brooklyn-based digital publisher that seeks out stories that illuminate the past, present, and future. We have buried kj 3 times and it felt like 3 funerals and i lost him 3 times.. [39] He further stated that two brothers, named in previous legal actions by the Johnsons, are not suspects. Im feeling hopeful.. He also said standard embalming practice is to fill empty space in body cavities with material such as sawdust or cotton. [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. Credle, a veteran homicide detective from Washington, D.C., is referring to his work investigating the death of Kendrick Johnson, a 17-year-old boy who was found dead in a rolled-up wrestling mat at his Valdosta, Georgia, high school on January 11, 2013. 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. Bryants husband and brother-in-law were charged with ripping Till from his home, and fatally beating and shooting him. They were all absent.". What Happened To Kendrick Johnson, The Teen Found Dead In Gym Mat In But Johnson's family believes he was killed and has been pressuring authorities into taking a second look at the case. 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. 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. [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. 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. 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. He said Johnson's organs were missing when the body arrived at Harrington. Investigators claim that in the findings of the initial autopsy, Johnson's cause of death was ruled by accidental asphyxiation when he got stuck in the mat while trying to retrieve a shoe. [11] Some of the apparent lapses in coverage were found to result from camera systems that were not synchronized with one another. In 2007, Bryant allegedly revealed to. But Johnson's family believes he was killed and has been pressuring authorities into taking a second look at the case. [12][16] Johnson's family filed a complaint with a regulatory body against the funeral home operator. Family: Ga. teen's organs replaced with newspaper - USA Today Kendrick Johnson's family was not able to perform a legitimate autopsy until June 2013. [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. Body parts are missing, evidence is missing. GBI spokeswoman Sherry Lang said Thursday that the agency's policy is to return all organs to bodies after autopsies. 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Organ | Definition, History, Types, & Facts | Britannica In May of 1918, a Black farmworker named Sidney Johnson, tired of mistreatment, killed his white boss. 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 addition to revisiting some of the more troubling aspects of the investigation into Kendricks suspicious death including the teens missing organs and unidentified blood splatter found near his body the documentary presents a damning piece of evidence that was never before made public: Surveillance stills showing the primary person of interest standing next to Kendrick before he vanished contradicting claims that he did not see Kendrick the day he vanished on campus. [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. 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. Watson said he reviewed the second autopsy report on Johnson, but found it vague and lacking the specifics of the GBI's findings. But investigators quickly closed their case on the theory that Johnson had simply fallen into the mat while reaching for one of his sneakers. Kendrick Johnson was black and the Lowndes County Sheriff, Chris Prines, and his investigators were all white. In June, Kendrick's body was sent to Florida. The mat in which Johnson was found was around six feet tall. The tongue is a mobile, muscular organ that lies within the mouth and partly extends into the upper throat. CNNKendrick Johnsons shoe laying in the pool of blood. 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. 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. 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. "I'd never heard of that before, never. [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. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Who would want Kendrick dead? 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. Just after 24 hours of being found, the investigators ruled Johnsons death an accident. "It would've been during or immediately after the autopsy," he said. R.I.P Kendrick Johnson FacebookOne of the coroners reports on Kendrick Johnsons autopsy. [28] Shortly after receiving the case, Dettlebach also resigned. The familys attorney, Chevene King, expressed thatif Kendrick had been white, the case would have been handled differently. The teenager's family announced Thursday that the Florida lawyer who helped push for a criminal prosecution in the shooting of Trayvon Martin has joined efforts to reopen an investigation into Johnson's death. On May 8, 2013, a judge granted Kendrick Johnsons body be exhumed. N on Twitter: "Along with his organs, Kendrick Johnson's fingernails Then without parent consent, a surgeon at the hospital harvested her organs . R.I.P Kendrick Johnson Facebook PageKendrick Johnsons casket was unearthed for a second time for a third autopsy. I think it was just a look into it just to quiet down the family, quiet down some of the media, Credle told CrimeOnline. The family was given photos of the scene and Kendricks body. Finding Kendrick Johnson is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video and Google Play. Kendrick Johnson | Say Their Names - Spotlight at Stanford "I don't think I've ever talked to anyone who told me they've used old newspapers," Fountain said. 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. Images from the scene show Johnson lying in a pool of blood. As Kendrick lay dead in the gym, the basketball and color guard teams held their night practices. "But I don't think raising all this Cain down here is going to bring closure to them. Sometimes cotton is used with powder. "The question is, why didn't he tell us?" Under normal circumstances, the tongue is a pink, muscular organ located within the oral cavity proper. 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. "[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. 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. Found in a rolled-up gym mat, officials at Lowndes County High School in south Georgia concluded the athlete had been reaching for his sneaker when he fell headfirst into the mats. 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.. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit told a story about a tragic death and unapproved organ harvesting on Wednesday night, and we think we found the real life story that inspired the case. [23] It alleged that Johnson was attacked on a bus trip 14 months prior to his death. [24] The magazine used pseudonyms but was otherwise accurate in descriptions of the boys, including the fact that their father was an FBI agent. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! But Johnson's family believes he was killed and has been pressuring authorities into taking a second look at the case. In June 2018, Kendrick Johnsons body was exhumed for a second time and a third autopsy was performed. Despite this, the Department of Justice closed the investigation 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. 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. The mysterious death of Kendrick Johnson was initially ruled an accident by law enforcement, but his family was not convinced. In November 2013, 290 hours of surveillance tape from 35 cameras that covered the gym area were released to CNN following a court request. But it's just not something that's within what I would consider acceptable standards.". Moore did not immediately return a phone message Thursday. They were sued for more than $850,000 in attorney fees and more than one million in defamation charges. The mat was positioned upright. Months later, the pair admitted to mutilating and killing Till in a magazine interview they were paid $3,000 for. After autopsies, those organs are typically sealed in a plastic bag and placed back in the body, said Vernie Fountain, who runs an embalming school in Springfield, Mo. 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. 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. I dont think theyre going to do anything. The only thing that wakes you up in the morning is to just keep pushing," said Jacquelyn Johnson. 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. Moore did not immediately return a phone message Thursday. Respondents include three of Johnson's classmates (two or three respondents are unnamed) and local, state, and federal officials: the school superintendent of Lowndes County, the Valdosta-Lowndes crime lab, the police chief of Valdosta, many sheriff's deputies, the city of Valdosta, the state medical examiner, the GBI and five of its agents, and one FBI agent. "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.". On June 22, 2018, Johnson's body was exhumed.[19]. 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. "This can happen to any of our kids," said Kenneth Johnson, the teenager's father. That's what happened in Johnson's case, she said. However, Pollock said Kendricks lungs post mortem were a normal weight for a boy his age and size. His family and friends described him as a sweet and quiet boy. But during a second autopsy, a private pathologist discovered Johnson's organs were missing and newspaper was used to replace them. Legal Statement. 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. But those dreams were cut short when his body was found by students entering the gymnasium rolled up in a standing gym mat. "I'm terribly sorry for the family," Watson said. [17] A spokesperson for the Secretary of State said that the investigation found that the funeral home "didn't violate any rules. The county medical examiner concluded Johnson died of positional asphyxia and deemed his death accidental. "We just can't allow this to happen again and again and again.". because the lungs fill with fluid, causing death. Johnsons parents were suspicious of the investigation from the beginning. The public was horrified by the photo and began to rally around the Johnsons in their quest for the truth. The 17-year-old was a well-liked honor roll student, an athlete, and his parents said he always helped out at home. Those organs were in the body when we sent it back to the funeral home, an agency spokesperson said. "[11] Johnson's family questioned this hypothesis. 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. Kendrick Johnson case: What happened to him and when did he die? [11] However, analysis of the camera systems by the Valdosta Daily Times purported to explain the anomalies, casting doubt on the theory of a cover-up. Lowndes County sheriff's investigators concluded that he died in a freak accident, falling headfirst into an upright mat. 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. Who the hell stuffs a dead body with newspaper?!?! - The Chicago Garage In a letter to the Johnsons' attorney, Harrington Funeral Home owner Antonio Harrington denies he received Kendrick's organs. From May 17 to 24, a white mob of 700 lynched at least 13 African Americans, including pregnant 21-year-old Mary Turner. "But I don't think raising all this Cain down here is going to bring closure to them. Kendrick Johnson, was a 17-year-old high school sophomore, found dead, inside of a rolled-up gym mat at Lowndes High School gymnasium on January 11, 2013.