U.S. Attorney Michael Moore in Macon has been monitoring the case but has yet to announce whether he'll take any further action. 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? This finding further increased the confidence of doubters that this death was an accident. "When we got the body for the second autopsy, the organs - the heart, lungs, liver etc. Legal Statement. or redistributed. [28] Shortly after receiving the case, Dettlebach also resigned. 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. NY Daily News/Valdosta/Lowndes Regional Crime Labratory via CNN. He was a three-sport athlete and dreamed of playing professional football. Kendrick Johnson's family was not able to perform a legitimate autopsy until June 2013. On May 8, 2013, a judge granted Kendrick Johnson's body be exhumed. 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. In June 2018, Kendrick Johnsons body was exhumed for a second time and a third autopsy was performed. His mother posted on her Facebook: No mother or father should ever have to bury their child under these circumstances. He said Johnson's organs were missing when the body arrived at Harrington. Indeed, in 2013, racism in Valdosta, Georgia, was still very much alive. READ: CrimeOnlines continuing coverage of the Kendrick Johnson case. 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. Legal Statement. 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. An all-white jury acquitted Bryants husband and brother-in-law within an hour. According to Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk, If theres questions and theyre legitimate I need to know the answers myself. Johnsons shoulders measured 19 across and he was five feet, ten inches tall. 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. 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. His son, 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson, was dead. Trayvon family lawyer joins outcry over Ga. death. All rights reserved. The Illegal Harvesting of Black Men's Organs is Going Unnoticed Kendrick Johnson Case Will Be Reinvestigated By Georgia Sheriff's - NPR Till was found in the river with a cotton gin fan tied to his neck with barbed wire. 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. The Johnsons hired Doctor Bill Anderson to conduct an independent second autopsy. [39] He further stated that two brothers, named in previous legal actions by the Johnsons, are not suspects. This 2018 autopsy concludes that the cause of death was "apparent non . [26] Jim Elliott, the Lowndes County Attorney, stated that the allegations were "unfounded" and "baseless" and that any response would be made in court. Despite this, the, Department of Justice closed the investigation. The mat in which Johnson was found was around six feet tall. Kendrick was found dead in the gymnasium at 10:30 a.m. on January 11, roughly 10 hours after his family reported him missing. 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. Horrified by what those photos depicted, they decided to post them on social media. More from CNN at http://www.cnn.comTo lice. [22], Johnson's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Lowndes County Board of Education, its superintendent and the principal of Lowndes High School. 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. 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. Despite these resignations, the Department of Justice investigation continued. 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 private pathologist performed his own autopsy in June and presented a four-page report of his findings Aug. 15. The public was horrified by the photo and began to rally around the Johnsons in their quest for the truth. [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. [17] A spokesperson for the Secretary of State said that the investigation found that the funeral home "didn't violate any rules. 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. In May of 1918, a Black farmworker named Sidney Johnson, tired of mistreatment, killed his white boss. . The body of Kendrick Johnson, 17, was found Jan. 11 in South Georgia. 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. 9 Mysterious Details About Kendrick Johnson's Death 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. 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. Kendrick Johnson's organs missing - YouTube 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. But when he did return, he and his wife held a press conference begging authorities to not take their sons body out of Lowndes County before they saw it. [31] They were subsequently sued for more than $850,000 in attorney fees[32] and $1,000,000 in defamation damages. 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. 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. [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. "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. Jelani Day's Body Was Not Missing Brain and Vital Organs, Mother Says 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. "I'm terribly sorry for the family," Watson said. Who killed Kendrick Johnson? - Workers World He was stuck upside down in the middle of a wrestling mat that had been rolled up and propped upright behind bleachers. N on Twitter: "Along with his organs, Kendrick Johnson's fingernails 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. During the film, Jacquelyn becomes so overwhelmed seeing the footage that she has to excuse herself, as Kenneth wipes tears from his eyes. Credle also said that a new, thorough investigation would require Lowndes County police to contact everyone involved in the initial probe, and he has not heard from anyone. And they admit, they're struggling. 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. But the Justice Department found insufficient evidence to support an investigation. When the pathologist opened the teen's remains, "the brain, heart, lungs, liver and other viscera were missing. The teen's father, Kenneth Johnson, spoke about the missing organs during the rally. However, his family believes he was murdered by schoolmates and . "I don't think I've ever talked to anyone who told me they've used old newspapers," Fountain said. Kendrick Johnson In Savannah, Georgia 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson's body was uncovered January 11, 2013, inside of a rolled up wrestling mat . Russ Bynum/AP. [2][13], After the opinion of the private pathologist was released, Johnson's family stated that they believed Johnson had been murdered. 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. Lowndes County sheriff's investigators concluded that he died in a freak accident, falling headfirst into an upright mat and becoming trapped. The attorney who helped push for a criminal prosecution in Trayvon Martin's shooting said Thursday that he's joining the fight to reopen an investigation into the death of a Georgia teenager whose body was found inside a rolled-up wrestling mat at school. "It would've been during or immediately after the autopsy," he said. 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. 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. [29], In November 2015, the Department of Justice filed a motion in the civil case to intervene and stay the case. (AP). 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. Finally, in March 2021, authorities reopened their investigation into Kendrick Johnsons death. Meanwhile, Pollock, who called for a federal probe, said he does not believe justice will find Kendricks case in Georgia. But his parents would later maintain that his size versus the size of the mat alone was enough to debunk the investigators case. Adding to the confusion is the fact that in October 2013, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation told CBS that Kendricks organs were returned to his body following the autopsy, as per protocol. [14] The governor's office released a statement indicating that they would await the report of the U.S. "Is newspaper necessarily more indicting that sawdust or cotton?" [12][16] Johnson's family filed a complaint with a regulatory body against the funeral home operator. Despite this, the Department of Justice closed the investigation in June 2016, citing insufficient evidence. CNNKendrick Johnsons shoe laying in the pool of blood. The fact that a filmmaker, whos basically an artist college dropouthad to do the work that no one did in Georgia for eight years. 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. 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. While the lawsuit did not name the person or persons allegedly involved in the January 10 event, nor identify the race of alleged perpetrators, it implied a race-based dimension to the hypothetical assault. Credle is also shown the report and says he also has never been seen this footage despite being the federal investigator reviewing Kendricks case. 'Finding Kendrick Johnson' Documentary Shows Facts, Not - People But a judge agreed in May to exhume the body, and Kenneth and Jacquelyn Johnson hired Dr. William R. Anderson to provide a second opinion. Im feeling hopeful.. When the judge in that case delayed a decision, pending the outcome of the U.S. Attorney's review, the family demanded that the governor of Georgia immediately authorize the inquiry instead. Kendrick Johnson, 17, was found dead and rolled up inside a high school gym mat back in 2013. . The three teens were classmates. School officials found Johnson's body in the gym after his parents reported him missing the night before. The fact that Brian didnt see KJ was a huge thing that they used for years against the Johnson family.. "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. Moore did not immediately return a phone message Thursday. Georgia Judge Richard Porter ordered the Johnsons and their attorney to pay more than $292,000 in legal fees to the defendants, accusing them of fabricating evidence to support their claims. Wikimedia CommonsSeventeen-year-old Kendrick Johnsons body was inexplicably found upside-down in a rolled-up gym mat in 2013. "I feel outraged about them stuffing my son's body with newspaper," Jaquelyn Johnson said. While Brian told the media that he considered Kendrick a friend, Austin, another one of Johnsons friends, alleged that a year before his death, Brian and Kendrick had an altercation on the bus as they headed to a football game that was being played out of town. CNN's Victor Blackwell investigates what happened to Kendrick Johnson's missing organs after his mysterious death. 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. "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.". GBI spokeswoman Sherry Lang said the agency stands by its original findings. Lowndes County sheriff's investigators concluded that he died in a freak accident, falling headfirst into an upright mat. 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. Two entities had custody of Kendrick Johnson's body after his death -- the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which conducted the first autopsy in January; and the Harrington Funeral Home in Valdosta, which handled the teen's embalming and burial. Best known as the lawyer who helped focus national attention on the February 2012 shooting death of Martin by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, Crump has pursued several civil rights cases against law enforcement agencies. That's what happened in Johnson's case, she said. 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.