[39] He further stated that two brothers, named in previous legal actions by the Johnsons, are not suspects. But what Doctor Anderson did not find shocked them. When the pathologist opened the teen's remains, "the brain, heart, lungs, liver and other viscera were missing. [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. [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. Nonetheless, the investigation cleared the funeral home of any wrongdoing. Lowndes County sheriff's investigators concluded that he died in a freak accident, falling headfirst into an upright mat and becoming trapped. "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. But Johnson's family believes he was killed and has been pressuring authorities into taking a second look at the case. He concluded the teenager died from blunt force trauma near his carotid artery and that the fatal blow appeared to be nonaccidental. Moore did not immediately return a phone message Thursday. [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. On May 8, 2013, a judge granted Kendrick Johnsons body be exhumed. 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. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Copeland said. - were not with the body," Anderson said. 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. Almost a full day had passed until Johnson had been discovered. Johnsons parents finally believed that their sons death was not being taken seriously because of his race. 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. The article used as a source an anonymous email to the sheriff's office. Moore did not immediately return a phone message Thursday. The U.S. Attorney said allowing evidence discovery in the civil suit to continue would have a "chilling effect" on the federal investigation, which had expanded into investigating possible obstruction and grand jury witness tampering. [11] Some of the apparent lapses in coverage were found to result from camera systems that were not synchronized with one another. "It would've been during or immediately after the autopsy," he said. 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. 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. Over the years, the Johnsons have publicly implicated brothers Brian and Branden Bell in Kendricks death. As Kendrick lay dead in the gym, the basketball and color guard teams held their night practices. Kendrick Johnson was last seen 1:30pm Thursday 1/10. Kendrick Johnsons casket was unearthed for a second time for a third autopsy. [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. Months later, the pair admitted to mutilating and killing Till in a magazine interview they were paid $3,000 for. 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. State and local officials ruled that Kendrick suffocated after purportedly reaching for a pair of sneakers inside the mat and getting stuck. He concluded the teenager died from blunt force trauma near his carotid artery and that the fatal blow appeared to be non-accidental. "There may not be any law that prohibits it. The mysterious death of Kendrick Johnson was initially ruled an accident by law enforcement, but his family was not convinced. School officials found Johnson's body in the gym after his parents reported him missing the night before. Kendrick Johnson, 17, was found dead and rolled up inside a high school gym mat back in 2013. . [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. READ: CrimeOnlines continuing coverage of the Kendrick Johnson case. The body of Kendrick Johnson, 17, was found Jan. 11 in south Georgia. But Johnsons parents felt that his death was not being taken seriously, in part because of his race, or because a larger cover-up was at play. As far as the feds were concerned, the case was officially and finally closed. The three teens were classmates. / CBS News. Kendrick Johnson 's body was found in a wrestling mat Jan. 11, 2013, in the Lowndes High School gym in Valdosta, Georgia. in June 2016, citing insufficient evidence. The episode, entitled "Dare," sees a young girl tragically dying in a gymnasium. According to Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk, If theres questions and theyre legitimate I need to know the answers myself. October 11, 2013 / 11:31 AM When doctors are not sure how someone died, they tell us, Detective, find me something that can help me lead towards a direction. 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. The only thing that wakes you up in the morning is to just keep pushing," said Jacquelyn Johnson. GBI spokeswoman Sherry Lang said Thursday that the agency's policy is to return all organs to bodies after autopsies. In place of the organs were crumpled pieces of newspaper. 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. Asked how he planned to do that, Crump said, "We're going to have to look at getting the courts involved." Despite this, the Department of Justice closed the investigation in June 2016, citing insufficient evidence. Harrington Funeral Home in Valdosta, which handled Johnson's body, referred calls to attorney Roy Copeland. 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. [29], In November 2015, the Department of Justice filed a motion in the civil case to intervene and stay the case. However, when Dr. Bill Anderson, the independent pathologist who performed Johnson's second autopsy,. 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. But Johnson's family believes he was killed and has been pressuring authorities into taking a second look at the case. 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? But it's just not something that's within what I would consider acceptable standards.". NY Daily News/Valdosta/Lowndes Regional Crime Labratory via CNN. Benjamin Crump, the lawyer who helped focus national attention on the 2012 shooting death of Martin by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, said the discovery raises questions about why Johnson's organs went missing and couldn't be examined in the follow-up autopsy the family requested. "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. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. [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. "The brain. [2] That left a void, which the funeral home filled. Despite these resignations, the Department of Justice investigation continued. He said Johnson's parents came to him seeking help. Inside Biden's new mortgage fee rules. 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. In comparison, the mat he was found in is 6 feet long and the opening was 14 inches. Who would want Kendrick dead? But Johnson's family believes he was killed and has been pressuring authorities into taking a second look at the case. UNDATED: Kendrick Johnson,17, was found dead inside his high school's gym. According to CNN, funeral director Antonio Harrington claimed the 17-year-olds organs were destroyed through [the] natural process due to the position of his body when he died. 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. 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. Now the family has enlisted the help of Tallahassee, Fla.-based attorney Benjamin Crump. [2][13], After the opinion of the private pathologist was released, Johnson's family stated that they believed Johnson had been murdered. The pathologist concluded the teenager had died from blunt force trauma near his carotid artery and that the fatal blow appeared to be "non-accidental.". 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. All rights reserved. "Those organs were in the body when we sent it back to the funeral home," an agency spokesperson said. 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. "[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. When rolled up, the mat left a 14-inch hole in diameter in the center. Johnson's family asked the Justice Department to get involved, arguing that authorities failed to investigate Johnson's death thoroughly because he's black. A private pathologist was hired to carry out a second autopsy. Kendrick Johnsons shoe laying in the pool of blood. U.S. Attorney Michael Moore in Macon has been monitoring the case but has yet to announce whether he'll take any further action. (CBS/AP) SAVANNAH, Ga. - The parents of a Georgia teenager whose body was found inside a rolled-up wrestling mat at school said Thursday the fact that their son was recently found to be buried without his internal organs is a new reason to suspect signs of foul play were covered by investigators. 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. 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.