A second investigation into the death of Kendrick Johnson, a 17-year-old found dead inside a wrestling mat at Lowndes County High School in 2013, has been ruled an accident by Lowndes County Sheriffâs Office. CNN reported Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk said there was nothing to indicate anything criminal.
Johnsonâs family believe the police department is covering up a murder. The federal investigation that began in 2016 found âinsufficient evidence to support federal criminal chargesâ reported CNN. However, a pathologist who was hired by Johnsonâs family to conduct an independent autopsy found Johnsonâs cause of death was blunt-force trauma to the neck and that some of his organs were missing.
From CNN:
That initial investigation concluded that Johnson accidentally slipped into the center of the mat while reaching for a shoe and got stuck. An autopsy conducted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation determined the cause of Johnsonâs death was accidental positional asphyxia.
But inconsistencies in official reports on the condition of Kendrickâs body and other discrepancies led the family and community to question the official cause of his death. Johnsonâs parents have said they think their son was killed.
Per the new Finding Kendrick Johnson documentary, students found Johnsonâs body on a school day morning. The documentary also noted there were gaps found in the surveillance footage of the gym where he was last seen. The FBI investigation reported brothers Brian and Branden Bell were persons of interest but were never charged. Their father was also an FBI agent who resigned after his home was raided for evidence, reported The Guardian.
Social media circulated an image of Johnsonâs bloated and mutilated body demanding justice for what looked like an obvious murder case. Johnsonâs mother, Jacquelyn, said she wouldâve never posted that image yet she wanted to remind the public what happened to her child, via The Guardian.
Sheriff Paulk reportedly requested the evidence from the investigation in April 2019 but was not granted permissions until the following year, via CNN. From the grand jury testimonies to the autopsies and digital evidence, he still found no evidence of criminal intent behind Johnsonâs death.
From CNN:
âWe have not had faith in Lowndes County. We knew what the outcome would be from the very beginning,â Kendrickâs father, Kenneth Johnson, told CNN. âYou canât do an investigation with the same investigators who covered it up. Theyâre not going to uncover something that they covered up.â
CNN has requested a copy of the synopsis of the sheriffâs report. The office was not able to immediately send a copy, but verified the authenticity of a copy posted by the Valdosta Daily Times newspaper.
âI am quite sure that there will still be a contingent that will believe there was foul play,â the sheriff wrote in the report. âI encourage everyone to study ALL the evidence in this file before forming an opinion.â
Director Jason Pollock called Johnsonâs death âour generationâs Emmett Till,â via The Guardian. Johnsonâs family told CNN they plan to hold an event outside the sheriffâs office to respond to the final report.