In the gymnasium of Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Georgia, on January 11, 2013, the body of Kendrick Johnson was found. College students who went to the top of a stack of mats found the body.
After conducting an autopsy, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation determined that Johnson had died of positional asphyxia and the case was considered an accident by the authorities in Lowndes County. Police believe Johnson was trying to find his shoe when he tripped and fell into the mat, becoming trapped.
While Johnson was discovered barefoot, three other students at Lowndes High School informed investigators that it was normal for some students to conceal their shoes under or under the rolled-up mats.
A student there claimed that Johnson, with whom he shared a pair of Adidas shoes, would routinely “walk to the mats, hop up, and toss the shoes within the center of the hole” after every gym session.
“We never received reliable information that indicated this was anything other than an accident,” Lt. Stryde Jones said, who led the investigation for the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office. Family members of Johnson were skeptical of this theory.
They were dissatisfied with the outcome of the inquiry, so on June 15, 2013, they contracted William R. Anderson of Forensic Dimensions in Heathrow, Florida to perform an independent autopsy.
Anderson claimed his investigation revealed evidence of blunt force injuries to the right neck and soft tissues, implying that the death was not accidental.
Johnson’s family revealed their belief that Johnson had been murd*red when the private pathologist’s report was made public. A lawyer, Benjamin Crump, was hired by the family. U.S. Attorney Michael J. Moore announced on October 31, 2013, that his agency would launch a formal investigation into Johnson’s death.
Crump’s application to practice law in Georgia on behalf of Johnson’s parents was denied and he has since withdrawn as counsel for the family. Johnson’s loved ones took legal action to initiate a coroner’s investigation into his passing.
The family had requested the governor of Georgia quickly authorize the inquiry after the court, in that case, deferred a ruling pending the conclusion of the U.S. Attorney’s assessment. Following this, the family and other civil rights groups rallied in front of the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta.
In a statement, the governor’s office said they would wait for the U.S. attorney’s findings.
To read more about the passing of others, see our related topic below:
- Arn Anderson’s 37-Year-Old Son Barrett Died
- Robert Blake Being Prosecuted for the Murder of His Wife Has Died Aged 89
- How Lonnie Frisbee Died and What Happened to Him?
Note: It’s been a decade since Kendrick Johnson’s body was discovered under a gym mat at Lowndes High School on January 11.
After an investigation into Kendrick’s death lasted a year, the case was closed by Sheriff Ashley Paulk of Lowndes County, who determined that Kendrick had been stuck upside down in the vertical mat while attempting to collect his shoes.
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