The family of a 17-year-old high school student whose body was found in a rolled-up gym mat is still searching for answers.
On January 11, 2013, the body of Kendrick "KJ" Johnson was found inside of a rolled-up wrestling gym mat at Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Georgia.
Per Insider, the gym mat was leaning against the back wall of the school gymnasium.
Just 24 hours after the teen's body was found, his death was ruled an accident by investigators.
Authorities claimed that the teenager became stuck inside the mat while trying to retrieve his shoes - which were initially stuck on top of the mat. When they fell further inside the rolled-up mat, KJ fell inside while trying to reach them, becoming trapped in the process.
The Sheriff’s Department believed that the 17-year-old had placed his sneakers on top of the mat so that he didn't have to pay for a locker - something that other students admitted was common practice in the school.
The initial autopsy stated that KJ died as a result of "positional asphyxia" - meaning that he had suffocated as a result of being stuck upside-down in an enclosed space for a prolonged period of time.
But, from the moment their son was found, KJ's parents - Kenneth and Jacquelyn Johnson - felt that his death was not being taken seriously due to the fact he was Black.
They also have argued that the additional circumstances regarding how KJ's body was found failed to point to an "accidental" death.
Last year, the parents submitted a lawsuit, suing the Georgia authorities and accusing them of a cover-up and peddling a "false narrative" about an accidental death.
Their lawsuit stated, per Insider, that their son's body was found in a pool of blood on the floor, and that his body had a number of visible injuries - including facial bruises; and lacerations to his ear, lip, and knuckles.
This lawsuit was dismissed. But it certainly has not been the first time they have filed a lawsuit in the hopes of justice.
In 2013, a judge granted permission for KJ's body to be exhumed and re-examined. Private pathologist Dr. William R. Anderson stated in his report that he detected hemorrhaging on the right side of Johnson's neck and concluded that the KJ died from blunt force trauma near his carotid artery and that the fatal blow appeared to be non-accidental, CBS News reported at the time.
Anderson later told USA TODAY that KJ suffered a single blow or pressure to the head or neck and that he did not find the typical signs of positional asphyxia, including fluid accumulating in the lungs, in his autopsy.
However, the pathologist added: "There is no evidence he was beaten. It was probably just a single pressure application."
The Daily Mail reports that the family even released a photo of their son's extremely swollen face that was taken during the autopsy.
KJ's parents also attempted to sue the funeral home for mishandling their son’s body - after discovering some of his organs were missing and his body stuffed with old newspaper.
They alleged that this was done so perhaps to cover up a true cause of death, but this case was later dropped, with the funeral home arguing that the teen's organs - which are usually removed for inspection and then placed back into the body - were too severely decomposed and were disposed of by the coroner.
In 2015, WALB reported federal investigators had seized cell phones, computers, and other electronic devices from the family home of two brothers who were classmates of Johnson.
That year, KJ's parents also filed a $100 million civil lawsuit against 38 people - including three of their son’s classmates, his high school, the local crime lab, state and federal officials, five agents of the GBI, an FBI agent, and more.
In the claim, the Johnsons claimed that their son was killed by the sons of an FBI agent and used their connections to cover up the crime, NBC News reported. Later admitting they had no concrete evidence to back up their claims, the Johnsons were forced to drop the suit.
After a defamation suit was then filed against them, they were ordered by a judge to pay close to $300,000 worth of lawyers’ fees to those they had accused.
In 2018, KJ's body was exhumed for a second time.
WXTL reported at the time that an independent pathologist - hired by the teen's family -concluded that the teen died from "unexplained, apparent non-accidental blunt force trauma".
After more unsuccessful lawsuits and attention from Kim Kardashian, authorities once again re-opened an investigation into KJ's death in March of 2021.
Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk said at the time, per CNN: "If there’s questions — and they’re legitimate — I need to know the answers myself. The only way I’m going to know is to look at the evidence myself."
Sadly - despite KJ's mom initially feeling "hopeful" - the investigation led nowhere.
In 2022, the case into KJ's death was closed by Georgia law enforcement, and the teen's death was ruled an accident, per WALB.
In September of 2023, KJ's family filed another suit - this time against Lowndes County.
It was dismissed by a judge the following month.
The tragic death of Kendrick "KJ" Johnson continues to leave the public divided and take a toll on all involved, in particular, his parents.
Speaking in September 2024, dad Kenneth said: "Make someone do the right thing. And look at the evidence, because the evidence in this case is not hard. All the evidence is right there."
KJ's mom continued to use social media to share her son's story. One recent post, a photo of KJ, was accompanied by the simple caption: "Justice for Kendrick Johnson".
The family has also launched the Kendrick Johnson Foundation in the wake of their son's death.m
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