The parents of Kendrick Johnson, the Georgia teen found dead inside a rolled-up gym mat at Lowndes High School in 2013, have filed an amended federal lawsuit accusing the Georgia Department of Public Health of refusing to correct Johnson’s cause of death on his death certificate.
What are Kendrick Johnson’s parents saying about his death?
According to 41 NBC, Kenneth and Jacquelyn Johnson argue their 17-year-old son didn’t die from accidental positional asphyxia, the original ruling from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, but rather from non-accidental blunt force trauma. The couple believes the independent autopsy results and other supporting evidence back their claim.
“We have filed the right paperwork,” Jacquelyn said. “We have filed several different times to get his death certificate corrected.”
Both Kenneth and Jacquelyn maintain that their son was murdered at his high school. However, state and local officials concluded Kendrick died accidentally after becoming trapped inside a rolled-up gym mat while reaching for a tennis shoe, according to Blavity and the Miami Herald.
Did Kendrick Johnson have internal injuries?
According to the July 25 filing, new evidence obtained in recent months includes photographs from Kendrick’s initial autopsy, showing that his organs were “severely injured,” which the GBI’s report didn’t acknowledge. The lawsuit also references shoe tread marks on Kendrick’s abdomen, indicating that he was stomped on “with extreme force,” according to the complaint, per the Miami Herald.
The Johnsons also raise longstanding concerns over the disappearance of Kendrick’s internal organs. When his body was exhumed in 2013 for an independent autopsy, pathologists found newspapers stuffed in place of his organs. The whereabouts of the missing organs remain unknown, and the family said the state has failed to provide adequate answers or records, despite formal open records requests.
“The Defendant’s refusal to amend the cause of death on Kendrick’s death certificate in accordance to the Georgia Code isn’t based on the merits, but instead undue nefarious influences in higher state government positions of influence and power,” the complaint states.
Authorities closed the investigation into Kendrick’s death
Blavity reported that local authorities investigating Kendrick’s death closed the case, describing it as a “weird accident,” according to County Sheriff Ashley Paulk. Following a second investigation, he further shared his thoughts on what allegedly happened to the teen.
At the time, he told CNN, “There is nothing to substantiate a homicide,” adding, “Nothing criminal happened.”
The Johnson family is seeking $12 million in damages and a jury trial, alleging the department’s failure to amend Kendrick’s death certificate, which violates the Civil Rights Act of 1871, Georgia law and their constitutional rights under the 14th Amendment, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.
