Here is the chilling final photo of a teenager whose dead body would later be discovered inside a rolled up gym mat.
On 10 January 2013, Kendrick Johnson attended classes at Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Georgia as normal, unaware of the devastating fate which would await him.
The next day would see the the body of the 17-year-old student discovered inside a rolled-up wrestling mat in the far corner of the school’s sports hall.
Kendrick Johnson was found dead at the age of 17 in his high school’s gym (Reddit)
The alarm was raised by a group of students who had climbed on-top of the large mats, which were stored vertically in the far corner of the school’s gym and discovered a pair of feet.
Johnson’s body was found upside down inside the centre of the mat, which had been stored vertically in the far corner of the gym facing head down. The teenager was upside down, with one hand lodged near his waist and the other above his head, as though Johnson had been attempting to reach something.
Authorities were quick to rule the teenager’s death as an accident, concluding that Johnson had fallen into the mat and gotten stuck while reaching for a pair of trainers he had stored inside.
This theory was subsequently backed up by testimonies from other students at the school, who claimed that it was common practice for people to store belongings inside the mats in order to avoid paying for a locker.
CCTV footage showing Johnson entering the school gym alone on 10 January and the presence of a trainer on the floor.
The last known footage of the 17-year-old, captured in Lowndes High School gym (CNN)
For local police, this was enough for them to determine that Johnson had fallen into the mat and gotten stuck while reaching for his trainers and, after an autopsy reported that he’d died from positional asphyxia, they closed the case.
However, the Johnson family were not convinced.
Believing foul play to be involved, the Johnson’s questioned why no one would’ve been able to hear the 17-year-old shouting for help after falling into the mat. The family had Kendrick’s body exhumed for a second autopsy, which concluded the teenager had died from non-accidental blunt force trauma.
The family would also file a wrongful death lawsuit against the Lowndes County Board of Education, claiming that Kendrick had been murdered and the true circumstances of his death covered up. Jacquelyn and Kenneth Johnson would also allege that racism had been a factor in their son’s death.
The Johnson’s believe their son was murdered (Fox)
In 2021, the case was finally re-opened, only for Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk to agree with the initial ruling of an accidental death, much to the Johnson’s frustration.
The case was subsequently closed in January 2022, despite the parents continued belief that their son had been murdered.
In 2022, Paulk released a synopsis of the case file, stating: “Any person who looks at this case objectively would know that it would be impossible to conceal any evidence due to the involvement of so many agencies and investigators.
“The FBI states unequivocally in its investigation that there was no cover-up or conspiracy.”
Paulk added: “I am quite sure that there will still be a contingent that will believe there was foul play. I encourage everyone to study ALL the evidence in this file before forming an opinion.”
