A private forensic consultant hired by the family of #KendrickJohnson, the Georgia teenager whose body was found rolled up in a gym mat at his high school back in 2013, is disagreeing with previous autopsies and official investigations involving his passing.
Following the discovery of Kendrick’s body, who was found upside down in a vertically stored gym mat at Lowndes High School in January 2013, a state autopsy was conducted and officials ruled his death accidental. Then a federal review of the case ended in 2016 when the Department of Justice announced it had not found “sufficient evidence to support federal criminal charges.”
Well, the new autopsy report, which was submitted by Dr. William Anderson, attributed Johnson’s death to blunt force trauma to his right neck and right thorax, which is the body cavity between the neck and abdomen, according to The Valdosta Daily Times.
Kendrick’s family, who has maintained that they believe their 17-year-old son was murdered, has filed multiple lawsuits against dozens of defendants through the years.
Kendrick’s body was first exhumed in June 2013 by court order because the family wanted an autopsy separate from the state’s.
A lawsuit that was filed in Lowndes County Superior Court against dozens of defendants for $100 million was dropped in March 2016. A federal investigation found no conclusive evidence of foul play.
Then a federal lawsuit was dropped when an attorney representing Kendrick’s parents failed to meet filing deadlines.
As we previously reported, back in August, the Johnsons were ordered to pay nearly $300,000 in attorneys’ fees and expenses associated with the lawsuits they filed.
It isn’t immediately clear how the family will move forward with the new autopsy findings that support their claims, but it could mean justice for the family after all.
We’ll keep you updated on this story, #Roommates.
TSR STAFF: Christina C! @cdelafresh
