My Block, My Hood, My City | Page 39

from breathing. Ruled an accidental death by the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, an independent autopsy conducted by a private pathologist hired by Johnson’s parents came to a different conclusion, finding that his death was caused by blunt force trauma. The photo shows Kendrick as he was found, rolled in a mat tucked neatly in a corner. There is no credible information that explains how he got rolled into the mat or how it was done so neatly. If for some incredibly preposterous reason he attempted to crawl into this cylindrical mat with an opening hardly suited for his size, the ends of the mat should overlap. Wrap a dollar bill tightly around your finger, then slide your finger out. It will drag several layers out and form a cone-like shape. Now imagine that the mat was rolled as pictured, and he somehow wiggled into the tiny opening. All of the rings in the middle should be pushed in dramatically. That is not the case. It seems more likely that he was wrapped up in the mat. Ten months later, on October 31, 2013, the U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Georgia opened a formal review into Johnson’s death. The investigation is still pending, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation is participating in that review process. The story doesn’t end here. An independent autopsy revealed that all of his organs were missing. The family was furious and demanded answers, while the coroner and funeral home tossed the blame back and forth in an infuriating game of hot potato. They finally came to this conclusion: Johnson’s internal organs were “destroyed through natural process” and “discarded by the prosecutor before the body was sent back to his hometown of Valdosta.” They found ѡ