The Case of 17-Year-Old Found In School's Gym Mat Still Unsolved

On January 11, 2013, the body of 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson was found in of the most unusual of circumstances: Kendrick was found upside-down and rolled up in his school’s gym mat. In what would be seen as a controversial ruling, Kendrick’s death was ruled an accident by law enforcement. The initial autopsy report showed that Johnson died due to “positional asphyxia” — meaning that he suffocated from being stuck upside-down in an enclosed space for a long period of time.

After learning that, it took investigators just 24 hours to rule his death an accident. The Sheriff’s Department believed that Kendrick fell into the center of the mat while reaching for his sneaker. They postulated that he stored his sneakers there regularly so he didn’t have to pay for a locker. His family vehemently disagrees with that theory. They believe that he was murdered.

Kendrick Johnson lived with his family in Valdosta, Georgia where he attended Lowndes High School. His family and friends described him as a sweet and quiet boy. Kendrick was an all-around athlete. He played three sports in high school, but his dream was to play in the NFL. Sadly, that dream would never come to pass. When students at Lowndes High School entered the gym for class, they found Kendrick’s body rolled up in a standing gym mat. His sneakers were shoved behind his knees.

When the gym mat was unrolled, the positions of Kendrick's body gave a bit of credence to the investigator’s theory. Kendrick had one arm stretched above his head and the other down at his waist — giving the appearance that he was indeed reaching for something. He was also not wearing any sneakers. Students also told investigators that it was common practice for them to leave their belongings in the gym mats to avoid having to pay for the lockers.

However, some of the physical evidence would go against the investigator's beliefs. Kendrick’s body was in that position for nearly a full day. Being upside down that entire time, blood would have rushed to his head over time. Eventually, he would have begun to bleed from his facial orifices. Looking into that led to one of the most baffling aspects of the entire case. The shoe that Kendrick was supposedly reaching for was lying on top of a pool of blood. However, there was no blood to be found on the shoe itself.

There was also a second pair of shoes found nearby that was orange and black. A hoodie was found as well. Investigators were able to spot traces of blood on the wall nearby. After being tested, that blood was determined to have belonged to someone other than Kendrick Johnson. Not only that, the blood had likely been there for a very long time. For some strange reason, the police did not take the hoodie and shoes into evidence. This led to a bit of suspicion falling on the investigators in this case.

The prevailing theory is that 1 or 2 of Kendrick’s classmates killed him. Two brothers, in particular, were accused because they had gotten into a fight with Kendrick a year earlier and it had allegedly escalated over time. The Johnsons also accused their father — who was an FBI agent at the time — of using his connections to cover up their crime.

In 2015, the Johnsons filed a $100 million lawsuit against 38 people they believed were involved in the death of Kendrick. This included the school, certain students, the crime lab, and stand and federal officials. With admittedly little evidence to back their claims, the Johnsons wound up dropping the case and being ordered to pay nearly $300,000 in lawyer fees to those they accused. Kendrick’s case would be closed shortly after.

Then, in March 2021, Kendrick Johnson’s case was reopened. Ashley Paulk — the Lowndes County Sheriff at this time — says the investigation may take some time, but that he is looking for answers.

“It’s been eight long years,” said Kendrick Johnson’s mother, Jacquelyn. “I’m feeling hopeful.”