Seventeen-year-old Kendrick Johnson was found on January 11, 2013, inside a rolled-up gym mat in Lowndes High School’s gymnasium in Valdosta, Georgia. The Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office initially called the death a bizarre accident, and a Georgia Bureau of Investigation autopsy attributed the cause to positional asphyxia, saying he had become trapped reaching for a shoe.

Johnson’s family commissioned an independent autopsy that reported blunt force trauma to the neck, and they pressed for further inquiry. A federal review examined thousands of emails and texts and nearly 100 interviews but in 2016 the Department of Justice announced there was insufficient evidence to bring federal charges. The Lowndes County Sheriff reopened the case in 2021 and offered a $500,000 reward, but after a 13-month review the investigation was closed again concluding the death was an accident.

The family sued for wrongful death, naming two schoolmates, brothers Brian and Branden Bell, as suspects; the brothers have denied involvement and were never charged. Dalton Ray Chauncey was later indicted for making a false statement after recanting a claim he had overheard admissions by students. No arrests have been made. If anyone knew Kendrick, his movements at school that day, or has information not yet reported, please come forward.