The report that I saw said that it was newspaper and circular ads that were found by the private pathologist. I wish it was an exercise in hyperbole, but unfortunately this really happened. Here is a link to the CNN video and article:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/09/us/georgia-gym-mat-death/
Certain sites are still playing the race card with this case. Yet, in the CCTV video outside the gym from the day of his death, the group of students he recoils from are also black, as far as I recall. Then, there's a corresponding video of him running (from someone?) once he enters the gym. I find this highly suspect, and if I were an investigator on this case, that group of students would be the first people I'd look into.
Anyway, I just have to shake my head at everyone automatically assuming it's a hate crime whenever someone who isn't white is killed. In this particular case, the evidence points elsewhere, I'd wager.
I agree with you. Since the investigation in this case seems to be lacking in every conceivable way possible, there is no way to tell if it was a hate crime, and I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOO sick and tired of the race card being played!!!! There is no way this was an accidental death but until a real investigation takes place, there is no way that anyone should or even CAN bring up race as a motive.
To understand the living, you got to commune with the dead.
Minerva
Mom and Dad are still protesting outside the courthouse every weekday. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/0...n_4545031.html
I wonder if he was just trying to get a shoe...and the large mat was just too large to topple or wobble over. Maybe he was yelling but nobody was immediately around and he passed out. And maybe the ones around didn't notice him fall or slide in. Then the blood and whatnot eventually rushed to his head, etc.
Poor Kendrick. R.I.P., fella.
Being suspended head down, will certainly cause gross anomalies to a persons face. It is also very likely to burst blood vessels in the eyes, sort of like massive petechial hemorrhages. I can also cause blood vessels in the nose, and mouth to also "blow-out" causing an external source of trace blood evidence. From a couple of the photos that I have come across, it looks like he fell all the way to the bottom of the rolled up cushion, and he could have then struck the floor with the full weight of his body sliding down the "tube" resulting in a severe, or even a minor head injury, that turned into a very deadly injury very quickly. Just the pressure of the pooling blood flowing down into his cranial area would cause considerable trauma to his face and head.
Now, as far as the "newspapers" or advertisement circulars being used for "stuffing" a posted body. I know that most reputable Funeral Homes or Mortuary Services Companies, have people in their employ, that KNOW, YOU DO NOT USE ANYTHING FOR STUFFING, THAT WILL COMPRESS OR SAG AFTER GETTING WET OR DAMP!!! A lot of places use wood shavings or small wood-chips. They will actually expand just a little, and not wad up or mat down like paper, cotton batting, or cloth products will. The locations that I have worked, and the people along with myself, probably used a few tons of wood products over the years while I was in the biz. Most autopsied bodies, that come from a Medical Examiners Office, like when I was In Harris County, Texas, generally do no have ANY organs remaining. Some smaller cities may have them in Hefty-Bags. Most Hospital Morgues also use the good ol' plastic "Hefty" type bags. The posted bodies that DO come in with bagged organs, they are placed back in the body still in the bag(s), but the bag(s) have been opened and have had a bottle or two of high index, cavity fluid poured inside and the tied back up. The cranium gets the sawdust treatment as well. Also, on every incision, cut or defect, that needs suturing, there is a specialized gelatin powder, in a squirt bottle, not unlike a Ketchup squeeze bottle that you would find in most eateries. This gel-powder is used liberally while closing up. This help prevents leakage of unpleasant fluids that could cause a highly odoriferous and eye burning result. Now After all this has already been done to attempt to make a "sealed" body, there is a specialized, brush on adhesive/sealer that is applied topically on the freshly sutured areas on the body, and then cotton batting strips or placed on top of the sealer while it is still soft. This pretty much ensures a sealed, dry, ready for hair and make-up corpse.
Maybe I got off the topic somewhat, but I thought that a explanation was needed for some of the shoddy work done on this poor kid. If anyone is interested in more information about what happens behind the "DO NOT ENTER" doors inside a fueral home just ask, and maybe I will start a thread about the biz. I used to post with Anne(MbalmR) on her thread on Death Industry Professionals, while it was still up and running. Take care everybody...C.
Last edited by Carrera_3.2; 01-10-2014 at 01:45 AM. Reason: typo
Thank you for the explanation. I know someone else had put that some homes have stuffed the bodies before. Me, not knowing anything about the business thought there was no way bodies would be stuffed with anything. It's good to know what really happens.
Our funeral home uses wood chips as well. They also treat the organs with a high index cavity fluid. Also use lots of the powdered stuff. I call it liquid cement, lol but it is great for keeping incisions closed up tight. It comes in a bottle that looks like an old school ketchup bottle from a diner. We use both Dodge and Pierce chemicals. I have never heard of using newspaper in a body before. Granted, I haven't been doing this long, but this is the first time I've heard of using newspaper.
About the only thing that I did not mention about a posted body, is the the sternum plate that has been cut from the ribcage, and the part of the skull that was removed for the cranial necropsy, gets treated with a preservative powder. I know the brand name that I used to use was named SAFE. I always thought that was rather a strange name for it. It reminded me of putting chicken parts in flour, before you fry it. The sternum plate looked lie a breaded piece of something that was going to be dropped into the deep fryer. I do know that in the early 70's, there were some of the black funeral homes in the Houston area, being investigated for not properly preparing the bodies in their care. Things like not using enough fluid base, and other "cost cutting" measures. C.
Last edited by Carrera_3.2; 01-10-2014 at 01:32 PM. Reason: typo
His family is suing the funeral home:
http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/05/justic...amily-lawsuit/
Update:
FBI is serving subpoenas to Kendrick Johnson's schoolmates. Maybe some new info will turn up soon...
http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/13/justic...html?hpt=hp_t2
I admittedly don't know much about this case other than passing news reports, but how the heck does someone get rolled up in a gym mat accidentally?! Those things are thick and heavy aren't they?
Family is suing the school "officials". They have already sued the district.: http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/28/us/geo...html?hpt=us_c1
Apparently the sheriff's department has recently been conducting interviews relating to a member of the wrestling team who may have threatened him. Interesting, given that they supposedly consider the case closed.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/26/justic...epage-t&page=1
Sincerely yours,
Upset
Good! Sounds like they are opening it back up. This case screams murder!!
Glad they are researching this further.
ITA pkstracy... there's a lot more to this story than meets the eye. I'll be interested in hearing what's uncovered, especially when it comes to Kendrick's wrestling teammate and his supposed alibi. Apparently, there are some questions regarding the timeline.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...-teammate.html
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Casper, I love you so much baby boy... waking up with you in the house is a blessing every day! Thank you for filling our home and hearts with so much love, joy, laughter and ever so sweet Sammy smiles! We belong together! XOXOX
This sounds like a Sherlock Holmes Mystery.
Best to the family.
Carolyn(1958-2009) always in my heart.
Thanks for the update Dulcinea. I hope that the feds are able to find credible evidence as to what happened to Kendrick because they will never get me to believe this was anything other than murder. I don't know who or why but its not natural causes or an accident.
To understand the living, you got to commune with the dead.
Minerva
I don't know what to think of this one. I don't know if the fall into the mat could have caused what they are calling blunt force trauma injuries, and it sounds like they don't know that much more now than they did before. I can see why his parents are questioning it though, they don't sound like some parents who are just in denial. They have legitimate questions. I hope they get answers to them eventually.
Thanks for the update, I cannot remember if it has been asked and ruled out, but did Kendrick perhaps get into a fist fight at school before his death, thus causing the blunt force trauma, Why would he be reaching down into the rolled up matt to get the shoe when he could have just pushed it over and got the shoe that way? unless he wasn't thinking about doing that.
I think that (the fight) definitely could have happened. That could account for the injuries they found, if they can't be accounted for by his fall into the mat. Maybe thought he could reach the shoes and didn't think to tip the mat over, but if he had been in a fight maybe he wasn't thinking 100% clearly. Also, perhaps one of the kids in the fight grabbed one of his shoes and threw it in the mat, and he just went in after it, not thinking at all. If that did happen (and I think it's a very likely situation, a coincidence yes, but very likely since there had been talk of a fight or altercation and threats before this) I think his death was still accidental (because the cause was positional asphyxia) but might he might not have been in the situation if there hadn't been a fight.
Does anyone know what became of the lawsuit against the school?
the parents are suing just about everyone for $100 million.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/15/us/ken...gia/index.html
^^shock^^not^^
Stay in Drugs. Eat your School. Don't do Vegetables.
Thanks Bette, that is how I feel to, that it was just an accident, him not thinking and just reaching into get it after someone threw it in.
My thing is not one person saw him crawl in there to retrieve his shoe? Was he there all alone? How does a gym full of dude's hoop'n just get empty all of a sudden?
My Posse's On Broadway
If there was a fight maybe they cleared out when that started? I still think there were people in there though, since I believe the theory that someone took his shoe and threw it into the mat. I haven't watched the video from the gym but in the stills I saw you only see Kendrick. There had to be other people around though.
I think this was a tragic, freak accident. They happen. I feel for the family - even if every investigation out there comes to the same conclusion they will always believe he was murdered.
The brothers who are accused (by the family) of his *murder* - one was on school video walking into a classroom, the other on a bus enroute to a wrestling tournament several hours away (confirmed by cell phone records showing location calls were received in) ... it's a witch hunt.
I hate for the family to be put through the ringer like this - not only to lose their son, under such bizarre circumstances, but for it all to be made into such a media circus, led by Benjamin Crump and his ilk.
Great link. I guess the cops had no idea how or why KJ ended up dead inside a foam mat.
http://www.dreamindemon.com/2013/01/...in%27+Demon%29
They donâ??t know for sure, but investigators believe Johnson was trying to retrieve a shoe. â??We feel like he was trying to reach a shoe that was down that hole,â? Lowndes County Sheriff Chris Prine said, â??but no one knows (why he reached into the mat) but him and the good Lord.â?
The woman (Kraft) who did the autopsy only recorded the cut on the right wrist and the several abrasions on some left fingers. Look under 'Evidence of Injury'.
Kendrick Johnson Death Mystery: Top 10 Facts You Need to Know | Heavy.com
Kraft not only lied about the blood on the shirt, but the blood on his body that was in fact included in the Crime Lab Report.
I just noticed the white shirt appears to be wrapped at the upper arm to possibly prevent from seeing more defensive wounds. Notice the scrape on the upper right arm which shows a difference in skin color. It could be something like road rash. Maybe he was dragged.
I'm also looking for anyone interested in investigating this with me. There is quite a bit to work with.
http://i1312.photobucket.com/albums/....jpeg~original
Last edited by Frisco Kid; 04-13-2016 at 08:06 AM.
I can't imagine how frustrated the Johnson family must be. Everyone knows that young man was murdered. I hope the people responsible for his death NEVER have a moment's peace.
To understand the living, you got to commune with the dead.
Minerva
http://i1312.photobucket.com/albums/...3.png~original
The defensive wounds and bloody shirt suggest homicide. Kraft lied about those wounds not existing and that by itself is proof of homicide. The face was swollen less than 24 hours after death. That is consistent with homicide. Bloating doesn't occur until 3-4 days after death. There's never been any evidence of an accident in this case and there never will be. The blood is visible on his right collar, a bunch on his left, and the back was covered in dried blood. The shirt was scrunched up in the back. The clothes went missing because they proved KJ was murdered.
There wasn't and normally aren't any physical signs of decompositon 24 hours after death. That photo was taken on the gym floor the next day. His right arm was full of defensive wounds not recorded by Kraft because they didn't fit with the accident hoax.
The paragraph starts with: On January 11, 2013 at 10:30 am. https://www.scribd.com/doc/181050020...ent-Report-pdf
"The facial area was severely disfigured and swollen."
Initial Stage The Stages of the Human Decomposition Process | Education - Seattle PI
For the first 24 to 72 hours, the body undergoes very little observable change. Liquids settle in the tissues, creating lividity, or discoloration on whichever side of the body faces downwards. Rigor mortis locks tendons and muscles in place, and enzymes begin triggering cells to die and break down. Aerobic bacteria inside the body use up the available oxygen and create an ideal environment for the proliferation of anaerobic bacteria which do not require oxygen. Insects may also begin to lay eggs in and on the corpse.
Causes of blunt injury may include: Soft Tissue Injury of the Neck - Health Library
Strangulation. This type of injury may cause skin trauma, hoarseness of voice, or broken cartilage in the voice box or windpipe. It may also cause a serious airway problem.
SYMPTOMS
Bruising.
Pain and tenderness in the neck.
Swelling of the neck and face.
http://i1312.photobucket.com/albums/...g.png~original
Thank you for that informative post. This case needs fresh eyes when it comes to the investigators if they can't see they are looking for a killer or killers.
To understand the living, you got to commune with the dead.
Minerva
Federal charges will not be filed - looks like an unfortunate accident
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/...7dc51?section=
His parents are exhuming his body for a third autopsy.
https://www.ajc.com/news/kendrick-jo...eZ3RGCbkF5X9N/
[SIGPIC]Morgan[/SIGPIC]
This reminds me of the Diane Schuler Taconic crash from 2009. Tox reports said she had the equivalent of about 10 shots of vodka in her system as well as pot. Her husband refused to believe it and kept coming up with reasons like a stroke even though there was no evidence in the autopsy. They did another toxicology at a new lab after doing DNA testing to prove it was her. Once again, it was the exact same result her husband refused to accept it and wanted to exhume her again for more tests.
I think the same thing is happening with Kendrick's parents. I don't know a lot about the case and might be wrong but the signs seem to point to it being a tragic accident something they seem to be unable to come to terms with and instead need to find someone to blame and by the looks of things until they do, they aren't going to stop regardless of what they put themselves and others through.
The whole situation is very sad. They should just let that poor boy rest in peace.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Case is being reopened https://www.wtxl.com/news/local-news...D2NDsA20O9F1f8