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October 25, 2025 45 mins
On January 11, 2013, the body of 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson was discovered inside a rolled-up gym mat at Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Georgia. Authorities quickly ruled his death an accident — a tragic mishap, they said, when Kendrick tried to retrieve a shoe and became trapped inside the mat. But almost immediately, nothing about the story made sense.

Security footage appeared incomplete. His organs were missing when the body was returned to his family. Blood evidence was ignored. And witnesses changed their stories. As the official explanations grew thinner, Kendrick’s parents began their own investigation — one that exposed inconsistencies, uncovered lost evidence, and challenged powerful local authorities who seemed intent on staying silent.

More than a decade later, the questions remain: How did Kendrick really die? Why were crucial details mishandled or hidden? And who benefits from the silence that still surrounds this case? 

In this episode of Chillworthy, we trace the disturbing timeline of Kendrick Johnson’s death, from the moment he was last seen alive to the years of protests, reopened investigations, and lingering shadows of a cover-up. It’s a story of grief, resilience, and the relentless pursuit of truth in the face of systemic silence.

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DISCLAIMER The content presented on Chillworthy, including all episodes, transcripts, social media posts, and associated materials, is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. The podcast does not offer legal, medical, psychological, or professional advice of any kind. While the hosts—Brent and Talia—make a good faith effort to ensure that the information shared is based on publicly available sources and is as accurate as possible at the time of recording, Chillworthy does not guarantee the completeness, timeliness, or reliability of any statements made. Listeners should be aware that cases may involve ongoing legal proceedings or developments that evolve over time. The hosts are not licensed attorneys, journalists, law enforcement professionals, or forensic experts. Opinions expressed in the podcast reflect the personal views of the hosts and do not represent factual determinations or official findings. All individuals named or discussed are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Any resemblance to real individuals or entities, outside of those explicitly named, is purely coincidental. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by any legal authority, news outlet, or investigative body. By listening to Chillworthy, you acknowledge and accept these terms and agree not to hold the hosts or producers liable for any inaccuracies, misstatements, or interpretations derived from the content.
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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
You're listening to Chillworthy.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
A podcast where two best friends discuss mysteries, murders, and
anything in between for your enjoyment.

Speaker 1 (00:16):
So if you're ready to hear some chilling and unsettling cases,
you're in the right place, happy listening. Hello, Hello, everybody,
Welcome back to season three, episode two of Chillworthy with
Brent and Talia. Hi, everybody, your day's going well?

Speaker 2 (00:39):
Oh my god? Yes, and I have been saying this
to you about seventeen times now since I arrived. I
cannot believe how consistently it has felt like fall.

Speaker 1 (00:49):
I'll believe it.

Speaker 2 (00:50):
I It's like mornings, chilly evenings, chilly daytime, humidity not
bad at all, feels like fall. It just is in
the air. There's just there's been a shift, you know.
You know what I'm saying. It's crazy times, it really is.
I feel giddy about it. Well, so do I. Did

(01:12):
you have a nice time this weekend? In that, of course?
Said weather?

Speaker 1 (01:16):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (01:17):
Absolutely, I loved it. I could see my breath so camping,
so yeah, it was spooky.

Speaker 1 (01:24):
No, all right, So I'm going to jump in with
my next thing here for season three of our Superstitions,
And now we happen to be on a bee. Oh
I forgot about Now we did a last time apple.

(01:45):
So now I picked birds for this one. What's the
word the superstitions about birds? Okay, so first off, I
think we've all heard A bird in the hand is
worth two in the.

Speaker 2 (02:00):
Bush bush speaking of we have the windows open. Those
birds are going now, oh, hell yeah they are. I
finally got my car washed, by the way, because I
parked under your tree last time. I remember. I was like,
oh my god, you remember my car got like obliterated
and you were like, oh yeah, I never parked there.
Oh my gosh. It was bad. It was so bad. Anyway,

(02:21):
they had berries.

Speaker 1 (02:25):
The other phrase, a little bird told me, So those
are oh yes, I like that. So a bird in
the hand is where two in the bushes from the
third century b c. And A little bird told Me
is quoted from the year seventeen eleven.

Speaker 2 (02:43):
Wow.

Speaker 1 (02:44):
So anyway, the relationship between humans and birds is special, ancient,
and in some places revered. So people believed that birds
could talk, and that certain people could only certain people
could understand them. So a man he learned to imitate birds,

(03:07):
and he could inform a gullible audience that a little
bird told me whenever his wisdom was questioned, sounds gullible
to me. Birds were also thought to be messengers of
departed souls. So, for example, when a bird taps on
a window or flies into a house, it was assumed
that a spirit was in search of another to join it.

(03:31):
In other words, it was a messenger of death geez,
a harbinger of death like Muthman. So hence this is
where these two superstitions came from. If a bird flies
into the house, an important message will follow. So that's one.
The other one is it's unlucky to have a wallpaper

(03:52):
with birds on in your home.

Speaker 2 (03:54):
Interesting I don't agree with all right.

Speaker 1 (04:01):
White birds especially are to some a sign of death.
Blue Jays are thought to spend every Friday with the Devil.

Speaker 2 (04:12):
They I hear, are nasty. Oh they are, yeah, and
they're Bigg's right.

Speaker 1 (04:16):
Yeah bullies. Apparently, they tell him all the bad things
we've done throughout.

Speaker 2 (04:23):
The week a little rat.

Speaker 1 (04:25):
So whenever a blue jay is seen flying overhead carrying twigs,
he is thought to be bringing fuel to the hells
of fire. These people did not like blue jays back then. No,
some people back then, well, I even know when back
then is at this point. But some people long ago
believed that no bird can be trusted because birds opened

(04:48):
to the gates of paradise and let the devil in.
I had no idea birds and the devil were so conjoined. No,
maybe never heard the lastly it says you must listen
very careful to tell where a bird call is coming from,
because of the following. From the north it's for tragedy.

(05:09):
From the south it's good for crops. From the west,
good luck will be. And from the east good love.
So where the hell's east? Well, this way's north, so

(05:30):
that must be east. So all right, never eat soggy waffles,
but I like some soggies. Gross waffles and cookies.

Speaker 2 (05:43):
Two things. Yeah, you have or have not ever watched
the Alfred Hitchcock movie Bird.

Speaker 1 (05:50):
Oh yeah, do you like it? I mean, birds don't
scare me in the slightest So like, I don't see
what that movie, what the big hubbub's about?

Speaker 2 (06:00):
I think for people who are frightened by birds, which
they're out there, man, But I saw that movie probably
like I was twelve ish, and it freaked me out
a little. I liked birds though, so, Yeah, it didn't
like pack a punch, like if I was fearful of
them right out of the gate. But then I remember
being like walking along this field shortly after seeing that movie.

(06:26):
I was on a horse and all of these birds
were in the field and I didn't know that, and
as we were like walking, they all came out up
whatever into the air. Yeah, and I was very startled. Yeah. Secondly,
did I tell you about the bird aff that Erica
told me about where you can like just set your

(06:47):
phone to record and it identify. Yeah, it's called Merlin
bird ID. It's through Cornell Merlin and I'm obsessed with it.
It's lovely. And then like it'll bring up the list
of what it hears, and then like if a whole
bunch of bird sounds are going on whatever is on
your list, it will like highlight specifically who was hearing

(07:11):
at the time. It's very interesting.

Speaker 1 (07:13):
Well, it sounds like a very in depth app.

Speaker 2 (07:18):
That's nice.

Speaker 1 (07:18):
People should try it out. Sponsor us.

Speaker 2 (07:22):
Speaking of animals, did you want to talk about your
new additions?

Speaker 1 (07:27):
I guess there will. I got some white cloud Mountain
minnows from my tank.

Speaker 2 (07:34):
What a lovely name.

Speaker 1 (07:36):
I was informed now, this might only be the albino variety,
which is the variety that I got. But I was
informed by the lady that they are moved. They moved
or are moving to the endangered species list and so
they're not going to be selling them anymore. But I
found that hard to believe, because how can they be

(07:58):
endangered if they're being bred. Actually though, I just realized
maybe they know they do breed in captivity because they're
supposed to be very easy to breed. Actually, so I
don't know what's going on there, but fascinating.

Speaker 2 (08:10):
I picked them up. They're beautiful.

Speaker 1 (08:11):
They're gold with like red like blood red fins. And
then I also picked up a female beta and yeah,
she's very beautiful. And you know Sess with the ghost shrimp,
the ghost shrimper in there. I forgot about them.

Speaker 2 (08:27):
Yeah, this one here, I mean, they're freaking fantastic.

Speaker 1 (08:31):
So, yeah, they're in there and they're happy. So do
you have any books.

Speaker 2 (08:38):
Or any sure? Do so? Do you have any?

Speaker 1 (08:42):
No?

Speaker 2 (08:43):
Okay, So I only finished two since we met last
and the one I had started all right, by the way,
don't be heard on yourself, thank you. I had started
it last time we met and I talked about it,
and I said, you would definitely not be into it.
Ten Kids, Two love Birds, and a Singing by Kathy

(09:06):
Lamb five stars. It was such like.

Speaker 1 (09:10):
Let me guess, a lot of interpersonal skills happening in there.

Speaker 2 (09:14):
It was a very like feel good. It was like
a coming of age story told through the eyes of
one of the kids. But it's like the meshing of
these two families, well not meshing, but like they meet
their next door neighbors, but there's a divorce happening, and
it's just every character was so likable to like major

(09:34):
characters to not so major. It was a delightful book.
And then do you remember you did or did not
read A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham.

Speaker 1 (09:44):
No, but I see it advertised everywhere.

Speaker 2 (09:47):
It's very good. I loved it so that author wrote
only if you're lucky. And that's the other one I
just finished. I was, I can't believe I'm saying this.
I was contemplating giving it two stars? Was it kept
my attention? I wait, A Flicker in the Dark, Oh
that got I don't think I gave that necessarily five,
but I definitely gave it four and I read that

(10:09):
a while ago. I barely remember it, but I know
I loved it. I was sort of resistant to reading it,
which with the hell knows why, but it was outstanding,
especially the end. But this author, you know, I like
her style of writing, but I just felt like so
much was like redundant in this story. And then when
I finally finished it, I looked on Goodreads at the
reviews of like the two star reviews, and a lot

(10:31):
of what those people were saying, like the ones that
contain the spoilers, were exactly where my head was at.
So I'm glad I read it. But she just came
out with a new book called Forget Me Not I
want to say, it's called Okay, and that got fantastic reviews,
So I did fantastic fantastic. I didn't read it though, yet,

(10:55):
but I'm very excited and you'll be very delighted to
know I'm about to start the Midnight.

Speaker 1 (11:00):
Yeah, I am delighted. A signed freaking copy.

Speaker 2 (11:03):
I know, well, I'm like scared, h with me, but
I don't. I'm scared though, because oh don't be scared.
I don't want anything to happen to those beautiful green
painted pages. So I what do you think is going
to happen? I just don't want anything to happen to it.
So I feel like I'm not going to be able
to leave with it, like I'm I think it might
be one that can't leave the house.

Speaker 1 (11:23):
I think that's fine.

Speaker 2 (11:24):
I guess so that's it. But now we are I mean,
I know it's only just September.

Speaker 1 (11:33):
Yeah, the birds, we're in them, baby exactly.

Speaker 2 (11:36):
I think I'm going to have to start like the
fall reading after midnight feast, right, and I'm off, it's
off whatever it's on a right. Oh my god, it
is so breezy all the time. It's just it's a
magical time. Of course it is.

Speaker 1 (11:56):
Yes, So, and I was up for the click, you know,
from August thirty first to September one, I was the
call that no that's what I'm calling it. But I'm
saying it was like summer September. And you know, I
see I always see all those memes where it's like
you see these people like their morning summer. Again. I

(12:18):
think I said this last year as this was going on,
and I was like insanity. And then you have like
those other people who are standing there and they're like,
come forth, spirits of the dark of the dark time, like, yeah,
let's go, let's get cozy.

Speaker 2 (12:33):
Right. I said this to you earlier too, I said
to Ashley, I asked if she wanted to start watching
Coven just to have it on in the background, you know,
set the scene for the season. I don't think I
could handle what was the one, the very first one?
Was it murder House? Yeah, that one would scare me
to depth. So I don't think I can. Oh my god,

(12:53):
And I forgot about this. Ashley surprised me yesterday and
she put on You've Got Mail, one of my my
absolute favorite movies. You've Got Mail. Not for the story, well,
I guess that's not like about Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks,
but just everything with the atmosphere, you know, the vibe,

(13:14):
the fall, the city, all the things, the bookstore, books,
it's the vibes.

Speaker 1 (13:24):
Right, could have sworn. I was going to say something else,
but now I forget.

Speaker 2 (13:29):
About the season full festival?

Speaker 1 (13:33):
What was it right before? You said, Ashley surprised you.

Speaker 2 (13:36):
With the movie? And I said about the weather. Oh,
I said about Covin.

Speaker 1 (13:42):
Yes, I was going to say, I always see that
quote on TikTok where it's like, I can't spend a
tenity here. It reeks a can't piss it fish.

Speaker 2 (13:55):
You do a wonderful impression of her.

Speaker 1 (13:58):
What is this naughty pie? I haven't seen that in
so long, but I should watch it too.

Speaker 2 (14:05):
I have it on DVD. You you love your DVDs.

Speaker 1 (14:09):
That's the only one I have on there. But yes,
so should All right, well, it appears that it's Talia's
turn today. She told me a little Birdie told.

Speaker 2 (14:22):
Me not a blue jay.

Speaker 1 (14:27):
Well we don't know who it was.

Speaker 2 (14:28):
All right, yeah, you're right. Actually sorry, Okay, so today
I will be do.

Speaker 1 (14:38):
Much ado about nothing I which could be.

Speaker 2 (14:42):
I know that's not true.

Speaker 1 (14:45):
This is a very sad case. I didn't know if
it was going to be what a day, you know, like, no,
it's a person or a month or.

Speaker 2 (14:57):
A fluor go ahead. So this is the case of
Kendrick Johnson. So the last sighting, which I'm gonna have
to just show you my computer, I want you to
see the video and I want to show you some things.

(15:18):
So on Thursday January tenth, twenty thirteen, seventeen year old Kendrick,
who was described as a bright athletic sophomore at Lone
Dy's High School in Valdosta, Georgia. He's moving quickly through
the hallway toward the school's gym. Yeah, it's like grainy surveillance,

(15:39):
it's like voices. It's right, so it catches him big Foot.

Speaker 1 (15:44):
Nobody's ever going to see Bigfoot on a four D,
that's for sure. What's that, you know, like like the.

Speaker 2 (15:50):
The thermal imaging? No, what the oh my god? What
am I trying to say? The image quality? Yeah, go ahead,
like luckness, nassy.

Speaker 1 (16:02):
You're right, when you're right, you're right. Okay, so this
oh pause? Do you know what you don't remember how
I told you about Matt in Boston?

Speaker 2 (16:15):
Yes?

Speaker 1 (16:16):
Right, well he semen, No, that was his friend who
was the captain, the whale watching captain. No, Matt is
not a captain. But he went to Lake Champlain. Was

(16:38):
he looking for CHAMPI that's what he said. And so
he sent me a picture of himself like doing like
a little like sailor's look or well, I don't know
how you would say it, but like you know, like yeah,
shielding himself from the sun. He sent it to me
and he said, you know, I'm out here looking for Champy, right,
and so I beautiful, I had you didn't tell me this.

(17:00):
I had chat GBT put a sea monster in behind him,
and I told CHATGBT make it cute, like I knew
Champy wasn't going to be a scary thing. That I mean,
it looked like half and half like it looked realistic
e but then the face was cute. But anyway, point

(17:21):
of all of this was he reposted it that picture,
and I think he told me Lake Champlain reposted that
picture and he tagged us in it like as Chilworthy.

Speaker 2 (17:34):
What a dear sweet man. So how fantastic you know.
They sound like a lovely little community, very pro sea monster.

Speaker 1 (17:45):
Wait, who oh, Lake Champlain. Okay, yes I thought you
met Boston, sure them.

Speaker 2 (17:50):
Too, but no New York. And also, well, I guess
that's it. Just how lovely. So anyway, I just wanted
to share that a lovely story, thank you.

Speaker 1 (18:03):
Sure? All right.

Speaker 2 (18:05):
So Kendrick is caught in the school surveillance camera at
around one thirty. He's wearing jeans and a white T
shirt and in the video, he's heading towards a cluster
of upright wrestling mats. You've seen them, like they're thick.
They usually like roll them, you know, like a roll,

(18:25):
and they have them standing up. They're insanely heavy and like.

Speaker 1 (18:30):
Like hey, bails, but they're standing up. They're not rolling,
is what you're saying?

Speaker 2 (18:35):
Correct?

Speaker 1 (18:36):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (18:36):
Okay, yes, so these things are big, okay boys. Yeah,
So this would be the last time anyone would see
Kendrick alive. So I wanted to describe Kendrick a little bit,
but I also want to quick show you the video.

Speaker 1 (18:51):
All right, Well we are back and and I watched
the video and yeah, it's ridiculous what Tallya will describe
but absolutely ridiculous, sir, it's laughable.

Speaker 2 (19:08):
Okay, So before I get into the rest of that week,
like I said, I want to describe Kendrick Johnson as
a person.

Speaker 1 (19:15):
So, well, wait a second, you just showed me this video.
Are you not going to tell them what the video is?

Speaker 2 (19:21):
Eventually? Oh? Didn't I say? It's just no, I was
describing it's the last time anyone.

Speaker 1 (19:26):
Saw Okay, but we're not saying why it's a weird
video yet. All right, fine, describe.

Speaker 2 (19:32):
Him, all right, I will, I shall do it. Friends
and family describe him as jovial, polite, and good hearted,
a jokester who could crack a grin out of you
on your worst day.

Speaker 1 (19:46):
What. I've never heard of that expression, but sweet, that's.

Speaker 2 (19:52):
A sunny disposition and the kind of good manners that
made parents like having him around. He was a three
sport athlete. He played football, basketball, and track, and he
took all three of those sports very seriously. He dreamed
of going to college and possibly making it to the NFL.
He would stay after school to practice his shooting hoops

(20:14):
yeah right, yeah, or just playing a quick, you know
game like a pickup game with friends. So he had
a small quirky routine that he had where after gym
class he would sometimes stash his athletic shoes. And I
don't know if that meant just like his sneakers from
gym class, or like his cleats or his like specific

(20:34):
basketball sneakers. I'm not sure. What did I say? Football? Basketball?
And what track was it? Yeah? Track, So I'm not sure,
like which hair of shoes this was or all of it,
I'm not sure, but he would stash them in the
rolled up rustling mats in this area of the gym. Okay,
so it was just kind of like a convenient spot

(20:55):
for him to put them. It was just his one
of his things that he did. That was it. So
just ultimately he was a teenager full of life, energy
and had plans for the future. So the video that
we saw, well, let me go to the next day.
We will eventually get back to the video. Yes, so

(21:18):
that footage was from January tenth, Like I said, So
following day, January eleventh, classes are already underway. Around mid morning,
a group of female students is sent to the old gym,
it said to complete a survey. Could not find details
of what that was by what they would have been
sent there for this. Now, everything that I saw referred

(21:38):
to this as the old gym, So I'm assuming, like
there must have been construction at the school. Like I remember,
we had an area like it was called the annex,
if I remember correctly, And that's like where wrestling took place.

Speaker 1 (21:50):
Like it wasn't in like our main like in the office.

Speaker 2 (21:52):
Am I gut, Oh my god, yeah, the annex, different
kind of annex face absolutely, Okay. So the Jim's quiet.
There's a smell that they notice that's like faint, but
like doesn't sit well with them, and there is a
pair of socks sticking up from the top of the
rolled up wrestling mat, standing vertically one of them. So

(22:16):
one of the girls climbs the nearby bleachers. She looks
down into like the middle hollow, corner corner center section. Yeah,
and inside headfirst is a human body. And that's how
Kendrick's body is found. So a teacher rushes in, Like

(22:38):
I said, these mats are very heavy, so they all
like work together and knock the mat to the floor.
Kendrick's body is wedged inside upside down. His face is swollen,
there's blood on his head and shoulders, and there's like
a smell of decomposition. So emergency responders arrive. They're eventually

(23:00):
able to deduce that he's believed to be dead for
nearly twenty one hours. So it was odd to me
like this timeframe. And obviously he didn't go home, you know,
after school on January tenth, So I guess according to

(23:22):
his family that was like a rare occurrence that he
wouldn't have come home, but it wasn't entirely unexpected given
his after school habits. I sort of got the impression,
not that they didn't think he came home at all,
but that he probably just got home very late and
they were both his parents were asleep and didn't realize
that he'd come home. I guess sometimes he'd stay late
for a game, or he would spend extra time at

(23:44):
the gym. So so a missing person report was filed
by his mother, Jackie. You know, they're not able to
figure anything out that night. The next morning she heads
to the school and basically then they're connecting the dots
of like, this body was just found, Oh my god,

(24:05):
it's Kendrick, and they're able to piece that together, which
she later describes breaking into pieces, because once she realized
that the body was found, she just knew, like instinctually
that it was her son and it was her child.
So investigators at the scene, this is where things just
become absolutely absurd pretty fast. So they suggest a very

(24:33):
simple explanation that, like I told you, Kendrick's habit of
putting his shoes in the yea map, that he dropped
his sneakers in there, and as he was trying to
retrieve them, he slipped in head first and became trapped. Now,
what didn't you think that if that happened, he'd be
screaming for help. I would, and the video that I

(24:54):
showed you full of people granted on and off, which
we'll get to those. But so they say that, you know,
he became trapped, the mat was heavy and too narrow
for him to turn around. So the official autopsy results
labeled it accidental positional asphyxia. Done okay. For Kendrick's family,

(25:19):
this never made sense to them. They felt that, you know, yes,
he stored his shoes at the base of the mats,
but why would he crawl in from the top. He
was an athlete, he was a three sport competitor, he
had dreams of playing college football. He was a strong
kid like It just didn't make any sense to them.

(25:40):
They commissioned a second independent autopsy. Uh, Doctor William Anderson
did that and he said that there were or I
should say, he found that there were signs of blunt
force trauma to the right side of Kendrick's neck and jaw,
and the injuries were inconsistent with simply being trapped.

Speaker 1 (25:58):
Well yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 (26:00):
Also, there were shoe tread marks on Kendrick's abdomen, indicating
that he was stomped quote with extreme force. Another thing,
when doctor Anderson, the private pathologist who did this second autopsy.
As he began Kendrick's organ the majority of his organs

(26:23):
were gone. The brain, heart, lungs, liver, and other viscera
were missing. What the hell are you talking about? Every
organ from the pelvis to the skull was gone. So
it's not that some weird shit's happening. Well, there is
weird shit happening, but it's that during the first autopsy,
he said, they didn't return the organs to the body,

(26:45):
like that should have been very bizarre. I mean, you
take them out, you weigh them, apparently you put them back.
They did not.

Speaker 1 (26:52):
Oh yeah to that, I was thinking, you met like
alien of doors.

Speaker 2 (26:56):
I knew that's what. Yeah, I didn't mean that. I
was like, what do you mean? Okay, So I'm kind
of going to be all over the place, But what
else is now?

Speaker 1 (27:06):
So?

Speaker 2 (27:06):
Kendrick's parents have long insisted that someone killed him and
the school officials and law enforcement covered up the crime.
The family has cited bruising to their son's right jaw
and marks that have they have claimed are consistent with
stun gun prongs near his wrist. So apparently, with the

(27:28):
organs being gone, there were newspapers stuffed what the hell
look his body, which I guess according to the funeral home.
So the funeral home processed the body following the FBI's autopsy.
They're saying that the funeral home is saying that they
never received his internal organs from the coroner. The FBI

(27:51):
said that the organs were said to have been destroyed
through natural process and discarded by the prosecutor before the
body was sent back to Valdosta. I see, according to
the funeral homeowner, that's what they're saying. So this left
a void, like a literal void in his body, and
the funeral home filled it with the newspaper and saying

(28:12):
that that is standard practice to fill a void in
that fashion. Cotton or sawdust is also sometimes used for
this purpose. So okay, it's just one weird, bizarre thing
after another. That also is I feel like, is so
disrespectful to the family and to Kendrick. Yeah, I mean so.
Kendrick's family filed a complaint with a regulatory body against

(28:35):
the funeral home operator. The subsequent investigation by the Georgia
Secretary of State's office found that the funeral home did
not follow this practice and that there should have been
other material used that would have been more acceptable than newspaper. Nonetheless,
the investigation cleared the funeral home of any wrongdoing. A
spokesperson for the Secretary of State said that the investigation

(28:58):
found the funeral home didn't violate rules the Johnson family.
Kendrick's family subsequently filed a civil lawsuit against the funeral home,
seeking monetary damages. So teachers at the school were interviewed, coaches,
the wrestling team's bus driver to just try to verify
who left the campus and when, But no one admitted

(29:20):
to seeing Kendrick after that one thirty pm video clip. So,
the school's security footage, which I showed you, had very
strange gaps that seemed to fuel suspicion of a cover up. Yeah. So,
in November of twenty thirteen, two hundred and ninety hours
of surveillance tape from thirty five cameras that covered that

(29:41):
gym ario were released to CNN following a court request.
A forensic analyst enlisted by CNN found that tapes from
two cameras were missing an hour and five minutes of
footage I see well. Another set was missing two hours
and ten minutes of footage. Some of the apparent lapses
in this cover were found to result from camera systems

(30:02):
that were not synchronized with one another. Time stamps between
some separate camera systems differed by as much as twenty
minutes for the same time period, giving the impression of
a gap for portions of the footage where no gap
actually existed. Well, we saw gaps. Other missing footage was
the result of the camera's motion activated function not being triggered.

(30:25):
Camera systems were motion activated using a change in light
pixels to turn recordings on and off. The area where
Kendrick's body was discovered, where the gym mats were stored,
were not covered by surveillance cameras well. Certainly not and
like we were saying, well, you actually said it. It
looked the blurryness, Like if you google this video footage

(30:46):
you can very easily find it. The camera is so
blurry it is as if someone rubbed something on it,
like intentionally distorted the quality. And I feel like on
the actual I don't know how high these things were,
who could have had access to get up there, But
I don't feel like I mean, yes, I think someone
fiddled internally, but I also feel like somebody fiddled with

(31:09):
the quality of the lens or something.

Speaker 1 (31:13):
I have no idea, Yeah, but it's definitely not a
good picture.

Speaker 2 (31:20):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (31:21):
So I mean when I said we saw gaps, it
was because these people just popped in out of nowhere, right,
I forgot about that yet. So he's like walking across
the gym floor and then all of a sudden, it's
like he's gone, and now there's like three other kids

(31:43):
standing like they teleported in. You know, it's ridiculous. Just
say it's all throughout, yeah, right, that that's it's the
most chopped up footage that you know. And to say,
oh no, just it's just a coincidence. Kids pop in
and out of existence all the time, that gem like ridiculous.

Speaker 2 (32:01):
I agree. In October twenty thirteen, the US Attorney's Office
announced a review of the case, and by twenty sixteen
they declared there was not enough evidence for charges to
be filed against anyone. So Kendrick's family filed a one
hundred million dollar wrongful death suit alleging a massive conspiracy,
naming fellow students, school officials, and law enforcement in it.

(32:25):
The case was dismissed and the family was ordered to
pay nearly three hundred thousand dollars in legal fees for
fabricated claims. According to what the hell were raked over
the coals and like literally I feel like gas lit
as in they were causing all of these problems in
the community, but they didn't back off, so the families

(32:48):
they just literally never stopped fighting. In twenty twenty one,
the sheriff reopened the investigation, offering half a million dollars
for new information. A year later, he again ruled Kendrick's
death in act, which then that makes me think, was
that just for show? Like were you just trying to
seem like you were doing the right thing? Did you

(33:09):
actually get any information? This million? What did I say
half a million? I don't know. So so I found
an article from twenty twenty five that Kendrick's parents filed
an amended federal lawsuit accusing the Georgia Department of Public
Health of refusing to correct Kendrick's cause of death on

(33:29):
his death certificate. So they're maintaining that he died from
non accidental blunt force trauma. They feel that their independent
autopsy results support that that that's the evidence, you know,
to support their claim. Meanwhile, the Sheriff's Department is still

(33:52):
an FBI is saying that it was the accidental positional
asphyxiath like the Georgia Bureau of Investigation originally ruled. So
and I wanted to also say back to the Organs. So,
the thought behind the organs going missing is that there
was damage to them, and that the organs still have

(34:12):
not been found, right, And the thought is that due
to the shoe tread marks on Kendrick's abdomen, they feel
that he was stomped on with extreme force. The organs
going missing was a way to cover up what actually
led to his death with the blood force trauma. Okay,
so you know, the family still has long standing concerns

(34:36):
over that, and the fact that the organs remain unknown
like that they're still missing is you know, outrageous. So,
and they feel that the state has failed to provide
adequate answers or records despite multiple requests. All right, So
just to go over the theories. So first is, you know,
it was just accidental. While Kendrick was trying to retrieve

(34:58):
a shoe right in the he rolled up mats and
then he climbed in from the top to grab them
and then became stuck upside down and then he suffocated,
So the shoe was inside the mat beneath him. He
had no defensive wounds. That was what was noted in
the original autopsy. Okay, the problems with it are, you know,

(35:20):
the second autopsy obviously found signs of blunt force trauma.
There are multiple unanswered questions about missing surveillance footage, and
the mat diameter was very tight for Kendrick's shoulders. It's
unlikely he could have fit in there that easily. Therefore, potentially,
like his body was placed, he was rolled up into it. Yeah, Okay,
someone aggressively shoved him, like shoved his body into it.

Speaker 1 (35:43):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (35:45):
Another theory is that it was homicide by a fellow student,
which I was thinking, and I didn't do a deep
dive into this community of like who else attended this school,
But I wonder if there were children there who belonged
to law enforcement or just that like that was part
of being a cover up, that they were trying to

(36:06):
protect their own kids. So the theory is that Kendrick
was attacked during school, after school by one or more students,
possibly just over a personal dispute. Who knows and that
they hit his body in the mat to delay discovery.
You know, the evidence that supports it, obviously is the
blunt force trauma to his neck and jaw, the marks

(36:29):
on his abdomen from you know, looked like being kicked
with extreme force. The fact that the surveillance footage is
so intentionally spotty at like unexplained times or I should
say that there are unexplained time gaps right in the surveillance,
and the family claims there were certain students who had
conflicts with Kendrick in the past. No details on what
those conflicts were about. I don't know if it was

(36:51):
like competitive things within like sports, or like interpersonal relationships.
I'm not sure. And you know, the issue obviously with
that there were no eye witnesses to a fight. There
were no eye witnesses to anything like no one, yes
they all, not all people claim to have seen him

(37:12):
around that one thirty footage conveniently that he's clearly on right,
but aside from anything else like Mum's the word so,
and there was no physical evidence allegedly directly tying any
suspect to this scene, whether that was a student, a
staff member, anything.

Speaker 1 (37:30):
So I want well, I mean this was high school,
you said, correct, So I guess kids are well close
enough to adulthood, like I was thinking, like it was
was the footprint like a kid size, but really.

Speaker 2 (37:46):
Wise were at adult size es mostly Yeah. Yeah, So
you know, according to the Sheriff's office, and they found
insufficient evidence to file charges against anybody. Okay. So remember
how I had said about, Oh, I wonder in the
community who's possibly connected to law enforcement vividly student. So

(38:08):
this theory is kind of like a variation of that
where there were two brothers who also went to the
school with Kendrick, and their father is an FBI agent. Okay,
so these boys were also heavily involved in sports around
the same age as Kendrick, and I guess there was
also like a dispute previously about a girl. Don't know

(38:30):
the details on that, but things were had been stirred
up between always a girl and the three of them,
and I guess this was just an ongoing feud. There
was also I guess a bus incident that happened the
year prior, but then also allegedly there was a fight
I don't believe physical verbal on the bus the bus

(38:56):
focus yes, on the day of Kendrick stuff. So there
was no DNA or forensic link to the brothers, But
I also question is that even true because look at
who we have investigate. Of course there was.

Speaker 1 (39:11):
We're saying that we think the brothers lured him.

Speaker 2 (39:14):
Oh sorry that you're that like saying, and the fact
that they were both athletes that they would have you
would have thought, and also who knows who else was
involved in this, will never know how much help they had,
but that they could have placed him either well strong,
that's right exactly, or that they like rolled him up
in it, that they would have had the strength to

(39:34):
do so. But that FBI connection is what really fueled
suspicions of a cover up, Like this dude's trying to
protect his kids, like he's going to those measures, however,
and that's why they potentially got sued the Kendrick's family, right, right,
because they were.

Speaker 1 (39:49):
Also because they didn't have the proof, correct, But they're
naming him, yes, okay, correct.

Speaker 2 (39:54):
But the other thing is testimony from the wrestling coach,
the bus driver. One of the brothers was away at a
wrestling tournament. Not to say that the other one couldn't
have done it, but like that was an inconsistency. Yeah, so,
and I guess there were alibis, So the alibis that
were supported by also travel records. I don't know if

(40:17):
the other brother was there, like watching it or like
supporting that brother, I'm not sure, but like the boys
were basically covered, so again who knows, who knows, But
the lawsuits that they were named and were dismissed with
the court siding lack of evidence. So another theory is
that it was an accidental death following a physical altercation,

(40:39):
so that you know, a confrontation did occur, but Kendrick's
death was not premeditated, so you know, if there was
like an unplanned fatal injury and then someone panicked and
his body in the mat which could have also been
involving these brothers, if it was not necessarily they weren't
intending to kill him. I'm not at all justifying what occurred.

(40:59):
Stand but you know that that map positioning the shoe
placement could have been staged. But you know, they could
not confirm. They certainly didn't name any suspects, but they
couldn't confirm anyone. No signs of a major struggle were
in the gym area, so whatever happened, whether it was
an accident or murder, school officials and law enforcement, I

(41:22):
don't know. It just seemed like they wanted to avoid
a scandal or protect certain individuals, and that evidence was manipulated.
We've already discussed this, but just like the missing security
camera footage from key time periods, there was the delayed
release of the autopsy report, the chain of custody, issues
with his internal organs, and that they somehow are still missing,

(41:43):
which I feel like they've been destroyed, They're gone.

Speaker 1 (41:45):
Well, I would absolutely, I would imagine so, right.

Speaker 2 (41:50):
And just the fact that multiple agencies were reviewed in
this and there was nothing like no evidence that they
could prosecute on anything. It just it does not seem
like it was a thorough investigation or what was done
was very quickly, neatly shoved off to the side.

Speaker 1 (42:09):
To betact people. So no, it definitely sounds fishy, Yeah,
very fishy.

Speaker 2 (42:14):
Yeah. So rest in peace, Kendrick, and I just I
my heart goes out to his family and I can't
imagine the nightmare this has been for them going over
ten years now.

Speaker 1 (42:27):
Well, it's a rather disturbing story. And then when you
add on the fact that they're being sued oh yeah,
insult into three hundred thousand dollars or whatever. That is bonkers, Oh,
I know.

Speaker 2 (42:40):
And that they're not going away though either, Like I
love their persistence. I mean, it's their son, they're fighting
for him, which I think is just exemplary of course,
but the fact that like nothing is deterring them from this,
like they're they're not like, okay, you know what, we
we did try, We're done here now. Yeah, no, no,
they're here to stay. Bab boom, bab boom.

Speaker 1 (43:03):
Indeed, listen, thank you for your presentation.

Speaker 2 (43:06):
Listen, thank you for your patience.

Speaker 1 (43:08):
As always, listen, you're welcome. So two episodes down, twenty
three to go, and we don't count two parts. Everyone.
We're not cheating.

Speaker 2 (43:23):
Anybody that you're gonna say, We're not cheap.

Speaker 1 (43:30):
So all right, well, thank you Talia, and we will
catch everybody on the next episode. So until then, stay
safe and stayed chill.

Speaker 2 (43:42):
Bye, everybody.

Speaker 1 (43:43):
Thank you you've just listened to Chilworthy. Thank you for
joining us on this latest episode. While we strive to
keep our discussions engaging and lighthearted, we also wanted to
take a moment to acknowledge the real lives and events
that are at the heart of these stories.

Speaker 2 (44:05):
We try to approach each topic with a sense of
curiosity and respect fully aware of the impact these events
have had on the individuals and their loved ones. Our
goal is to honor their memories by keeping their stories
alive and shedding light on the mysteries that surround them.

Speaker 1 (44:21):
If you enjoyed this episode, please remember to subscribe, rate,
and leave a review, and don't forget to join us
on the next episode of Chilworthy.
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