VALDOSTA, Ga. — A Georgia sheriff has concluded there was no evidence of foul play in the 2013 death of a Georgia teenager whose body was found inside a rolled-up gym mat at his high school.
Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk spent nearly a year reviewing the death of 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson after obtaining the Department of Justice's voluminous file on the case.
State investigators years ago concluded Johnson died in a freak accident, and federal authorities never brought charges after closing their case in 2016. Johnson's parents have long insisted someone killed him.
The dead teenager's mother, Jaqueline Johnson, said she doesn't trust the sheriff's findings.