MACON, Ga. (AP) – There’s not enough evidence to support federal criminal charges in the case of a teenager found dead inside a rolled-up gym mat at a Georgia high school, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on Monday.
The decision comes after a lengthy review of circumstances surrounding the death of 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson of Valdosta.
Local and state authorities had ruled the teenager’s death Jan. 10, 2013, was a freak accident. They concluded that Johnson got stuck upside down in the middle of a rolled up mat and was unable to breathe.
Johnson’s parents insisted someone must have killed their son and have pushed to reopen the investigation.
“After extensive investigation into this tragic event, federal investigators determined that there is insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that someone or some group of people willfully violated Kendrick Johnson’s civil rights or committed any other prosecutable federal crime,” the Justice Department said in a statement Monday. “Accordingly, the investigation into this incident has been closed without the filing of federal criminal charges.