MACON, Ga. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice says 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.
Federal officials on Monday announce the decision after reviewing 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 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.
The Justice Department says an independent federal investigation “found insufficient evidence” to support federal criminal charges.
