GA - Kendrick Johnson, 17, Suspicious Death, Jan. 10/11, 2013, #1

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This sounds like a major coverup involving some high-level people in that county. I wonder if maybe the person who killed Kendrick is the son of one of them? The family's PI needs to make a list of all students who are related to cops, government officials, politicians, etc.
 
If the funeral home received a body stuffed with newspaper, wouldn't they notify the family?

This is what was stated in the CNN article above:

GBI spokeswoman Sherry Lang told CNN that after the autopsy, "the organs were placed in Johnson's body, the body was closed, then the body was released to the funeral home." That's normal practice, Lang said.

The funeral home would not comment to CNN. But in a letter to the Johnsons' attorney, funeral home owner Antonio Harrington said his firm never received the teen's organs. Harrington wrote that the organs "were destroyed through natural process" due to the position of Kendrick Johnson's body when he died, and "discarded by the prosector before the body was sent back to Valdosta." A prosector dissects the body for pathological examination.

So who the heck stuffed his body with old newspaper? That is just....I don't have words...

Somebody is lying. This more than anything lets me know there is something very bad going on here.
 
This sounds like a major coverup involving some high-level people in that county. I wonder if maybe the person who killed Kendrick is the son of one of them? The family's PI needs to make a list of all students who are related to cops, government officials, politicians, etc.

Funny that you said this, I had just told my son the same thing!
 
wait - is the assumption that this funeral home might be involved in selling organs? But the organs were not preserved.

I guess I am just not following. Kendrick's organs were supposedly included with his body when it was sent from the coroner to the funeral home, and yet the funeral home is claiming (not publically, but to the family specifically) that his organs were missing when they received his body from the coroner? I just don't understand why this would be... what am I missing?

Maybe his organs were damaged and deteriorated - but still, where are they now? They don't just dispose of organs like that, do they? Are bodies sometimes stuffed with newspapers? What an odd thing to have to deal with on the heels of losing your son.
 
He was dead for a while before found. None of his organs would be usable.
 
From the cnn.com link upthread:
"Two entities had custody of Kendrick Johnson's body after his death -- the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which conducted the first autopsy in January; and the Harrington Funeral Home in Valdosta, which handled the teen's embalming and burial.
GBI spokeswoman Sherry Lang told CNN that after the autopsy, "the organs were placed in Johnson's body, the body was closed, then the body was released to the funeral home." That's normal practice, Lang said.
The funeral home would not comment to CNN. But in a letter to the Johnsons' attorney, funeral home owner Antonio Harrington said his firm never received the teen's organs. Harrington wrote that the organs "were destroyed through natural process" due to the position of Kendrick Johnson's body when he died, and "discarded by the prosector before the body was sent back to Valdosta." A prosector dissects the body for pathological examination." *

I am waaaay confused by funeral home owners' letter. Can someone receiving a container with some expected-to-be-in-the-container-contents 'missing' know why those contents were not included?

Bad analogy, but if I order an Amazon item online, and an empty box arrives, how can I can conclude ---
1. the item expected to be in the box was destroyed by ___ [here, insert cause, such warehouse flood or tornado] and
2. the warehouse packing-person discarded the item before closing the box and putting box in stack for UPS pickup.
Wouldn't that be speculation on my part? And contradictory speculation at that?

IMO, stating organs were destroyed by death position** contradicts organs were discarded by the prosector before the body was sent back?

Maybe there were shenanigans with the remains somewhere by someone, but funeral home owner’s letter does not clarify anything for me. Maybe seeing entire letter would enlighten us.

Can someone here can explain? Perhaps an alternative explanation to my interp?

JM:twocents: and I may be wrong.:seeya:
 
* FWIW, Wikipedia: “A prosector is a person with the special task of preparing a dissection for demonstration, usually in medical schools or hospitals…. The act of prosecting differs from that of dissecting. A prosection is a professionally prepared dissection prepared by a prosector….’
** I can understand, due to body position in mat at death w. ~24 hrs. passing, the teen's organs would be "destroyed" in the sense of not suitable for organ transplant. But destroyed to total disappearance? Because if the organs were destroyed by death position, there would have been no organs left for the prosector to discard.
 
hmmm... and the fact that the funeral director wrote the letter explaining missing organs to the family's attorney tells me the letter was in response to a letter he (funeral director) got from said attorney.

IMO - The funeral director's letter was in response to something from the attorney - otherwise, why write such an odd letter to the family's attorney at all?

There is more to this story from several angles it seems.

Justice for Kendrick.
 
I just found this thread and read through it. I am speechless! Something is not meshing here. God bless this family. I can't imagine dealing with the death of a child and then to find out his organs are missing? It seems the punches just keep on coming. Hopefully they get answers soon. Praying for strength to help them through.

Justice for Kendrick!!!!!
 
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/missing-organs-fuel-outcry-over-ga-teen-s-death/article_8eea3cd5-5da3-541f-8f02-f3002cdf2f33.html

"...Funeral home owner's attorney Roy Copeland. He said Johnson's organs were missing when the body arrived at Harrington. He also said standard embalming practice is to fill empty space in body cavities with material such as sawdust or cotton.
'Is newspaper necessarily more indicting that sawdust or cotton?' Copeland said." BBM S...BM

"...Vernie Fountain, who runs an embalming school in Springfield, Mo. When organs are missing, such as in cases involving organ donors, space inside the body cavity often is filled with an absorbent, preservative powder, Fountain said. Sometimes cotton is used with powder.
"I don't think I've ever talked to anyone who told me they've used old newspapers," Fountain said. "There may not be any law that prohibits it. I don't know. But it's just not something that's within what I would consider acceptable standards." BBM S...BM

From earlier articles, I thought funeral home owner tried to suggest funeral home did not put newspapers in remains.
Presumably the newspaper in the body cavity was found by the doc. conducting second autopsy. Did he preserve it? Did he note it in the autopsy report? Which newspaper? What date?
That might reveal more definitively who put the newspaper in the remains.
But F/H owner's atty's stmt above leaves little room for doubt.

JM:twocents: and I may be wrong.
 
same link as my previous post http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/...cle_8eea3cd5-5da3-541f-8f02-f3002cdf2f33.html

"GBI spokeswoman Sherry Lang said Thursday that the agency's policy is to return all organs to bodies after autopsies. That's what happened in Johnson's case, she said.
'Those organs were in the body when we sent it back to the funeral home,' said Lang, who added that the GBI stands by the conclusions of its autopsy that found no foul play involved.

"But Lowndes County Coroner Bill Watson said many of Johnson's organs were deemed too badly decomposed to be preserved and had to be disposed of before the body was sent to the funeral home. "It would've been during or immediately after the autopsy,' he said." BBM SBM

IIRC, the county cornoner is not a forensic pathologist, not a pathologist, not an MD, not even full time coroner.

His statement on above medical issue speaks volumes.

JM:twocents: and I may be wrong.
 
someone is in CYA mode. If the organs were too bady decomposed then they werent stuffed in the body.

So who stuffed the body with newspaper? I have never heard of any funeral home doing this. WTH?
 
burbqueen -- Quoting & snipping my post above:

"...Funeral home owner's attorney Roy Copeland. He said Johnson's organs were missing when the body arrived at Harrington [Funeral Home]. He also said standard embalming practice is to fill empty space in body cavities with material such as sawdust or cotton.
'Is newspaper necessarily more indicting that sawdust or cotton?' Copeland said." BBM S...BM

F/H owner's atty's stmt above leaves little room for doubt about f/h owner or staff putting newspaper in teen's remains (imo).

JM:twocents: and I may be wrong.
 
someone is in CYA mode. If the organs were too bady decomposed then they werent stuffed in the body.

So who stuffed the body with newspaper? I have never heard of any funeral home doing this. WTH?

Newspapers, packing peanuts, pvc, cardboard...all common.

Internal organs aren't placed back in the body like many people think. They're most commonly placed in a knotted plastic bag in the chest cavity.





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Newspapers, packing peanuts, pvc, cardboard...all common.

Internal organs aren't placed back in the body like many people think. They're most commonly placed in a knotted plastic bag in the chest cavity.

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Ugh, not to be too graphic, but we've already gone there really...

in the chest cavity is kinda what I assumed was meant - not that they actually put the organs in their appropriate places in the body, so thanks for just outright saying it. =)

If stuffing a body with these materials is normal (and I totally believe that it is), why is it an issue in this case? I am not implying anything, just curious because I feel like I am minssing something.

Maybe the parents just noted it in the second autopsy report and wanted to know what happened and made it into something bigger than what it is? I don't know, but it seems to be taking to focus off of trying to detemrine if there was a crime committed here in Kendrick's death.

I am glad others have started to read this thread and appreciate you sharing your knowledge.
 
Ugh, not to be too graphic, but we've already gone there really...

in the chest cavity is kinda what I assumed was meant - not that they actually put the organs in their appropriate places in the body, so thanks for just outright saying it. =)

If stuffing a body with these materials is normal (and I totally believe that it is), why is it an issue in this case? I am not implying anything, just curious because I feel like I am minssing something.

Maybe the parents just noted it in the second autopsy report and wanted to know what happened and made it into something bigger than what it is? I don't know, but it seems to be taking to focus off of trying to detemrine if there was a crime committed here in Kendrick's death.

I am glad others have started to read this thread and appreciate you sharing your knowledge.

My knowledge comes from being best friends with someone whose husband is a funeral director. I ask all kinda of questions. Oh... And yes, he always smells funny.:( and always has gross but interesting stories.

I think people are just shocked. No one wants to think about it that great of detail. All most people want to know is if they can make their loved one look "good"


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A statement that I am having a great deal of trouble with is the one stating the organs were too decomposed so they were discarded...

Too decomposed for WHAT?

My thought is... The internal organs are not "on show" at viewings... So the decomposition level should have no bearing on placing the organs in a bag... And set inside the cavity... As seems to be acceptable procedure...

Additionally... Unless the organs have been donated... It is disrespectful to the deceased, and the loved ones of the deceased,to remove the organs... This is unconscionable!

all JMO... And I admit I am not an expert on this area of science and services at all...
 
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