It took a month for his body to be found, but even then his perpetrators couldnt be caught. Apparently this medical examiner has been in hot water for misconduct in the past (check out this article from '93: https://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/20/nyregion/syracuse-medical-examiner-agrees-to-quit-after-inquiry.html). The median age was 37 years. His mother, Maria Ramirez, still remembers that she had told him to be safe, after all, he was her baby. Unfortunately, his ride home had to leave him and after that, he never made it back home to Gardner. But when they found Alonzos body, the skies cleared and the sun came out. Article continues below. I went to grade school in a small Midwestern town and for our 7th grade history project we had to interview local veterans about their experience in the war. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.08. However, Brooks' friends managed to discover the disappeared man's boots and hat, strewn on the side of a road near the party house. They've set up a "Justice for Alonzo Brooks"Facebook pageto chronicle the developments on the case, and still hold out hope that their beloved family member's mysterious death will one day be solved. Acting U.S. Attorney Duston Slinkard stated that while the FBI knew that Brooks died under very suspicious circumstances, the autopsy ultimately proved that his death was not an accident. It is past time for the truth to come out. AstheU.S. Attorney's Officenotes, the forensic analysis techniques available in 2004 were insufficient to deal with the physical evidence, so the official autopsy could not determine a cause of death. WebThe FBI and Department of Justice have reopened the case of Alonzo Brooks, who attended a party in La Cygne, Kansas, in East Central Kansas, on an April night in 2004 and But he was my baby. Donnie Abell? Donnie Abel is a name that has been brought up in several comments. Alonzos mother, Maria, told Dateline she remembers the evening of April 3, 2004 being a chilly one. The first newspaper in the town was the Weekly Journal, which first appeared in June 1870.[5]. This new twist or, some might say, a less-than-surprising confirmation to the theory that Brooks' death was a homicide was publicized in April 2021, and officials promised to finally bring the case to a conclusion. WebThe FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office's District of Kansas are on the case, investigating the death as a possibly racially-motivated crime. He was our surprise baby, Maria told Dateline. Add a Place. I ask the same question every day for 16 years, Maria told Dateline. I think that for the longest time Alonzo Brooks he was just another Black man who had died or disappeared, Pratt said. The grave was dug up at a Topeka cemetery Tuesday as the FBI investigates the cold case as a possible hate crime, KSNT reported. But I couldnt protect him from what happened to him.. [7], On May 1, 2004, the Brooks family was allowed to search the property for their son. Brooks's body was exhumed in July 2020 and transported to Dover Air Force Base for an autopsy and further investigation by the Armed Forces Medical Examiner. From the beginning, there were reports of foul play in Alonzos death, McAllister said. The FBI has not released information about what it hopes to discover in the exhumation. Flights. Anyone with information about the death of Alonzo Brooks is encouraged to call the FBIs Kansas City office at (816) 512-8200, the Tips Hotline at (816) 474-TIPS, or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. Even more strangely, the document indicates that some anonymous whispers on the internet have alleged that the body was frozen for a while before it was moved, which would have destroyed some of the potential evidence on it. Additionally, the Boone family owned a local restaurant and it's rumored that is where Alonzo's body was stored prior to it being dumped. From the beginning, there were rumors that Brooks had been the victim of foul play, the FBI said in a news release last month. Where it gets really weird is when the case is so cold and mysterious that there was even doubt as to whether it was a murder. I can get justice for him.". WebThe town of La Cygne knows WHO killed Alonzo. (SMH!) The median age in the city was 37 years. I remember he always used to tell me that I had him too late, because I wouldnt let him go off with the older kids. Previously, he reported for the Associated Press, Galveston County Daily News and Daily Herald in Chicago. As KCURs education reporter, Ill break down the policies driving these issues in schools and report whats happening in our region's classrooms. WebLa Cygne, KS Weather Forecast | AccuWeather Wind Advisory Current Weather 9:07 AM 53 F RealFeel 47 RealFeel Shade 45 Air Quality Fair Wind W 14 mph Wind Gusts His death certainly was suspicious, and someone, likely multiple people, know(s) what happened that night in April 2004. Nearby zip codes include 66044, 66086, 66052, 66045, 66025. The 1865-1870s movement sought to overthrow Republican state governments. And then it was all taken away from him.. Up to 90 days of daily highs, lows, and precipitation chances. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much What no one has figured out is how Brooks ended up in the creek in the first place. PublishedOctober 13, 2021 at 3:03 AM CDT. Alonzos father and a family friend were the ones who spotted him. When the family found him and saw what he looked like, we knew that there was foul play, said Angela Cox, one of Brooks aunts. In 2004, Brooks, a Black man, went missing after attending a party. Eventually, the Linn County Police Department turned the case over to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation after failing to locate Brooks. I also really felt as though the Unsolved Mysteries episode didn't dive deep enough and it left me with even more questions than I already had. Native American Runners Honor A Kansas City Murder Victim On Their Months-Long Journey To D.C. He was targeted because of the color of his skin., McAllister said that at the time, interviews with people who attended the party, yielded no confession and shed no light on where Alonzo might be.. Maria said she hopes a renewed investigation by the FBI and a recent reward offer of $100,000 will help bring their family closer to the truth. The number of active members of the KKK is much smaller these days. So badly, it turns out, that they're willing to pay quite a lot of money for it. The Department of Justice and the FBI joined forces to reopen the case and have been actively investigating. However, on April 3, 2004, the young man wanted to join some of his friends to a party that was reportedly held in honor of a kid who was going to join the Navy. var cid='4403325158';var pid='ca-pub-9280529428605582';var slotId='div-gpt-ad-roadsnacks_net-medrectangle-3-0';var ffid=1;var alS=1021%1000;var container=document.getElementById(slotId);var ins=document.createElement('ins');ins.id=slotId+'-asloaded';ins.className='adsbygoogle ezasloaded';ins.dataset.adClient=pid;ins.dataset.adChannel=cid;ins.style.display='block';ins.style.minWidth=container.attributes.ezaw.value+'px';ins.style.width='100%';ins.style.height=container.attributes.ezah.value+'px';container.style.maxHeight=container.style.minHeight+'px';container.style.maxWidth=container.style.minWidth+'px';container.appendChild(ins);(adsbygoogle=window.adsbygoogle||[]).push({});window.ezoSTPixelAdd(slotId,'stat_source_id',44);window.ezoSTPixelAdd(slotId,'adsensetype',1);var lo=new MutationObserver(window.ezaslEvent);lo.observe(document.getElementById(slotId+'-asloaded'),{attributes:true});Specifically, we analyzed research out of Virginia Commonwealth University that mapped the Klans in each area and gave a history of their recruitment from 1915-1940. Alonzos family continues to search for answers in his case. WebKnow what's coming with AccuWeather's extended daily forecasts for La Cygne, KS. Hate groups can be hard to measure, because typically, theres no record of where they exist. According to his mother, Alonzo was considerably younger than his siblings, and as a result, she somewhat sheltered him. As NBC Datelinetells us, Alonzo Brooks was the youngest of the five children of Maria Ramirez and Billy Brooks Sr. After his parents divorced, he initially lived and worked in Topeka, Kansas with his father, but he moved in his early 20s to stay with his mother in Gardner, Kansas. Because of the span of time between Brooks disappearance and the discovery of his body, an autopsy was unable to determine a cause of death. As NBC Dateline and Netflix'sUnsolved Mysteries(via the Cinemaholic) tell us, Brooks' friends and family were quick to contact the authorities, but since they couldn't do anything until 48 hours had passed, little could be done. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. AsNBC Datelinetells us, the news of the streaming service'sUnsolved Mysteriesshow looking into the case reached U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister in 2019. Unable to return to the party, he phoned a different friend to let him know the situation, and to make sure Brooks had another ride back home. [4], On April 3, 2004, Brooks traveled with three friends to a party in La Cygne, approximately 50 miles (80km) south of Gardner. I grew up in Overland Park, but my Grandma lived in La Cygne and I visited her every Sunday growing up. WebZip Code 66040 Map. WebLa Cygne-area historical earthquake activity is significantly above Kansas state average. Until 2019, when the Netflix show Official Unsolved Mysteries brought the case to McAllisters attention. The population density was 800.4 inhabitants per square mile (309.0/km2). Brooks, 23, went missing on April 3, 2004, after attending a party in La Cygne, Kansas. Its been 16 years, but we hope that with this passage of time, someone who has information will come forward, Ramana said. Ramana wouldnt discuss the progress investigators have made over the last year and a half, or if there are any suspects, but she said the case is still a priority. An autopsy was not able to determine the cause of death. These towns are open secrets yet they all decided to go to a party in a town they all never heard of, didnt know whose party, then, to take the racists didnt know or do nothing. Soon, multiple agencies were on the case, and ground and air searches started. We missed out on his whole life, Maria said. These were stored in some wooden vaults in the attic and when they were take out, they were displayed in a similar fashion to the photo. There is one particularly big mystery about the death of Alonzo Brooks. The 22 matching properties for sale near La Cygne have an average listing price of $433,999 and price per acre of $10,123. They went through the property the fateful party had been held on and moved on to search the road. It sure seemed that the investigation of the death of Alonzo Brooks was facing a brick wall. WebThe body of Alonzo Brooks, the Black man whose death was featured by Unsolved Mysteries on Netflix, has been exhumed in Kansas, media outlets report. The FBI said some evidence suggests that Brooks death could have been racially motivated. With so much manpower involved, you'd think that it would have been a matter of hours or days before Brooks was discovered. Theres days when I just cant take it, she said. La Cygne was perceived to be an "all-white" town. WebOn April 3, 2004, Brooks traveled with three friends to a party in La Cygne, approximately 50 miles (80 km) south of Gardner. AsNBC Dateline notes, the party at the La Cygne house was quite a large one, with 100 or so people milling about the premises. Though we still don't know for sure how Brooks died, these sorts of theories would certainly point toward foul play. [5] While at the party, racial slurs were allegedly uttered toward Brooks, possibly igniting tension between Brooks and the other individuals. I hope it pushes someone to do the right thing and come forward., Its time, Maria said. Chacour Koop is a Real-Time reporter based in Kansas City. He was just another guy like me trying to find his direction in life. There are three boat ramps in the main lake and one boat ramp in the cooling pool on the east side He rode to the party with friends, but they left before him, leaving Brooks without a ride. 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