He never returned to his Gardner, Kansas, home. SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2010 The Mysterious Death of Alonzo Brooks by Susan Schmitz and Paul Fecteau On a remote back road in Linn County, a desolate farm house and the woods and creek that surround it hold a secret about the death of a young man. Like, finally, like, you hear us." Says sister Demetria Leslie, Hes shy. His friends all woke up to their phones going off while everyone was reaching out to each other to find Alonzo. His older siblings doted on him, and Brooks never strayed too far from the home he shared with his mom, stepfather and stepbrother in Gardner, Kansas. Alonzo Brooks was killed. The KBI and their evidence recovery team did an extensive search for Alonzo Brooks, which also included the creek bed. I mean, think about it. He said his car had broke down and he had to fix it at the side of the road. For more on Alonzo Brooks' death and his family's quest for answers, subscribe now to PEOPLE or pick up this weeks issue, on newsstands Friday. Alonzos family deserves to know the truth, and it is time for justice to be served.. After the car incident, however, Sprague didn't return home. He didn't. He was several years younger than the rest of his siblings, and as a result, Maria tended to be overprotective with him. The new autopsy focuses on injuries to parts of Brooks body that the examiner concluded are inconsistent with normal patterns of decomposition. Some of them are not credible, but those that bear weight are passed along to law enforcement, and he has reported thatBrooks'case is the one for which the show has received the most emails. "Just really emotional. This subreddit is about unsolved mysteries. First being that why would his friends leave him especially after the altercation that they said was racially motivated, especially the one friend that who was leaving the party to get cigarettes presumably to return, proceeds to get lost and give up for the night and not return. Accedi al meglio di Getty Images e iStock grazie al nostro abbonamento. We are doing everything we can, and will spare no resources, to bring those responsible to justice., The FBIs commitment to justice remains at the forefront of each and every investigation, said FBI Special Agent in Charge Timothy Langan. Multiple pp involved from the party. I thought those were just fake comments the show came up with to simulate gossip online. Subscribe The circumstances surrounding Brooks's death are mysterious, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation continues to investigate whether or not he was a victim of a hate crime. Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. The code of silence must be broken. "No Ride Home," directed by Michael A. Clarke, made a solid attempt to talk about Alonzo's character. emailStay Connected Anyone with information is encouraged to call the FBI Kansas City office at 816-512-8200 or the Tips Hotline at 816-474-TIPS or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. This new examination by a team of the worlds best forensic pathologists and experts establishes it was no accident. . You may also contact your local FBI office, the nearest American Embassy or Consulate. The official autopsy at the time didnt determine a cause of death and the case went cold. On April 5, 2021, the FBI announced that their investigation had proved that Brooks' death was a homicide. Over the next eleven days, the family held their breath while extensive searches were done of the property and surrounding areas led by the KBI and their evidence recovery team. If you have any information, call 816-474-tips. Alonzo Brooks was killed. [1], On July 1, 2020, Brooks' death was featured in the fourth episode "No Ride Home" of the fifteenth season of Unsolved Mysteries TV series. The mysterious 2004 death of Alonzo Brooks in Kansas whose case was profiled on the recently rebooted "Unsolved Mysteries" has been ruled a homicide following a new autopsy. Perhaps someone who was there that night saw something and didnt want to come forward, assuming it wouldnt be much, it probably didnt mean anything, I doubt I can help. [12] On November 16, 2020, Unsolved Mysteries stated the FBI had learned of a second party in La Cygne the night Alonzo Brooks disappeared. Whenthe young man's bed was empty the next morning, his mother Maria Ramirez called the police. In 2019, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Kansas and the FBI reopened the investigation of Brooks death, which had been dormant for years. We knew that Alonzo Brooks died under very suspicious circumstances. They searched the creek bed looking for evidence, they brought in air scent tracking dogs, and even deployed helicopters for aerial searches for Alonzo. Alonzo Brooks did not drown, he was killed. Fam used to live in the area. Alonzo Brooks, 23, of Gardner, vanished from a party April 3, 2004, at a farmhouse near La Cygne. New technology, and a new incentive After the case was reopened, the FBI offered a $100,000 reward for information leading. After nearly a month, the family was finally given permission to go search the property themselves. My one theory out of this was that somehow this might of been covered up on the law enforcement side. An official website of the United States government. As a result, his body was exhumed for another autopsy. The Photo Request has been fulfilled. That didnt make much sense to me. Let me know. As a whole, Netflix'sUnsolved Mysteriesdid its duty in reporting the crime succinctly and accurately, but as is always the case with documentaries, some content was left out either due to time constraints, for the sake of clarity, or in order to present a narrative. After the official autopsy performed in 2004 didnt determine a cause of death, Brooks case went nowhere. A month later, his body was found in a creek in LaCygne, Kansas, not far from where the party he attended had happened. They reported that the water was at most 3 feet deep, so that teams of three were going all the way across and clearing out brush. [10], On June 11, 2020, the FBI reopened the cold case and issued a $100,000 reward for information related to Brooks' death.[11]. There ought to be a way to give this family peace.. http://coldcasekansas.blogspot.com/2010/09/mysterious-death-of-alonzo-brooks.html?m=1. We remain dedicated to uncovering the truth surrounding the murder of Alonzo Brooks and ensuring those responsible are held accountable for their actions.. Alonzo was 23 years old at the time of his death. Every single kid at that party should have been investigated further. Justin and Alonzo headed out to make the LONG drive because La Cyne was actually quite a hike from Garnder, over an hour. He has since been reburied. Daniel Fune and Tyler Broughard, two of the friends who attended the party, said in the Netflix documentary thathe wasn't prone to let that sort of thing bother him. Eventually, the Linn County Police Department turned the case over to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation after failing to locate Brooks. WE APPRECIATE THIS IS MY SON. Stephen McAllister, U.S. Attorney for the District of Kansas, says he shares the belief of Brooks' family: that he was murdered and that his death was racially motivated. For a month, family and friends combed through nearby woods and pastures. Share on Twitter Twitter Email Email. I find it hard to believe the murder of Alonzo is an open secret in La Cygne - even in a small town of ~1000 people or so, someone would have talked by now. Or could it be more sinister- that black people were unwelcome? Additionally, the FBI announced last month that they were offering a reward of up to $100,000 to anyone who has information about his death. He was the youngest of 5 children, and though it frustrated him to be the baby of the family when he was young, it made him especially close with his mother Maria Ramirez. Alonzo Brooks. Not to mention the shoes, why were his shoes off? The first . Alonzo Brooks' death is ruled a homicide after it was featured in Netflix's Unsolved Mysteries and his body was exhumed 16 years after being found dead in a creek Brooks, 23, disappeared. HES ALWAYS JOKING AROUND HE ALWAYS TRY TO ACT LIKE HE WAS. They do however still say that this feeling of dismissiveness seemed to carry through, and they found it frustrating. Alonzo Brooks' death is examined in the Unsolved Mysteries episode "No Ride Home," but the show leaves out some startling information. English expresses his bafflement at why these young men would leave their half-black, half-Mexican friend in such an environment. He's faintly smiling, dressed in a tux. They gathered a search party of friends and family and formulated a plan. The Alonzo Brooks episode ofUnsolved Mysteriesdid not include English's rebuttal to that sentiment; as he toldDaily Mail"Somebody calls Alonzo the n-word and he's ready to go or ready to fight. The mysterious death of 23-year-old man Alonzo "Zo" Brooks is highlighted inUnsolved Mysteries, and while the episode offered a thorough review of the case, many details were omitted. He's my son. SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2010 The Mysterious Death of Alonzo Brooks by Susan Schmitz and Paul Fecteau On a remote back road in Linn County, a desolate farm house and the woods and creek that surround it hold a secret about the death of a young man. Share on Twitter Twitter In just under an hour, they found Alonzos body, partially on top of a pile of brush and branches in the creek. It was something you couldn't even fix like that by yourself in the dark like a broken axel or something. If you have any information, call 816-474-tips.More KMBC cold cases: This content is imported from Facebook. Traumatic, you know," Brooks' father, Billy Brooks Sr., told KMBC in the days following his son's disappearance. He's my son. ONE MONTH LATER. There is also at least one more case in the county of this particular investigation, where the defendant was sentenced and is now appealing, based on the defense that Mitchells theory of what happened in that wrongful death of a child case had no reasonable medical or scientific basis, that his testimony was little more than storytelling. After the coroner ruled his death as undetermined, the case stalled. Like, finally, like, you hear us." Gardner was suburban and quiet, without the city life and diverse population he was accustomed to in his early years. He was one of only three Black men at a party in La Cygne, Kansas, that had about 100 guests, according to the FBI. Brooks' mother, Maria Ramirez, told KMBC in the days following her son's disappearance. 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. Either way, the predominant rumor seemed to be that Alonzo was jumped by a group of guys. HowBrooks' body came to rest in a creek mere yards away from the house in which the party was held, and why it took so long for it to be discovered, is unknown. THE OLDEST BROTHER, BUT HE NOT LAUGHTER FOLLOWS MOST STORIES. I think he seemed defensive of his exam, which makes sense given the criticism he soon would face after this report. It's a murder mystery that has remained unsolved for 18 years. IE 11 is not supported. Everyone who searched, even the Lee Summit search team, all agreed his body had absolutely not been there before and if it had been they would have found it. Hes not alone either. The paper objects from his pockets that his mom showed obviously hadnt gotten wet, it makes no sense. I definitely thing his body was planted there though. Brooks, who lived in Gardner, Kansas, rode to the party with friends. Justin needed more cigarettes and Alonzo decided to stay at the party, asking Justin to grab him a pack too. It is past time for the truth to come out. They killed two. 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. When Alonzos body was discovered the area descended into madness as the agencies arrived on scene. If he drowned, it would have been accidental. We are doing everything we can, and will spare no resources, to bring those responsible to justiceThe new autopsy focuses on injuries to parts of Brooks body that the examiner concluded are inconsistent with normal patterns of decomposition. . After the documentary series Unsolved Mysteries on Netflix aired a special about his case, Brooks family said tips have been coming in, according to CNN affiliate KSNT. As they got closer to the party, the roads became more and more rural. The FBIs released an official statement of their findings, Amelia will you read part of that for us? Yes, but the soft tissue was gone. Subscribe Get FBI email alerts ", RELATED: Everything Unsolved Mysteries Leaves Out About The Jack Wheeler Murder Case. On the first day of the search effort, Brooks' body was found on the banks of Middle Creek adjacent to the house where he was last seen a month earlier. None of them were thinking right at all, let alone about the safety of their friend. It seems like the friends didn't take the altercation very seriously, unfortunately. WSLA OF DTHEA THAT ALL CHANGED THREE YEARS AGO WHEN THE US ATTORNEY IN KANSAS PROMPTED BY QUESTIONS FROM PRODUCERS OF A DOCUMENTARY FILM ABOUT ALOONS ASKED THE FBI TO TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT HIS CASE. Who in town has a big enough freezer? https://www.yelp.com/biz/family-cafe-la-cygne. In the autopsy, examiners stated that there were injuries that would not be consistent with decomposition. This new examination by a team of the worlds best forensic pathologists and experts establishes it was no accident. On May 1, 2004, the body of Alonzo Brooks was found in La Cygne, Kansas, about a month after he was reported missing after April 3, 2004. Brooks was last seen alive in April 2004 during a party at a house on the outskirts of La Cygne. The stories are what his sisters and the rest of his family have leaned on for years. Sprague was one of three friends interviewed along with Fune and Broughard, and he was the one who droveBrooks to La Cygne, which he said was a solid hour away from their home town of Gardner, Kansas. AND JUST TSHOWO THAT WE ARE STILL THINKING OF THEM. Everyone knows whose freezer he was in". Never mentioned other than to see it. I genuinely believe his friends, because my friends and I have been in those situations at parties before. The Sheriff reports that countless polygraph exams were done in the investigation, but Alonzos friend Daniel openly claims that many people lawyered up and refused the test, something the Sheriff left from his interviews. Alonzos family held hands as they gave a press conference, while his body was transported for exam. Ramirez said that Sprague "changed his story six times," concerning thenight of the party, and English was affronted by the amendments. In July, Brooks' body was exhumed, and McAllister believes the autopsy findings will be available by the end of the month. Since that heartbreaking, nobody has faced criminal charges in Alonzo Brookss death.No information from the hundred or so people at that party led to an arrest. But Dr. Eric Mitchells past was causing some to question his qualifications and testimony. [4], On April 3, 2004, Brooks traveled with three friends to a party in La Cygne, approximately 50 miles (80km) south of Gardner. But Justin got lost. Alonzos family told Dateline that he rode to the party with friends, but they left before he did, leaving him without a ride home. After the initial report came out which stated that Alonzos cause and manner of death was ruled undetermined rumors took off both locally and online. Still the change did take some getting used to. After Alonzo had been missing for almost a month, a group of his family and friends organized a search. He'd been at a party near the town, but nobody saw him leave. [5] While at the party, racial slurs were allegedly uttered toward Brooks, possibly igniting tension between Brooks and the other individuals. Photo: FBI Alonzo Brooks was a homebody and neat freak, who loved nothing more than babysitting his nieces and nephews. I do not know the circumstances of his death. "He didn't say anything about getting lost. The go-to source for comic book and superhero movie fans. 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