The death of 23-year-old Alonzo Brooks, found dead in a stream after a party at a rural Kansas home 17 years ago, was considered homicide after his body was exhumed while authorities investigated his case as a possible crime. of hate.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation said on Monday that, as part of an ongoing federal investigation into Alonzo’s death, his body was exhumed and taken to Dover Air Force Base for examination. The examiner’s report concludes that his death was a homicide.
“We knew that Alonzo Brooks died under very suspicious circumstances,” said US Attorney General Duston Slinkard. “This new examination carried out by a team of the best pathologists and forensic specialists in the world confirms that it was not an accident. Alonzo Brooks was killed. We are doing everything we can, and we will spare no resources, to bring those responsible to justice ”.
According to the statement, the new autopsy focuses on injuries to parts of Alonzo’s body that the examiner found to be inconsistent with normal decomposition patterns. Exam details are being withheld for research purposes.
In 2019, the Kansas District Attorney’s Office and the FBI reopened the investigation into Brooks’s death, which had been dormant for years. His case was featured last year on Dateline’s “Cold Case Spotlight” online series.
As part of the new investigation, the FBI also announced a $ 100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for Alonzo’s death.
In the initial investigation, a Linn County coroner said he was unable to determine the cause of death and that the witnesses’ interviews did not produce any arrests.
According to the authorities, the new investigation focuses on determining whether Alonzo, an African-American man, was the victim of a racially motivated murder.
The 23-year-old was last seen alive in April 2004, during a party at a farmhouse on the outskirts of La Cygne. He was one of only three African Americans at the party, attended by 100 or more people.
Alonzo’s family told Dateline that he went to the party with friends, but they left before him, leaving him without a ride home. When Alonzo did not return home the next day, his family and friends contacted the Linn County Sheriff’s Department.
According to reports at the time, the Sheriff’s Department and other law enforcement agencies searched areas around the farmhouse, including parts of neighboring Middle Creek, but did not find Alonzo.
After Alonzo was missing for almost a month, a group of his family and friends organized a search. They started on the road near the farmhouse and walked the two arms of Middle Creek. In less than an hour, they found Alonzo’s body, partially on top of a pile of shrubs and branches in the stream.
Alonzo’s father said that he and a friend of the family were the ones who saw him.
“My God, it was awful,” Billy Brooks Sr. told Dateline. “To find my son like that. Nothing can describe this pain. “
Billy said that during the search that day, the sky was cloudy and threatened to rain. But when they found Alonzo’s body, the sky cleared and the sun came out.
“It was like my son was telling me that everything was fine now,” said Billy. “At least we found him. It was not how we wanted to find it, but at least we found it. “
Alonzo’s family continues to search for answers to his case. A Facebook page “Justice for Alonzo Brooks” was created to discuss the case and help publicize the matter.
Anyone with information about the Alonzo case should call the FBI at 816-512-8200 or 816-474-TIPS or send a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
