2023 Cable News Network. But, thats not what happened. With the 17-year-old investigation seemingly about to kick in high gear once more, there's new hope that Brooks' family and friends will finally get closure and that the person or people responsible for his death will finally be brought to justice. What happened to my son? Brooks was one of only three black people at the party in La Cygne. Alonzo Brooks, 23, attended a party at a house in a rural area outside of La Cygne, Kansas, on the night of April 3, 2004. Swipe left for slideshow. According to her, the authorities fully realize that 16 years have passed, but feel that this might actually benefit the investigation. On 9/3/2016 at 12:02:44, a magnitude 5.8 A flour mill was built in 1870; a bank was started in 1871; the La Cygne organ factory was another early commercial enterprise, but it did not flourish. I think everyone wants a quick solution to a situation like this, she said, but (a) methodical and tactical (approach) are the best ways to gather the evidence and bring justice.. As theU.S. Attorney's Officetells us, after Brooks had been missing for a month, his family and friends arranged their own search party. Police wouldn't have allowed a family member to go to prison for the murder of an outsider especially one of color. What's more, absolutely no one was talking. For the FBIs lead agent on the case, Leena Ramana, the reopening was an opportunity to see if new technology could turn up any old clues. There hasnt been a day that goes by that I dont work on Alonzos case or think of him, Josh said. Where have all the candidates gone? Naturally, this was a monumental shock. La Cygne Tourism La Cygne Hotels La Cygne Vacation Rentals La Cygne Vacation Packages Flights to La The show is set to air on Netflix in July. WebView 23 photos of this 4 bed, 2 bath, 1759 sqft. It wasn't how we wanted to find him, but at least we did.". They killed two. While Pat and Jerry were much older than the majority of the party-goers, many commenters have stated that it would not be uncommon to find these men at a party at which high school and college aged people were present. [4], On April 3, 2004, Brooks traveled with three friends to a party in La Cygne, approximately 50 miles (80km) south of Gardner. We live in a world of unsolved murders. Whenever possible, actual redditors have participated in investigating the events. For Alonzo Brooks' family, that feeling of fear turned into very real horror when they found out that Brooks was still AWOL on the morning after the party. I think that for the longest time Alonzo Brooks he was just another Black man who had died or disappeared, Pratt said. appreciated. Or, if this is not up your alley, read about the most redneck towns in Kansas. We got nowhere with the local authorities they didnt even want to talk to us, Cox said, at her home in Topeka. We use data, analytics, and a sense of humor to determine the dirt on places across the country. Josh created a forum on his website for those interested in the story or for those who may have information about what happened that night. What is the KKK? ", "U.S. Attorney, FBI Announce $100,000 Reward in Cold Case", "Unsolved Mysteries gives update on Alonzo Brooks case", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Death_of_Alonzo_Brooks&oldid=1139767168, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 16 February 2023, at 20:15. Image 5. La Cygne. But shes also just glad the case is still getting attention, and that people are keeping her sons memory alive. WebThe body of Alonzo Brooks was exhumed last summer, 16 years after he was found dead. "It was like my boy was telling me everything was OK now," Brooks Sr. described his memory of the situation. Its been 16 years and I just want justice for me and my family to know what happened to my son and I know that someone out there knows what happened, said his mother, Maria Ramirez. The body of Alonzo Brooks was exhumed last summer, 16 years after he was found dead. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. [7], The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. Prior to school unification, the La Cygne High School mascot was La Cygne Indians.[11]. After he failed to come home the next day, his family contacted the police who began searching for Brooks. "[Brooks']death certainly was suspicious, and someone, likely multiple people, know(s) what happened that night in April 2004," McAllister states. One of the screenshots a woman is talking about how its not right to drag the Boones name through the ground and then goes on to say they arent racists in that town. La Cygne was incorporated on January 14, 1870, and a board of trustees was appointed. I can find out what happened. [12] On November 16, 2020, Unsolved Mysteries stated the FBI had learned of a second party in La Cygne the night Alonzo Brooks disappeared. After the case was reopened, the FBI offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to a conviction. Weve waited so long., Maria told Dateline she visits her sons grave often and always asks him, What happened to you?. Finally, Brooks family found his body on a pile of broken tree branches that had collected in Middle Creek, just east of La Cygne and less than 650 feet from the party house. They didnt just target one race. A lot of other things lined up for Alonzo's case to go on a national level at the time, Pratt said. Of course there was a ton of coverup and pisspoor investigative work. When Alonzo didnt make it home by the next day, his family knew something was wrong. KCUR serves the Kansas City region with breaking news and powerful storytelling. I was always trying to protect him.. Alonzo never made it back to his home in Gardner, Kansas. Billy said during their search that day, the skies had been overcast and threatened rain. 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. 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.. 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 There were 459 households, out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. The Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programsreported in 2019 thataccording to the FBI's numbers, only 62 percent of murders were solved in 2017, and that number is likely to get more concerning by the year. 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. [3] At the time of his disappearance, he was 23 years old and working as a custodian for Countryside Maintenance in Gardner, Kansas. WebKANSAS CITY, KSThe death of a Kansas man whose body was found in a creek in La Cygne, Kansas, in 2004 was a homicide, according to a new report by a federal forensic Web(913) 757-6611 Get Directions 19476 KS-152 La Cygne, KS 66040 Is this your business? But for years, the case went cold. wind speeds 207-260 mph) tornado 20.0 miles away from the La Cygne city center killed 3 people and injured 9 people and caused between $50,000 and $500,000 in damages.. On 2/28/2007, His body was transported to Dover Air Force Base for examination by the Armed Forces Medical Examiner after it was exhumed, according to the news release from the Federal Bureau of Investigations Kansas City Division. As any parent can probably attest, there's a very particular sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach when your child doesn't come home as agreed. We all watch the news with horror when we hear about a hate crime that happens not that far away from us. [6], Following the night of the party, the Brooks family traveled to La Cygne to search for their son and contact the local authorities. In the days after Brooks vanished, authorities from Linn County, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation became involved. Official websites I'm not sure how old the girl who posted the photo of her great granny but during, and after the second world war, a bunch of US soldiers brought back a lot of nazi "memorabilia". A Warner Bros. WebHome of the Buffalos. When I saw the photo of the woman posing with the nazi flag, to me it was that it was her husband or one of her brothers that captured it, given what I knew from interviewing the two vets mentioned. Its time for some answers.. 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. They killed two. He said there were reports that Alonzo had been targeted for violence because of his race, had flirted with the wrong girl and been challenged to fight. The authorities have interviewed old and new witnesses, and collected every available scrap of evidence. He was our surprise baby, Maria told Dateline. 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. U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said he and the FBI reopened the investigation of Alonzo Brooks last year after finding new leads. "My God, it was awful," Brooks Sr. said. Zip code 66040 is located mostly in Linn County, KS. An autopsy was not able to determine the cause of death. Alonzo Brooks was killed. A month later, his body was found in a nearby creek. His boots and hat were found nearby, but his body was not found until nearly a month later when his family searched the area and found him in a nearby creek. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. La Cygne is located at 382049N 944544W / 38.34694N 94.76222W / 38.34694; -94.76222 (38.346841, -94.762171). Its a picture of her great grand mother, posing in front of a Nazi flag. La Cygne was founded in 1869 as soon as the people were assured of the building of a track for the Missouri River, Ft. Scott & Gulf Railroad. I ask the same question every day for 16 years, Maria told Dateline. Even if Alonzo had decided to walk back home after getting drunk and not having been able to get a ride it should have just taken him a day or two maximum. Andrea Cavallier is a Digital Producer for Dateline NBC. Its not just the authorities who are taking a methodical approach. Up to 90 days of daily highs, lows, and precipitation chances. Brooks case got a second chance in 2019, though, when Stephen McAllister, then the U.S. District Attorney for the state of Kansas, decided to take another look. That, friends, is what the authorities would really, really like to know. According to NBC Dateline, the party in La Cygne was predominantly white, with only three Black men (counting Alonzo, whose mother is HispanicAmerican) in the crowd of 100 or so people. Some of these kids, who are adults now, may have been scared to come forward before, or may not have known what they saw was important. Netflix isn't the only entity that has expressed interest in the Alonzo Brooks mystery lately. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.00. For all the interviewing of the kids, it may be that you had an actual killer at the end of the night, with not many people around, he said, and so we've got a code of silence among a very small group, that has not been broken all these years.". On April 5, 2021, the FBI announced that their investigation had proved that Brooks' death was a homicide. In a nutshell, the KKK was formed back in 1865, and there have been three separate movements, all three of which were supposedly purification movements in America. In 2004, when Brooks was killed, Pratt explained, the country wasnt thinking as much about the criminal justice system or racial discrimination. He is my baby and I cant protect him anymore, but I can do this. The official autopsy at the time didnt determine a cause of death and the case went cold. 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. The FBI is investigating. Then his family searched for Brooks around the farmhouse and found his body in a creek within an hour, according to the FBI. He rode to the party with friends, but they left before him, leaving Brooks without a ride. Why does no one seem to know what happened between the party and the tragic discoveries that followed, despite the fact that there were up to a hundred potential witnesses? Curious also the last friend with him didnt participate in UM. There were a total of 55 cities with at least 1 Klavern in Kansas during the time period of reference. "At least we had found him. Ill go outside and little things, you know it just could be the wind, and I think thats him messing my hair, Ramirez said. Pat Boone / Jerry Boone - these brothers' names pop up the most in the comments of the blog. Brooks mom, Maria Ramirez, attributes her recent cancer diagnosis to the stress and sorrow shes experienced. I just hope now they will have the courage and kindness in their heart to come forward.. However, Brooks' friends managed to discover the disappeared man's boots and hat, strewn on the side of a road near the party house. We are doing everything we can, and will spare no resources, to bring those responsible to justice." Both the KBI and FBI were unsuccessful in locating Brooks. He was targeted because of the color of his skin.". More. "To find my boy like that. Meaning, the number of racist members of the community has historically been the highest, according to the math. Law enforcement searched the area on the ground and from the air, but no body was found. The gender makeup of the city was 47.3% male and 52.7% female. I had to protect him. "Someone knows something, and we are hopeful that with the passage of time and this significant reward this renewed effort will produce results, and provide closure for the Brooks family," Langan states. And even local and long-distance phone service, cellular phone service, television, and high-speed Internet services are all available to them through the La Cygne-based Peoples Telecommunications, LLC. What you are about to read is not a news broadcast. Wind farms are transforming the Kansas landscape. Still, as U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister who is taking point in the Brooks case as of 2020, along withFBI Special Agent in Charge Timothy Langan toldNBC Dateline, these led to nothing. This is also portrayed in Saving Private Ryan and/or band of brothers when the soldiers are looking for Hitler youth knives and lugers to bring back. He did not believe that there was any animosity going on. Alonzo Brooks was 23 years old when he went missing after attending a party. The original, multi-agency search party had reportedly gone through the very same area where the body was ultimately rather easily discovered, only to find a heaping helping of absolutely nothing. However, the family never stopped their search for answers. Unsolved Mysteries shared news of the latest development in a tweet. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. 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