Death of Alonzo Brooks

On May 1, 2004, the body of Alonzo Brooks was found in La Cygne, Kansas about a month after he was reported missing after 3 April 2004. The circumstances surrounding Brooks' death are mysterious, and are continuing to be investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation into whether or not he was a victim of a hate crime. Background: Alonzo Tyree Brooks was born on May 21, 1980 to Billy Brooks Sr. and Maria Ramirez. A native of Topeka, Kansas, Brooks was of African American and Mexican descent. At the time of his disappearance, he was 23 years old and working as a custodian for Countryside Maintenance in Gardner, Kansas. Disappearance: On April 3, 2004, Brooks traveled with three friends, including Justin Sprague, to a party in La Cygne, approximately 50 miles (80 km) south of Gardner. While at the party, racial slurs were allegedly uttered towards Brooks, possibly igniting tension between Brooks and the other individuals. As the party continued, Brooks' friends left La Cygne without Brooks due to a perceived misunderstanding on how he would be returning home to Gardner. The next day Brooks did not return to Gardner and was deemed to be missing. Investigation: Following the night of the party, the Brooks family traveled to La Cygne to search for their son and contact the local authorities. Eventually, the Linn County Police Department turned the case over to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) after failing to locate Brooks. Both the KBI and FBI were unsuccessful in locating Brooks. On May 1, 2004, the Brooks family was allowed to search the property for their son. 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. Postmortem examination indicated that Brooks did not have any broken bones, any signs of blunt force trauma or injury, nor any of the biological signs of drowning in his lungs. Consequently, the pathologist could not determine a cause of death. Numerous theories have been conjured as to how Brooks died. Witnesses recalled flirtation between Brooks and a white female later on at the party, prompting theories of a hate crime motive. On June 11, 2020, the FBI reopened the cold case and issued a $100,000 reward for information related to Brooks' death. Media: On July 1, 2020, Brooks' death was featured in the fourth episode "No Ride Home" of the fifteenth season of Unsolved Mysteries tv series. On November 16, 2020, Unsolved Mysteries stated the FBI had learned of a second party in La Cygne the night Alonzo Brooks disappeared. Attendees left the party after a fight broke out, then headed to the Farmhouse where Alonzo was last seen.