Nearly two decades, the Brooks family mourned after the body of 23-year-old Alonzo Brooks was found in a creek following a house party in rural Kansas. Further examination of the victim found no signs of blunt force trauma or broken bones. Initially, a cause of death could not be determined. Seventeen years later, a new autopsy has ruled the Brooks' death was a homicide. The coroner determined that Brooks' death was a homicide after finding that parts of his body were inconsistent with regular decomposition.
“We knew that Alonzo Brooks died under very suspicious circumstances,” U.S. Attorney Duston Slinkard said.
“This new examination by a team of the world’s best forensic pathologists and experts establishes it was no accident. Alonzo Brooks was killed. We are doing everything we can, and will spare no resources, to bring those responsible to justice.”
Brooks was last seen alive in early April 2004. Along with some friends, he attended a house party in La Cygne, Kansas. While at the party, he was reportedly seen speaking to a white woman. It was at this point that a group of white men stepped in and allegedly began hurling slurs at Brooks. Unfortunately, Brooks' friends exited the party before he did, leaving him without a ride home. When Brooks did not make it home by morning, his family and friends contacted the police. Members of the Linn County Sheriff's Department organized a search, but they did not find Brooks. Nearly a month after he went missing, Brooks' family organized a search and found his body near Middle Creek.
The case of Alonzo Brooks' death has been featured on a number of shows including NBC's Dateline and Netflix's Unsolved Mysteries. Authorities involved in the case are offering a $100,000 reward for anyone that may be able to provide critical information in this case.
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