WebOn April 3, 2004, Brooks traveled with three friends to a party in La Cygne, approximately 50 miles (80 km) south of Gardner. He was our surprise baby, Maria told Dateline. Maria told Alonzo to bundle up before he left. Ill go outside and little things, you know it just could be the wind, and I think thats him messing my hair, Ramirez said. Alonzos mother, Maria, told Dateline she remembers the evening of April 3, 2004 being a chilly one. People tend to believe there arent places out there like this still. While McAllister says that interviews with party attendees were conducted at the time, they"yielded no confession and shed no light on where Alonzo might be. WebLa Cygne (pronounced / l e s i n / lay SEEN) is a city in Linn County, Kansas, United States, and situated along the Marais des Cygnes River. What's more, even during the original investigation, there were several reports that Brooks might have been a victim of a racially motivated attack, either because he had drawn someone's ire by flirting with a girl at the party, or simply because of his race. It just led to a kind of, I think, throwing up their hands when they didn't end up with an obvious suspect, he said. All Rights Reserved. After he failed to come home the next day, his family contacted the police who began searching for Brooks. The night he vanished, Brooks was one of only three Black men in a crowd of 100 guests at a farmhouse party on the outskirts of La Cygne, about 60 miles south of Kansas City. The driver of the car Brooks had arrived in was his friend, Justin Sprague. These are important cases, and we really hope that the exposure brings renewed interest and encourages viewers to come forward.. When the water receded, his body was revealed. There is one particularly big mystery about the death of Alonzo Brooks. He never made it home. I work with reporters to make sure our stories reflect the fullest view of the place we call home, so listeners and readers feel primed to explore the places, projects and people who make up a vibrant Kansas City. All those White friends didnt know about the racist town an hour away, or any of their parents or friends didnt warn them. At the Klans height, there were 59 active Kalverns in Kansas. I remember he always used to tell me that I had him too late, because I wouldnt let him go off with the older kids. They didnt just target one race. The code of silence must be broken." 12:18 AM EDT, Tue April 6, 2021. Located at 382049N 944544W (38.346841, -94.762171), La Cygne (pronounced luh seen) is a small town that is situated on the east bank of the Marais des Cygnes River, a few miles southwest of the city of Linn Valley, in East Central Kansas. Im Mexican and his father is Black, Maria said. The body of Alonzo Brooks was exhumed last summer, 16 years after he was found dead. His death certainly was suspicious, and someone -- likely multiple people -- know(s) what happened that night in April 2004, McAllister said at the press conference on June 11. (SMH!) KCUR serves the Kansas City region with breaking news and powerful storytelling. All rights reserved. "I'm Mexican and his father is Black," she told Dateline. At least we had found him. They killed two. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. "It is a quiet place of profound sadness to one who knows its history, but no answers are there. On April 3, 2004, he, along with some of his friends, was headed to a rural house party just outside of La Cygne. Brooks was one of only three black people at the party in La Cygne. It offers public water, sewer, and natural gas services to its residents and businesses. Wow all over Facebook they expect to get sympathy? The case is full of unanswered questions and conundrums of the sort that can leave a grizzled old movie detective desperately staring at the complicated evidence wall he's compiled in his house after he retired. I've been reading the comments on this blog for years, and there are tons and tons of accusations, including accusations of police misconduct and community cover up, and of course about the town's reputation for racism. Kansas (KS) La Cygne. Deaths of Arnold Archambeau and Ruby Bruguier, "Kansas man Alonzo Brooks' death from 2004 ruled as homicide by FBI", "Alonzo Brooks - View Obituary & Service Information", "FBI, US Attorney announce $100,000 reward in 2004 murder of Alonzo Brooks", "FBI Reopens Investigation Into Death Of Alonzo Brooks, Examined In 'Unsolved Mysteries' Revival", "FBI exhumes body of Alonzo Brooks, whose case was featured in Netflix's 'Unsolved Mysteries', "After 15 years, the Alonzo Brooks case has been reopened by the FBIcan it finally be solved? The official multi-agency search combed through the party location and nearby areas, but none of the authorities could find a single thing. We just want to know. Official websites I had to protect him. It is past time for the truth to come out, said McAllister. Meaning, the number of racist members of the community has historically been the highest, according to the math. He was targeted because of the color of his skin.. The Presbyterian church was organized the same year but had no building for a year afterward. We could tell.. As of the census[9] of 2010, there were 1,149 people, 454 households, and 303 families residing in the city. I'm not at all saying that these people were actually involved, seeing as all of this information is hearsay which was posted (mostly anonymously) by commenters on a small-time cold case blog. Alonzos family deserves to know the truth, and it is time for justice to be served.. ", "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. Go read the comments for yourself-- what conclusions do you reach? What happened to my son? Pause Gallery . Of course there was a ton of coverup and pisspoor investigative work. After less than an hour of searching, they found Alonzos body tangled in a brush pile in the creekbed of Middle Creek near the farmhouse. Up to 90 days of daily highs, lows, and precipitation chances. WebThe case Brooks was 23 years old at the time of his death. Donnie Abel is a name that has been brought up in several comments. A short time later, Alonzos boots and hat were found in the weeds just across the street from the farmhouse where the party had been held. [6] The city is situated on the east bank of the Marais des Cygnes River and only a few miles southwest of the city of Linn Valley. Nothing can describe that pain.. Last April, his death was reclassified as a homicide. 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. Looks like we found a lot of the same information!! The other racial makeups of it are 0.6% African American, 0.9% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Alonzo, who was 23 years old at the time, was getting ready to head out for a party for someone who was leaving to join the Navy. It is past time for the truth to come out. While Sprague was also enjoying the party, at one point he popped out to get some cigarettes and got lost. He rode to the party with friends, but they left before him, leaving Brooks without a ride. Tips can be submitted online at fbi.tips.gov. It was a commodious two-story brick building containing the graded and high schools. Naturally, this was a monumental shock. Alonzo's friends believed that there was racism in the town. The FBI is investigating. This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. These were stored in some wooden vaults in the attic and when they were take out, they were displayed in a similar fashion to the photo. It's time for some answers.". The first school was taught in 1869 in Cady's hall. As you can probably guess, this means that they weren't writing Brooks' demise off as natural causes and getting on with their day. About a month later, on May 1, 2004, Alonzos family organized their own search of the property and surrounding area. "He used to get behind me and just mess my hair up right after I had it fixed up, and I used to get so mad at him, Maria said. Until 2019, when the Netflix show Official Unsolved Mysteries brought the case to McAllisters attention. With the recent announcement of a $100,000 reward, FBI Agent Leena Ramana told Dateline they have been receiving several tips and are continuing to follow multiple leads in the case. WebLa Cygne, KS Weather Forecast | AccuWeather Wind Advisory Current Weather 9:07 AM 53 F RealFeel 47 RealFeel Shade 45 Air Quality Fair Wind W 14 mph Wind Gusts If you talk about the death of Alonzo Brooks with his loved ones or the people involved with the investigation, the possibility that his death might have been a hate crime tends to come up sooner or later. No one I ever heard questioned whether this was a murder we questioned why he would go there in the first place. If Alonzo were alive today, he would have turned 40 years old on May 19. That, friends, is what the authorities would really, really like to know. This postal code encompasses addresses in the city of La Cygne, KS. So I gathered up some information about it and started reading about the case.. He was also a bit of a homebody who didn't leave the house too much, preferring to spend time with his family instead. The Linn County Journal is an online news service covering Linn County, Kansas Associated Press. United States. Here's an effort to tone down their lights, A Kansas City group is paying off traffic fines to help drivers get their licenses back, Kansas City jazz and tap legend Ronald McFadden, half of the McFadden Brothers, dies at 66, Feds Offer $100,000 Reward In Kansas Cold Case That May Have Been Racially Motivated, Activists say Kansas City is in 'a moment of crisis' after racist incidents at local schools. Brooks mother, Maria Ramirez, believes her son was targeted for his race. According toNBC Dateline, Brooks' father, Billy Brooks Sr., was among the first people tofind the young mans' remains, stuck on a cluster of branches and brush in the creek. Stay Connected . One of the poor victims of such a strange incident was Alonzo Brooks, who disappeared in Kansas on the night of April 3, 2004. Even without that, McAllister said Brooks death was a complicated investigation for any agency to handle. Suspected violence, racism, hate crime, and murder, what could be worse? However, Brooks' friends managed to discover the disappeared man's boots and hat, strewn on the side of a road near the party house. What no one has figured out is how Brooks ended up in the creek in the first place. Its time to find out what happened to my baby. WebHome of the Buffalos. 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