Some said Brooks may have flirted with a girl, some said drunken white men wanted to fight an African-American male, and some said racist whites simply resented Brooks presence., By SAM METZ [7], On May 1, 2004, the Brooks family was allowed to search the property for their son. Like there was zero evidence and it was quite obvious they didnt try hard because he was a POC. I went to grade school in a small Midwestern town and for our 7th grade history project we had to interview local veterans about their experience in the war. KwiKom offers service in-town and the surrounding rural areas, with the fastest available Fixed Wireless Internet. Police wrote it off as him walking on foot quickly. But there is data on where there were distinct Klaverns of the Ku Klux Klan in each state. We wanted to get the facts straight and dug into the data in order to identify the most racist cities in Kansas. Anyway, I just wanted to make a more extensive post regarding the Alonzo Brooks case, and would be interested in any more information anyone has compiled. Homicide La Cygne, Kansas April 3, 2004. [6], Following the night of the party, the Brooks family traveled to La Cygne to search for their son and contact the local authorities. So hes mixed. United States. They didn't just target one race. It took them less than an hour to find Brooks' body. I also noticed there have been lots of threads regarding this case on this subreddit, but many of the posters haven't read the Cold Case Kansas blog. For one, the coroner who performed Brooks autopsy, Dr. Erik Mitchell, said he couldnt determine the cause of death. 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. I can get justice for him.. To reach Linn County Park from U.S. 69, take the La Cygne Exit east 0.3 miles to Valley Road and follow the sign north 2 miles to the park entrance. "I know he was 23, but he was my baby," she says. 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 All Rights Reserved. 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. But any piece of information is significant and could be the missing puzzle piece we need to solve this case.. The festivities were held at a home in a rural area outside La Cygne, Linn County. Then his family searched for Brooks around the farmhouse and found his body in a creek within an hour, according to the FBI. 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. 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. EVERYONE KNEW THIS MOTTO for several towns over, for years, long before this murder. I think they know that they're being denied justice. All those White friends didnt know about the racist town an hour away, or any of their parents or friends didnt warn them. In a statement by theU.S. Attorney's Office,McAllister goes even further, and makes clear that he doesn't believe for a second that Brooks died unseen and unheard. Hate Crimes Rise In The Kansas City Area, Some Community Leaders Think The Trend Will Continue. While there are surveys and public polls on what places might be the most racist, we didnt want to rely on speculation and opinion. 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. As KSHB Kansas City tells us, Netflix'sUnsolved Mysteriesbrought plenty of new interest in the case, and a new autopsy was conducted on his exhumed remains. An Associated Press story from 1993 said Mitchell routinely removed organs from corpses without the consent of victims families, and he improperly stored body parts in his New York office. A second chance Brooks 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. Im from Paola but stayed in La Cygne every summer. It was a commodious two-story brick building containing the graded and high schools. The authorities have interviewed old and new witnesses, and collected every available scrap of evidence. At least we had found him. The witnesses then have grown up, they've moved on whether that's moved on from the situation or just grown up in life, Ramana said. They went through the property the fateful party had been held on and moved on to search the road. When I think real hard about, you know, what happened, and then I think of what they did to my son it really gets to me.. As of the 2000 census, there were 1,115 people, 459 households, and 294 families residing in the city. Please check it out! For 16 years, Maria Ramirez and Billy Brooks Sr. have been searching for answers in the suspicious death of their 23-year-old son, Alonzo Brooks, who attended a party outside rural La Cygne, Kansas, on a chilly April night in 2004 and never returned. WebThe FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office's District of Kansas are on the case, investigating the death as a possibly racially-motivated crime. Anyone with information about Alonzo Brooks' case is urged to call the FBI at 816-512-8200 or 816-474-TIPS or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. However, they have yet to air.Just wanted to include on this thread the people implicated by the commenters on the Cold Case Kansas blog for those who are interested. We are investigating whether Alonzo was murdered, US Attorney Stephen McAllister said in a news release at the time. Alonzos family continues to search for answers in his case. The wildlife area is located 7.2 miles from U.S. 69. Image 1 (current) Image 2. I just hope now they will have the courage and kindness in their heart to come forward.. I never met Alonzo, but being from the same area and about the same age, I felt some sort of connection to him, Josh told Dateline. Or kill one race. I was surprised how the documentary never mentioned the old La Cygne motto : If your black dont let the sun hit your back. 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. WebZip Code 66040 Map. "I'm Mexican and his father is Black," she told Dateline. The people involved were some of the best in the field, and the results they were able to uncover were interesting, to say the least. As NBC Dateline tells us, the party was quite a large one. Do you live in one of the most racist cities in Kansas? We just want to know. 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 And then when family members would call them, they told us that we're calling too much.. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990", "La Cygne, Kansas Kppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=La_Cygne,_Kansas&oldid=1133051458, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, La Cygne Elementary School, grades PreK5, This page was last edited on 12 January 2023, at 02:10. 28.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.5% were from 25 to 44; 24.3% were from 45 to 64; and 17.1% were 65 years of age or older. If you're interested in the case, look it up for yourself and be sure to read the comments! Calvary Cemetery, and performed a second autopsy. Additionally, one commenter made a great point about the medical examiner who was interviewed for Unsolved Mysteries. "But now when I feel like my hair's being moved by the wind, I figure it's him doing it.. U.S. Attorney McAllister said there were numerous reports of multiple fights breaking out and reports of racist comments being made. Previous Image . Chris Trinkle is another man rumored to be involved. White silence. [10], On June 11, 2020, the FBI reopened the cold case and issued a $100,000 reward for information related to Brooks' death.[11]. The FBI said some evidence suggests that Brooks death could have been racially motivated. 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? Alonzo never made it back to his home in Gardner, Chasing Chains, LLC. var cid='4403325158';var pid='ca-pub-9280529428605582';var slotId='div-gpt-ad-roadsnacks_net-medrectangle-3-0';var ffid=1;var alS=1021%1000;var container=document.getElementById(slotId);var ins=document.createElement('ins');ins.id=slotId+'-asloaded';ins.className='adsbygoogle ezasloaded';ins.dataset.adClient=pid;ins.dataset.adChannel=cid;ins.style.display='block';ins.style.minWidth=container.attributes.ezaw.value+'px';ins.style.width='100%';ins.style.height=container.attributes.ezah.value+'px';container.style.maxHeight=container.style.minHeight+'px';container.style.maxWidth=container.style.minWidth+'px';container.appendChild(ins);(adsbygoogle=window.adsbygoogle||[]).push({});window.ezoSTPixelAdd(slotId,'stat_source_id',44);window.ezoSTPixelAdd(slotId,'adsensetype',1);var lo=new MutationObserver(window.ezaslEvent);lo.observe(document.getElementById(slotId+'-asloaded'),{attributes:true});Specifically, we analyzed research out of Virginia Commonwealth University that mapped the Klans in each area and gave a history of their recruitment from 1915-1940. I think many people know. Police wouldn't have allowed a family member to go to prison for the murder of an outsider especially one of color. Verify 2023 Cable News Network. 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. The number of active members of the KKK is much smaller these days. We all heard the whispers about how the kids killed him for showing up mouthy and black. 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. Thank you for putting the truth out there. That said, I am positive I'm forgetting to include something here. An autopsy was not able to determine the cause of death. [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. The body of Alonzo Brooks, the Black man whose death was featured by Unsolved Mysteries on Netflix, has been exhumed in Kansas, media outlets report. "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," says Ramana. Rex Instead, we looked at the hard numbers from where KKK organizations have existed. He never made it home. From the beginning of his case, rumors swirled that Brooks was a victim of foul play. Its not just the authorities who are taking a methodical approach. So I gathered up some information about it and started reading about the case.. He was targeted because of the color of his skin.. Hate groups can be hard to measure, because typically, theres no record of where they exist. Find lots and land for sale in La Cygne, KS including acres of undeveloped land, small residential lots, farm land, commercial lots, and large rural tracts. 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. The Linn County Journal is an online news service covering Linn County, Kansas La Cygne (pronounced /le sin/ lay SEEN) is a city in Linn County, Kansas, United States,[1] and situated along the Marais des Cygnes River. The driver of the car Brooks had arrived in was his friend, Justin Sprague. From the beginning, there were reports of foul play in Alonzos death, McAllister said. According to her, the authorities fully realize that 16 years have passed, but feel that this might actually benefit the investigation. Suspected violence, racism, hate crime, and murder, what could be worse? Being a part of the Kansas City metropolitan area, La Cygne is about an hour away by car from where Alonzo lived at that time. He rode to the party with friends, but they left before him, leaving Brooks without a ride. WebLa Cygne Elementary Parker Elementary PVMS PVHS . The examiner concluded in their report that Brooks's death was due to homicide. They killed two. Prairie View USD 362 13799 KS Hwy 152 La Cygne, KS 66040 Phone: 913-757-2677 Fax: 913-757-4442. https://twitter.com/heerbadisadhain/status/1279140878531956736?s=19. [1], Alonzo Tyree Brooks was born on May 19, 1980, to Billy Brooks Sr. and Maria Ramirez. FBI Agent Leena Ramana has told NBC Datelinethat the agency has already reaped the benefits of the reward, as they've received multiple tips, and have many different leads to pursue. After he failed to come home the next day, his family contacted the police who began searching for Brooks. Previously, he reported for the Associated Press, Galveston County Daily News and Daily Herald in Chicago. I know he was 23, but he was my baby, Maria said. 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