Body in ‘Unsolved Mysteries’ case exhumed in Kansas as FBI probes possible hate crime
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.
The grave was dug up at a Topeka cemetery Tuesday as the FBI investigates the cold case as a possible hate crime, KSNT reported.
The U.S. Department of Justice and FBI have recently said they got a credible tip in the investigation of Brooks’ death, WIBW reported.
“Unsolved Mysteries” shared news of the latest development in a tweet.
Update: The body of Alonzo Brooks was exhumed this morning. His case was recently reopened by the @FBI who are offering a $100K reward for tips leading to an arrest. If you know something please come forward. #unsolvedmysteries #Justiceforalonzobrooks https://t.co/5l38xxFr5r
— Unsolved Mysteries (@Unsolved) July 21, 2020
In 2004, Brooks, who lived in Gardner, went with friends to a party at a farmhouse in La Cygne, a small east-central Kansas town. He went missing for nearly a month despite search efforts by the sheriff’s office and other law enforcement.
Then his family searched for Brooks around the farmhouse and found his body in a creek within an hour, according to the FBI. An autopsy did not determine the cause of death of the 23-year-old.
The FBI has not released information about what it hopes to discover in the exhumation. It is investigating the death as a potentially racially motivated crime.
“From the beginning, there were rumors that Brooks had been the victim of foul play,” the FBI said in a news release last month. “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.”
Cold case: $100K reward offered in case of man found dead in a Kansas creek in 2004
