FBI: New forensic evidence shows Johnson County man’s 2004 death was a homicide
As the FBI continues to investigate a suspected hate crime in the death of 23-year-old Alonzo Brooks, the federal agency said Monday that new forensic evidence from a recent autopsy shows his death was in fact a homicide.
Brooks, of Gardner, Kansas, was found dead in a rural Kansas creek in 2004. An initial investigation launched by state and local authorities reached no conclusions that Brooks was killed by someone else, though his death was deemed suspicious.
In 2019, the FBI reopened the cold case of Brooks’ death and began investigating again. In a statement Monday, Timothy Langan, the special agent in charge of Kansas City’s FBI, said the agency remains committed to justice in the investigation.
“We remain dedicated to uncovering the truth surrounding the murder of Alonzo Brooks and ensuring those responsible are held accountable for their actions,” Langan said.
A federal forensic examiner found injuries on parts of Brooks’ body that are “inconsistent with normal patterns of decomposition.” The FBI said details of the forensic exam are being withheld “for investigative purposes.”
Brooks was last seen by his family in early April of 2004 when he told them he was planning to go to a large party in a farmhouse near La Cygne, Kansas. Brooks never returned home, and his body was found roughly a month after his disappearance when family and friends organized a search party.
Brooks’ death was featured in the Netflix series “Unsolved Mysteries” last November. Brooks went to the farmhouse party where more than 100 others attended, but his friends left before he did and Brooks had no ride home, the FBI said.
The FBI is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for Brooks’ death. The federal agency is encouraging those with information about the killing to call 816-512-8200 or 816-474-TIPS or submit a tip on its website through tips.fbi.gov.
