CASE FILE #012
Alonzo Brooks
Victim
FBI
Alonzo Brooks
FBI2004 · Age 23 · La Cygne, KS
Last Known Information
Alonzo Brooks, 23, who was Black and Mexican, disappeared after a party at a rural farmhouse near La Cygne, Kansas on April 3, 2004, where he was one of only three Black attendees among roughly 100 people. His body was found in nearby Middle Creek on May 1, 2004; the original coroner could not determine a cause of death. The FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office reopened the case in 2019 as a suspected hate crime, exhumed his body in 2020, and a 2021 federal forensic examination ruled the death a homicide. A $100,000 reward remains unclaimed.
Location
La Cygne, KS · Linn County
Discovery / Timeline
- 2004: Case opens — victim reported missing or found.
- Documented milestones (renewed investigation, media coverage, family advocacy) to be added as sourced.
- Present: case remains unresolved. No named suspect has been convicted.
Investigation
- Victim identity, age, and the April 3–May 1, 2004 timeline, per FBI and DOJ statements.
- The 2021 federal forensic ruling of homicide, per the FBI's public press release.
What Remains Unknown
- No one has been charged or convicted in connection with his death.
- The FBI has not publicly named a suspect despite investigating the case as a potential hate crime.
Sources
- Federal Bureau of Investigation — seeking information listing
- Federal Bureau of Investigation — press release
- Project Cold Case
- Murder Accountability Project
- NamUs
Unanswered Questions
What specific findings has the reopened FBI investigation made public since 2021?
What did the 2021 forensic examination identify as inconsistent with decomposition?
What official documentation from the party and its attendees has been made public?