"At least we had found him. God that makes my skin crawl And people have the audacity to question why black people are cautious in all white areas and say were being too judgmental. When youre looking at the places in Kansas with the highest number of KKK Klaverns per capita back in the day, this is an accurate list. At least we had found him. She said he didnt go out much and preferred to stay home and spend time with his family. Previously, he reported for the Associated Press, Galveston County Daily News and Daily Herald in Chicago. When Alonzo was in his early 20s, he moved from Topeka, Kansas, where he had been working with his dad, to his mothers house in Gardner, Kansas. Have we learned the details of who knew about the party, how they got invited, etc bedsides one of us knew about a party some guy leaving for the service. Alonzo never made it back to his home in Gardner, Alonzo Brooks was 23 years old when he went missing after attending a party. Ramana wouldnt discuss the progress investigators have made over the last year and a half, or if there are any suspects, but she said the case is still a priority. The authorities have interviewed old and new witnesses, and collected every available scrap of evidence. Theres endless ones of them.. Having said all that, I am not defending the girl who posted the photo and I have no doubt that shit town in Kansas is racist as fuck and that they all know who killed Alonso Brooks. "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. 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. An autopsy did not determine the cause of death of the 23-year-old. While the details of the examination are being withheld for investigative purposes, the new autopsy focuses on injuries to Brooks body that the examiner concluded are inconsistent with normal patterns of decomposition, according to the release. You can reach me at jodifortino@kcur.org. I first heard about it when Unsolved Mysteries made an inquiry of our office, and indicated they were going to do an episode about it, McAllister said. "[Brooks']death certainly was suspicious, and someone, likely multiple people, know(s) what happened that night in April 2004," McAllister states. Mitchells qualifications and testimony have more recently come under question, the FBI offered a $100,000 reward for information. 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. Next Image . Go read the comments for yourself-- what conclusions do you reach? They killed two. Still, as U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister who is taking point in the Brooks case as of 2020, along withFBI Special Agent in Charge Timothy Langan toldNBC Dateline, these led to nothing. Wind farms are transforming the Kansas landscape. Alonzo's friends believed that there was racism in the town. With the $100,000 reward that the FBI announced in June 2020, the authorities certainly seem to be doing their best to loosen people's lips. Image 5. [5] While at the party, racial slurs were allegedly uttered toward Brooks, possibly igniting tension between Brooks and the other individuals. He never made it home. FBI Special Agent in Charge Timothy Langan said he hopes the reward money will encourage more witnesses to come forward. Alonzos mother, Maria, told Dateline she remembers the evening of April 3, 2004 being a chilly one. KwiKom offers service in-town and the surrounding rural areas, with the fastest available Fixed Wireless Internet. But for years, the case went cold. Additionally, Slinkard stated that the FBI is doing everything that they can and that they will spare no resources in order to bring justice to those who were responsible for Brooks' death. However, Brooks' friends managed to discover the disappeared man's boots and hat, strewn on the side of a road near the party house. So showing my support for their work. 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. Its a picture of her great grand mother, posing in front of a Nazi flag. It's eating at those people, whoever did it to my son and I know their life is not good.. WebTornado activity: La Cygne-area historical tornado activity is near Kansas state average.It is 79% greater than the overall U.S. average.. On 4/12/1964, a category F4 (max. But in 2019, the Department of Justice and FBI reopened the investigation into his death. Nothing can describe that pain." Where have all the candidates gone? 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. Unfortunately, for one reason or another, Brooks never made it back to Gardner, and didn't call home to let his mother know what was keeping him something that was extremely unlike him. When the water receded, his body was revealed. Even if Alonzo had decided to walk back home after getting drunk and not having been able to get a ride it should have just taken him a day or two maximum. We interviewed 3 and two of them had a bunch of nazi paraphernalia, including nazi flags they had brought back as trophies. Pratt now lives in Vancouver, Canada. On May 1, 2004, Alonzos body was found in the brush of a creek in Linn County. 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. But there is data on where there were distinct Klaverns of the Ku Klux Klan in each state. The body of AlonzoBrooks was ultimately discovered in the most tragic way possible. As the party continued, Brooks's friends left the party at La Cygne at different times, accidentally leaving Brooks behind due to a perceived misunderstanding on how he would be getting a ride home to Gardner. No one I ever heard questioned whether this was a murder we questioned why he would go there in the first place. Unsolved Mysteries shared news of the latest development in a tweet. An autopsy was not able to determine the cause of death. KCUR serves the Kansas City region with breaking news and powerful storytelling. Calvary Cemetery, and performed a second autopsy. The authorities later determined that there had been roughly 100 attendees, between ages 16 and 25. Anyone with information about Alonzos case is urged to call the FBI at 816-512-8200 or 816-474-TIPS or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. La Cygne is located at 382049N 944544W / 38.34694N 94.76222W / 38.34694; -94.76222 (38.346841, -94.762171). There were 459 households, out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. Josh Pratt, a filmmaker who lived in Paola, Kansas, at the time of Alonzo's death and knew many of the people at the party, has been trying to answer that question for Alonzos family for the past five years. Brooks case got a second chance in 2019, though, when Stephen McAllister, then the U.S. District Attorney for the state of Kansas, decided to take another look. 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. This report is an analysis of the locations of historic KKK organizations divided by the number of people who currently live there. His body was transported to Dover Air Force Base for examination by the Armed Forces Medical Examiner after it was exhumed, according to the news release from the Federal Bureau of Investigations Kansas City Division. But I couldnt protect him from what happened to him.. This reward is a tool to be used as a catalyst to cause people to take a moment and remember that evening, to motivate them to come forward with potential information that may not have seen significant at that time, quite possibly information that they were too fearful to come forward with, Langan said. 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 Even further, apparently members of the Boone family seem to have served on the city counsel or commission or something, and are still to this day prominent members of the community. Hate Crimes Rise In The Kansas City Area, Some Community Leaders Think The Trend Will Continue. Brooks' parents spoke at the Thursday press conference and said they just want answers. Its been 16 years, but we hope that with this passage of time, someone who has information will come forward, Ramana said. Weve waited so long., Maria told Dateline she visits her sons grave often and always asks him, What happened to you?. This is also portrayed in Saving Private Ryan and/or band of brothers when the soldiers are looking for Hitler youth knives and lugers to bring back. I grew up in Overland Park, but my Grandma lived in La Cygne and I visited her every Sunday growing up. It defies reason to believe that Alonzos death was a suicide or that he somehow accidentally tumbled into a relatively shallow creek in Linn County, leaving behind his boots and hat, all with no witnesses whatsoever, McAllister said. In fact, the team was able to conclude that Brooks was very definitely killed. However, on April 3, 2004, the young man wanted to join some of his friends to a party that was reportedly held in honor of a kid who was going to join the Navy. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. (Featured Image Credit: FBI). Chris Trinkle is another man rumored to be involved. Black Lives Matter movement is gaining, (and) people are questioning ways that we've been acting in society.. The Brooks family certainly seems to share that hope, and the victim's mother, Maria Ramirez, is more than ready for the truth to come out. I got a feeling it's going to come out soon, and I'm not giving up hope about that, Ramirez said. U.S. Attorney McAllister said there were numerous reports of multiple fights breaking out and reports of racist comments being made. [9], Numerous theories have been offered as to how Brooks died. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. As culture editor, I oversee KCURs coverage of race, culture, the arts, food and sports. His boots and hat were found nearby, but his body was not found until nearly a month later when his family searched the area and found him in a nearby creek. Image 4. "He is my baby and I can't protect him anymore, but I can do this," she says. About 5.0% of families and 9.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.9% of those under age 18 and 23.4% of those age 65 or over. "Morans Old Problem", The Iola Register, 31 January 1959, p.4. Image 1 (current) Image 2. I got this feeling that it's going to come out. Discovery Company. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.53 square miles (3.96km2), of which, 1.51 square miles (3.91km2) is land and 0.02 square miles (0.05km2) is water. Hate groups can be hard to measure, because typically, theres no record of where they exist. All rights reserved. From the beginning, there were rumors that Brooks had been the victim of foul play, the FBI said in a news release last month. "This new examination by a team of the world's best forensic pathologists and experts establishes [Brooks' death] was no accident,"Acting U.S. Attorney Duston Slinkard commented on the discovery. For the FBIs lead agent on the case, Leena Ramana, the reopening was an opportunity to see if new technology could turn up any old clues. There are still a great many questions about Alonzo Brooks' ultimate fate, but at the moment, we have precious few answers. WebThe result is the following list of the most racist cities in the Sunflower State: Bunker Hill Hamilton Dexter Greenleaf Linwood Miltonvale Florence Little River Onaga Udall Read "It defies reason to believe that Alonzo's death was a suicide or that he somehow accidentally tumbled into a relatively shallow creek, in Linn County, leaving behind his boots and hat, all with no witnesses whatsoever," he says. WebDirections: La Cygne Lake lies 5 miles east of the town of La Cygne. Kansas (KS) La Cygne. The FBI added that his death was being investigated as a potential racially-motivated crime. But shes also just glad the case is still getting attention, and that people are keeping her sons memory alive. As you can probably guess, this means that they weren't writing Brooks' demise off as natural causes and getting on with their day. Looks like we found a lot of the same information!! Both the KBI and FBI were unsuccessful in locating Brooks. Nearby zip codes include 66044, 66086, 66052, 66045, 66025. For one, the coroner who performed Brooks autopsy, Dr. Erik Mitchell, said he couldnt determine the cause of death. Do you live in one of the most racist cities in Kansas? I had to protect him. As NBC Dateline tells us, the party was quite a large one. Unfortunately, this wasn't quite the case. The gender makeup of the city was 47.3% male and 52.7% female. From the beginning of his case, rumors swirled that Brooks was a victim of foul play. WebThe FBI said some evidence suggests that Brooks death could have been racially motivated. Why does no one seem to know what happened between the party and the tragic discoveries that followed, despite the fact that there were up to a hundred potential witnesses? According to NBC Dateline, the party in La Cygne was predominantly white, with only three Black men (counting Alonzo, whose mother is HispanicAmerican) in the crowd of 100 or so people. Tiffany Boone (now Tiffany VanNorman) is rumored to be the girl that Alonzo Brooks had an interaction with that night, which is allegedly the inciting event of the murder. The show is set to air on Netflix in July. Maria Ramirez thinks about her son Alonzo Brooks every day. And someone -- or several people -- know what happened to him. Fortunately, there's a chance that we may one day find out Brooks' fate for a number of reasons we'll soon look into and, of course, theUnsolved Mysteries reboot that dropped on Netflix on July 1, 2020 (via People). The Linn County Journal is an online news service covering Linn County, Kansas I'm not sure how old the girl who posted the photo of her great granny but during, and after the second world war, a bunch of US soldiers brought back a lot of nazi "memorabilia". We all watch the news with horror when we hear about a hate crime that happens not that far away from us. It wasnt until a month later, after a group of his family and friends organized their own search, that his body was found on top of a pile of brush and branches in the creek, according to the FBI. La Cygne, KS SE of La Cygne Kansas Department of Wildlife,Parks and Tourism, Don George, Fisheries Biologist 913-795-2218 www.linncountyks.com Linn County Park 913-757-6633 Lake levels vary some but normally are at conservation pool. Or kill one race. WebLa Cygne Elementary Parker Elementary PVMS PVHS . Below is a chart which lists all cities in Kansas with KKK organizations from 1915-1940.For more Kansas reading , check out: We aim to deliver infotainment about where you live that your real estate agent won't tell you. With so much manpower involved, you'd think that it would have been a matter of hours or days before Brooks was discovered. 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. They called the Linn County Sheriffs Office and a search was launched by multiple agencies. There were 507 housing units at an average density of 363.9 per square mile (140.5/km2). "So he's mixed. The suspicious death of Alonzo Brooks in 2004 was featured in the fourth episode "No Ride Home" of the fifteenth season of Unsolved Mysteries TV series in 2020. WebHomicide La Cygne, Kansas April 3, 2004. Law enforcement searched the area on the ground and from the air, but no body was found. I tried googling it and found he history on sun down towns - is that related? 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. In 2004, Brooks, a Black man, went missing after attending a party. What no one has figured out is how Brooks ended up in the creek in the first place. It was a private subscription school and was kept open until 1870, when the public school house was built. But he was my baby. 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 From a storytelling perspective, Pratt said, the circumstances of Brooks' death are ideal for a show like "Unsolved Mysteries," which draws a national audience. He was one of only three Black men at a party in La Cygne, Kansas, that had about 100 guests, according to the FBI. Find directions to 66040, browse local businesses, landmarks, get current traffic estimates, road conditions, and more. 2023 Cable News Network. However, it looks as though a filmmaker has started working with the family on a documentary & podcast that will dive much deeper into the details and possible suspects. The per capita income for the city was $15,880. When I saw the photo of the woman posing with the nazi flag, to me it was that it was her husband or one of her brothers that captured it, given what I knew from interviewing the two vets mentioned. 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. Police wouldn't have allowed a family member to go to prison for the murder of an outsider especially one of color. 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. We are investigating whether Alonzo was murdered, US Attorney Stephen McAllister said in a news release at the time. "To find my boy like that. On April 5, 2021, the FBI announced that their investigation had proved that Brooks' death was a homicide. The median age was 37 years. But any piece of information is significant and could be the missing puzzle piece we need to solve this case.. 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