The FBI is hoping someone watching tonight can be the tip they need to solve a nearly 20-year-old cold case murder.
www.kctv5.com
FBI works to solve murder of Kansas man in conjunction with raising awareness of hate crimes
The FBI is hoping someone watching tonight can be the tip they need to solve a nearly 20-year-old cold case murder. Detectives are now investigating this as a possible hate crime. 23-year-old Alonzo Brooks was killed back in April of 2004 in La Cygne after attending a party.
Alonzo Brooks family always believed this was a hate crime. Earlier reports noted he was only one of three minorities at this party, and the way they found his body near Middle Creek, after less than two hours of searching on their own.
It’s a picture the FBI hopes you take notice of. Seven billboards around the Kansas City metro will display Alonzo Brooks picture investigators hope these billboards will bring about critical tips to the CrimeStoppers hotline.
“Think about it. If that was your family member, you would want somebody to tell you what happened,” Brooks sister, Esperanza Roberts said. “And to know what happened to bring the murderers to justice. Not only that, there is a big reward out there.”
The FBI is also hoping this case shines a larger spotlight on possible hate crimes. The FBI is working to find out if Brooks was killed because of his race. But the Brooks family had always believed it was a hate crime.
“Just us finding him, it didn’t seem that they had done a thorough search,” Roberts added. “And we just knew there was foul play from the beginning there was foul play because he would have come home. He’s never stayed away from home.”
“We want everybody who was there that night to come forward and let us know,” FBI Special Agent Leena Ramana told KCTV. “Because we have found after speaking to somebody who thinks they don’t have information about their presence there that night that either they provided information that’s new or they corroborated things that we already knew.”
As the investigation into Brooks’ death continues, the FBI also hopes displaying more resources inside and on the outside of Transit busses, explaining how to report all hate crimes. The goal is to convince people to call them and show hate crimes won’t be tolerated.
“Hate crimes victimize an entire community, it many times will spread fear and intimidation,” Bridget Patton said. “So, people in the community don’t want to come forward. We want to get the message out on hate crimes and reporting of hate crimes.”
Brooks's body was found nearly a month after he went missing from a party in rural Ly Cygne, Kansas, in 2004.
www.kmbc.com
FBI launching hate crime awareness campaign, shining new attention on cold case murder of Alonzo Brooks
A new FBI campaign is hoping to draw more attention to hate crimes and the reporting of such incidents to law enforcement. At the center of the campaign is a Kansas City-area cold case from 2004.
Alonzo Brooks was 23 years old when he went missing after going to a party in La Cygne, Kansas.
A month later, his body was found in a creek not far from where the party was held.
In the 19 years since his death, there have been no arrests, no charges, and no answers for what happened to Brooks.
In 2019, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Kansas and the FBI reopened the investigation into Brooks' death, which had been dormant for years.
Since 2020, the FBI has been offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest, prosecution, and conviction of those responsible for Alonzo's death.
In the Kansas City area, Alonzo's information will be featured on area transit buses and on seven different billboards along Interstate 70, Interstate 35, and Interstate 435.
www.crimewatchers.net
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