Alonzo Brooks’ body exhumed following Unsolved Mysteries episode on Netflix

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

The new Unsolved Mysteries on Netflix is proving to be a major player in re-examining the cases that have been featured across its first six episodes on the streamer. It was revealed a couple of weeks ago that the show has received many viable tips that producers have sent over to the FBI and now one case, in particular, is becoming less cold since being featured on the program.

The FBI confirmed the body of 23-year-old Alonzo Brooks was exhumed this week, following the release of Netflix's Unsolved Mysteries, which highlighted the case. Last year, the FBI announced they were reopening the Brooks' case, nearly 16 years after his body was discovered in a creek approximately one month after he was reported missing from La Cygne, Kansas. Brooks died under mysterious circumstances sometime between April 3, 2004, and before May 1, 2004, when his remains were discovered.

According to witness accounts that were featured on Netflix's Unsolved Mysteries, the 23-year-old disappeared after attending a party in the rural community of La Cygne, which was located about an hour by car from his home in Gardner, Kansas. Though he drove to the gathering with three other friends, Brooks did not return home with them. His mother reported him missing the following day and a search soon began. The episode highlighted that for a month, authorities searched the surrounding area of his last known whereabouts, but were only able to find his boots and hat. After their searches proved fruitless, authorities permitted the Brook' family to set out on their own to look for him and his body was found on the same day that they began their search near the area that trained authorities had been searching. The family has felt that Brooks' body was moved by those covering up the incident when they realized the family would begin their own search, which has only deepened the mystery. An autopsy could not determine his cause of death.

According to the Unsolved Mysteries episode, Brooks was one of a few Black party-goers in attendance and his family believes he may have been a victim of a hate crime. His friends at attendance at the party stated that there seemed to be issues of race that boiled over but they didn't think that it got that serious to warrant something serious happening to Brooks. 

Brooks' story had been told on Dateline and other true crime shows but Netflix's revival of Unsolved Mysteries has brought been more attention to the case and the others that have been featured. The series' co-creator Terry Dunn Meurer recently said "These are important cases, and we really hope that the exposure brings renewed interest and encourages viewers to come forward."

Authorities stated in June that they are offering a $100,000 reward to anyone who comes forward with information regarding the death of Alonzo Brooks and U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said in a statement that "Likely multiple people know what happened that night in April 2004. It's past time for the truth to come out. The code of silence must be broken. Alonzo's family deserves to know the truth, and it's time for justice to be served."

I binged all six episodes of the new Unsolved Mysteries in a day and this episode stood out to me the most. It was clear that some kind of cover-up happened and now that this show has renewed interest in the case, I hope the family gets the justice they deserve. 

Have YOU seen this episode of Unsolved Mysteries? What are YOUR thoughts?