In 2004, the body identified as Alonzo Brooks was found in a Kansas creek, and his case remains unsolved to this day.
Thanks to Netflix’s Unsolved Mysteries, Brooks’ case may just take a meaningful step forward.
The show runner for the series recently revealed that they have received come credible tips on the first six cases they featured, which they promptly passed along to the authorities.
This could also be true for this case, as the spokesperson for the FBI Bridget Patton confirmed that Brooks’ grave was dug up at the Topeka cemetery on Tuesday.
The Department of Justice and FBI announced the reopening of Brooks’ case in 2019, nearly 16 years after his body was discovered.
Additionally, authorities offered a $100,000 reward last month to anyone who comes forward with information about his death.
“Likely multiple people know what happened that night in April 2004,” U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said in a statement last month. “It is 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 is time for justice to be served.”
“We’re hopeful that that means there’s something that the investigation hopes to find through doing that. Exhuming a body is not something you just do casually,” Unsolved Mysteries‘ Terry Dunn Meurer said in a recent interview.
Forensic pathologist John Ralston backed up Meurer’s thoughts, and investigators were obviously interested to examine the body believing that what they need to be looking for to solve the case is a mystery at this time.
The subject of the episode “No Ride Home,” Brooks died under mysterious circumstances sometime between April 3, 2004 and before May 1, 2004.
The 23-year-old was last seen attending a party in the rural community of La Cygne, and was one of the three Black men who attended the part with about 100 guests.
The autopsy performed on his body in 2001 did not determine a cause of death, leaving the case unsolved.