Alonzo Brooks Body Exhumed After Netflix’s ‘Unsolved Mysteries’ Airs Episode About His Death

The FBI has confirmed that they exhumed the body of Alonzo Brooks after a Netflix show about cold cases, Unsolved Mysteries, streamed an episode about Brooks’ unsolved death.

Brooks’ body was exhumed on July 21 from the Topeka, Kansas grave. A spokesperson for the Kansas City FBI said, “The body of Alonzo Brooks was exhumed today as part of the ongoing investigation.”

After the episode aired, many took an interest in the case and believe that Brooks’ death was the result of a hate crime. Almost 16 years ago, Brooks was reported missing after attending a party. He was one of the only black people in attendance and drove to the party with three other men, but did not return with them. The police searched for him for a month only finding his boots and hat before allowing his family members to join in the search. On the same day that the family members were permitted to look, they found Brooks’ body in a creek in La Cygne, Kansas. The autopsy could not determine his cause of death.

The FBI announced last year that they were reopening Brooks’ case and authorities revealed in June that they are offering a $100,000 reward for anyone who can give information on his death. Attorney Stephen McAllister said in a statement, “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.”

Many have shared their thoughts on Twitter about Brooks’ story after watching the Unsolved Mysteries episode.

One user wrote, “so y’all mean to tell me that the sheriffs department, KBI and FBI couldn’t find Alonzo Brooks over a months time but THE DAY they gave his family permission to search for him they found him in under an hour??? nahhh #UnsolvedMysteries.”

Another said, “#AlonzoBrooks WAS THE VICTIM OF A HATE CRIME #Justiceforalonzobrooks.”

Brooks’ mother Maria Ramirez, explained to NBC’s Dateline, “I’m Mexican and his father is Black. So he’s mixed. They didn’t just target one race. Or kill one race. They killed two. He was targeted because of the color of his skin.” 

Co-creator of Unsolved Mysteries Terry Dunn Meurer told Entertainment Weekly, “These are important cases, and we really hope that the exposure brings renewed interest and encourages viewers to come forward.”