The median income for a household in the city was $34,479, and the median income for a family was $44,118. "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. I had to protect him. Verify The authorities later determined that there had been roughly 100 attendees, between ages 16 and 25. How could Brooks disappear without anyone noticing a thing, only to leave his shoes behind and turn up dead a month later? If you know something please come forward. There are three boat ramps in the main lake and one boat ramp in the cooling pool on the east side [9], Numerous theories have been offered as to how Brooks died. It wasnt how we wanted to find him, but at least we did.. Some of these kids, who are adults now, may have been scared to come forward before, or may not have known what they saw was important. Prairie View USD 362 13799 KS Hwy 152 La Cygne, KS 66040 Phone: 913-757-2677 Fax: 913-757-4442. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.1 males. He was one of only three Black men at a party in La Cygne, Kansas, that had about 100 guests, according to the FBI. Naturally, this was a monumental shock. While at the party, racial slurs were allegedly uttered While we're waiting with bated breath to see whether anyone will come forward with information that'll finally give us an idea what really happened on that fateful night years ago, let's look into the untold truth of Alonzo Brooks'unsolved murder. A track for BNSF Railway passes through the city. The original, multi-agency search party had reportedly gone through the very same area where the body was ultimately rather easily discovered, only to find a heaping helping of absolutely nothing. [4], On April 3, 2004, Brooks traveled with three friends to a party in La Cygne, approximately 50 miles (80km) south of Gardner. No good deli either. Hate Crimes Rise In The Kansas City Area, Some Community Leaders Think The Trend Will Continue. 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. I'm not at all saying that these people were actually involved, seeing as all of this information is hearsay which was posted (mostly anonymously) by commenters on a small-time cold case blog. They didnt just target one race. single family home located at 413 Locust St, La Cygne, KS 66040 on sale now for $147000. Alonzo Brooks, 23, attended a party at a house in a rural area outside of La Cygne, Kansas, on the night of April 3, 2004. Alonzos family deserves to know the truth, and it is time for justice to be served.. KCUR serves the Kansas City region with breaking news and powerful storytelling. These towns are open secrets yet they all decided to go to a party in a town they all never heard of, didnt know whose party, then, to take the racists didnt know or do nothing. An official website of the United States government. It is investigating the death as a potentially racially motivated crime. La Cygne Tourism La Cygne Hotels La Cygne Vacation Rentals La Cygne Vacation Packages Flights to La Please check it out! "But any piece of information is significant and could be the missing puzzle piece we need to solve this case." Of course there was a ton of coverup and pisspoor investigative work. A Facebook page Justice for Alonzo Brooks was created to discuss the case and help spread awareness. The racial makeup of the city was 97.3% White, 0.6% African American, 0.9% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. I went to grade school in a small Midwestern town and for our 7th grade history project we had to interview local veterans about their experience in the war. For 16 years, Maria Ramirez and Billy Brooks Sr. have been searching for answers in the suspicious death of their 23-year-old son, Alonzo Brooks, who attended a party outside rural La Cygne, Kansas, on a chilly April night in 2004 and never returned. The body of AlonzoBrooks was ultimately discovered in the most tragic way possible. 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. I hope it pushes someone to do the right thing and come forward., Its time, Maria said. WebAlonzo Brooks, 23, attended a party at a house in a rural area outside of La Cygne, Kansas, on the night of April 3, 2004. Things snowballed from there, and before you knew, the Department of Justice decided to team up with the FBI to reopen the case. This expansion is in addition to the Linn RWD 1 water towers to the East and North of La Cygne that are already online, as well as the Linn RWD 3 water towers to the West and South of town, which will be coming very soon. Completely unrelated but remember seeing a doc on Netflix about a girl was was r*aped in a small town and the town did everything to protect the white boys who were accused of the crime. WebThe body of Alonzo Brooks was exhumed last summer, 16 years after he was found dead. They killed two. It is unfortunate that Alonzo's family (his mom) tossed "under the bus" by law enforcement because they are of color and poor. 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. They talk about the freezer and the sheriff and more. I definitely knew it was a racist town, but Ive never heard that motto either. The FBI is investigating. Whenever possible, actual redditors have participated in investigating the events. 33 miles direct in the northwest direction and about 50 miles via road following the US-69 N Route. Or kill one race. This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. 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. Alonzos mother told Dateline she believes her son was targeted for his race. What you are about to read is not a news broadcast. Brooks aunt Angela Cox is the family spokesperson and runs their Facebook page a part-time job in its own right. One of the screenshots a woman is talking about how its not right to drag the Boones name through the ground and then goes on to say they arent racists in that town. "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. On May 1, 2004, Alonzos body was found in the brush of a creek in Linn County. My God, it was awful, Billy Brooks Sr. told Dateline. As theU.S. Attorney's Officetells us, after Brooks had been missing for a month, his family and friends arranged their own search party. At an early date La Cygne became a manufacturing point. "At least we had found him. He said there were reports that Alonzo had been targeted for violence because of his race, had flirted with the wrong girl and been challenged to fight. If you're interested in the case, look it up for yourself and be sure to read the comments! A second chance Brooks However, Brooks' friends managed to discover the disappeared man's boots and hat, strewn on the side of a road near the party house. New to the District. He was also a bit of a homebody who didn't leave the house too much, preferring to spend time with his family instead. Did you encounter any technical issues? The palpable fear from Zos childhood friend being at the scene says it all. The first school was taught in 1869 in Cady's hall. I can get justice for him.". Through investigative work and exclusive interviews with Alonzos closest friends and relatives, law enforcement, and even potential persons of interest, Josh explores different angles of the mystery that he hopes could one day lead to justice for Alonzo. When Alonzo didnt make it home by the next day, his family knew something was wrong. They have been filtering in from people who claim to have information for years. 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. 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. 2023 Cable News Network. Just compiling a list of people who were implicated in those comments. Image 4. An Associated Press story from 1993 said Mitchell routinely removed organs from corpses without the consent of victims families, and he improperly stored body parts in his New York office. We all watch the news with horror when we hear about a hate crime that happens not that far away from us. Brooks, 23, went missing on April 3, 2004, after attending a party in La Cygne, Kansas. It's got twists and turns, it's got possible race relations, it's got young drunkenness, bravado. We use data, analytics, and a sense of humor to determine the dirt on places across the country. Males had a median income of $30,900 versus $19,803 for females. AsNBC Datelinetells us, the news of the streaming service'sUnsolved Mysteriesshow looking into the case reached U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister in 2019. I dont get why. "But now when I feel like my hair's being moved by the wind, I figure it's him doing it.. 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. 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. 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. The people involved were some of the best in the field, and the results they were able to uncover were interesting, to say the least. We wanted to get the facts straight and dug into the data in order to identify the most racist cities in Kansas. Can this mystery ever be solved? Pat Boone / Jerry Boone - these brothers' names pop up the most in the comments of the blog. U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister finds this highly suspicious, and makes no bones about his opinion on the matter. The grave was [3] The city is named after the Marais des Cygnes River which is a French translation of an Osage appellation meaning "marsh of the swans".[4]. Where have all the candidates gone? The result is the following list of the most racist cities in the Sunflower State: Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers. FBI Agent Leena Ramana has told NBC Datelinethat the agency has already reaped the benefits of the reward, as they've received multiple tips, and have many different leads to pursue. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.08. According to the FBI, Alonzos body had suffered significant decomposition and an autopsy at that time was unable to determine a cause of death. Both the KBI and FBI were unsuccessful in locating Brooks. According to Netflix'sUnsolvedMysteriesepisode devoted to Alonzo Brooks' disappearance, "No Ride Home" (via the Cinemaholic), the young man carpooled with his friends to go to the party, which was in La Cygne, Kansas roughlyan hour's drive from Brooks' home. Rex Netflix isn't the only entity that has expressed interest in the Alonzo Brooks mystery lately. I've been reading the comments on this blog for years, and there are tons and tons of accusations, including accusations of police misconduct and community cover up, and of course about the town's reputation for racism. His father told Dateline he always wonders what kind of man his son would have turned out to be and what sort of life he would have led. 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 son of a local judge (Smith?) Because of the span of time between Brooks disappearance and the discovery of his body, an autopsy was unable to determine a cause of death. I dont get what that saying even means. And someone -- or several people -- know what happened to him. Homicide La Cygne, Kansas April 3, 2004. 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 Brooks was killed. Pause Gallery . Im Mexican and his father is Black, Ramirez told NBC Dateline in June. It was like my boy was telling me everything was OK now, Billy said. Its time to find out what happened to my baby. On the first day of the search effort, Brooks' body was found on the banks of Middle Creek adjacent to the house where he was last seen a month earlier. There are still a great many questions about Alonzo Brooks' ultimate fate, but at the moment, we have precious few answers. As NBC Dateline tells us, the party was quite a large one. Suspected violence, racism, hate crime, and murder, what could be worse? His death was certainly suspicious, and someone, likely multiple people, know what happened that night. 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. He added that Alonzos ride to the party had left without him. WebLa Cygne-area historical earthquake activity is significantly above Kansas state average. The population density was 760.9 inhabitants per square mile (293.8/km2). Its been 16 years, but we hope that with this passage of time, someone who has information will come forward, Ramana said. Even more strangely, the document indicates that some anonymous whispers on the internet have alleged that the body was frozen for a while before it was moved, which would have destroyed some of the potential evidence on it. 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. There were 454 households, of which 34.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.3% were non-families. In a statement by theU.S. Attorney's Office,McAllister goes even further, and makes clear that he doesn't believe for a second that Brooks died unseen and unheard. In 1881 a coal mine was opened, after which it became an important point for the industry. He rode to the party with friends, but they left before him, leaving Brooks without a ride. Image 1 (current) Image 2. It's also stated in the comments that these brothers were heard bragging that they used a hunting dog shock collar to torture a person of color at some point (unclear if this was Alonzo). WebLa Cygne Elementary Parker Elementary PVMS PVHS . is rumored to be involved. Josh created a forum on his website for those interested in the story or for those who may have information about what happened that night. From a storytelling perspective, Pratt said, the circumstances of Brooks' death are ideal for a show like "Unsolved Mysteries," which draws a national audience. [10] The four schools located in the school district are: The Prairie View High School mascot is Prairie View Buffalos. White silence. 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. Rental Cars. The wildlife area is located 7.2 miles from U.S. 69. The circumstances surrounding Brooks's death are mysterious, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation continues to investigate whether or not he was a victim of a hate crime. They called the Linn County Sheriffs Office and a search was launched by multiple agencies. Or, if this is not up your alley, read about the most redneck towns in Kansas. This postal code encompasses addresses in the city of La Cygne, KS. But there is data on where there were distinct Klaverns of the Ku Klux Klan in each state. The night he vanished, Brooks was one of only three Black men in a crowd of 100 guests at a farmhouse party on the outskirts of La Cygne, about 60 miles south of Kansas City. I also noticed there have been lots of threads regarding this case on this subreddit, but many of the posters haven't read the Cold Case Kansas blog. [1], Alonzo Tyree Brooks was born on May 19, 1980, to Billy Brooks Sr. and Maria Ramirez. However, the family never stopped their search for answers. Additionally, one commenter made a great point about the medical examiner who was interviewed for Unsolved Mysteries. The community is served by Prairie View USD 362 public school district with four schools serving more than 1,000 students. The official multi-agency search combed through the party location and nearby areas, but none of the authorities could find a single thing. 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. In the fall of that year the town had grown so that it had inhabitants enough to organize as a city of the third class, and F. A. Foote was elected the first mayor. Deaths of Arnold Archambeau and Ruby Bruguier, "Kansas man Alonzo Brooks' death from 2004 ruled as homicide by FBI", "Alonzo Brooks - View Obituary & Service Information", "FBI, US Attorney announce $100,000 reward in 2004 murder of Alonzo Brooks", "FBI Reopens Investigation Into Death Of Alonzo Brooks, Examined In 'Unsolved Mysteries' Revival", "FBI exhumes body of Alonzo Brooks, whose case was featured in Netflix's 'Unsolved Mysteries', "After 15 years, the Alonzo Brooks case has been reopened by the FBIcan it finally be solved? Wind farms are transforming the Kansas landscape. I was surprised how the documentary never mentioned the old La Cygne motto : If your black dont let the sun hit your back. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.3% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. What happened to my son? Maria told Alonzo to bundle up before he left. 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