Body of Kansas man who died in 2004 exhumed in Topeka

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The body of a Black man who died at a party in rural Kansas more than 16 years ago has been exhumed as federal authorities continue to investigate his death as a possible hate crime.

The body of Alonzo Brooks, was exhumed Tuesday from a Topeka cemetery.

Brooks was 23 when he disappeared after attending a party near La Cynge, Kansas, in May 2004. His family later found his body in a creek near where the party was held.

The FBI reopened the investigation in 2019 and in June of this year offered a $100,000 reward for information.

Federal authorities say Brooks’ death was possibly racially motivated. He was one of only three Black people at a party attended by about 100 people at a farm near La Cynge.

His family said new tips have come in since the case was featured recently on a national crime show, KSNT-TV reported.