Unsolved Mysteries director hints at “motivator” behind Alonzo Brooks’ death: “There’s a rumour about a girl”
The man behind Netflix's No Ride Home episode has called for information about a "red flag" in the case.
On 1st May 2004, a whole month after he was reported missing, the body of Alonzo Brooks was discovered in a secluded creek. The reason behind his death? After 16 years, nobody seems to know for certain.
However, there are a few striking clues that may help solve the case. As Netflix’s Unsolved Mysteries documents, several individuals have claimed Brooks was the target of racial slurs at a house party in Kansas, his last known location. Plus, the true-crime hit also teases how Brooks was also seen flirting with a white woman at the same gathering.
Now, Marcus A Clarke – who directed episode No Ride Home, which tells Brooks’ case – has said this mystery woman could be critical to solving the case.
“'Who is this person?' is the question,” he recently said on Netflix podcast You Can’t Make This Up.
“If you think about Emmett Till, this wouldn’t have been the first time that interracial dating could have led to an escalation in tension.
“That’s something that needs to be looked at as a potential motivator for what happened here.”
Clarke also went on to reveal details of unaired interviews that shine further light on this unknown woman.
“I asked [Alonzo's] friends, ‘What type of girls did Alonzo like? What of girls did Alonzo date? Did he date girls?’ All fair questions,” he recalled.
“All of these questions I got a [response of], ‘I don’t know. I’ve never seen Alonzo with a girl. I’ve never seen Alonzo with a guy.’
“I find that very particular. You guys hung out together and nobody can tell me of any love interest at all?”
“Whatever your orientation, a friend would be able to speak to that in some capacity. There’s a blank spot in that subject.”
Clarke added: “Was Alonzo hooking up with this girl at the party? Did they sneak off into a corner or room upstairs? Did somebody see them go into a room upstairs? Did people then interrupt this process? Did people interrupt a hook-up, which would explain why his shoes and socks weren’t on?
“Was this somebody’s sister? Was this somebody’s girlfriend? I need to know that. And that fact I couldn’t get any real legitimate information on this part of Alonzo’s life from his ‘friends’ is immediately dubious. It immediately was a red flag.”
Despite various claims about this woman at the party, nobody has yet come forward. However, the body of Alonzo Brooks was recently exhumed, with the FBI re-examining the case.
Unsolved Mysteries is available to stream on Netflix. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our guide to the best series on Netflix and best movies on Netflix, or visit our TV Guide.
Authors
Thomas is Digital editor at BBC Science Focus. Writing about everything from cosmology to anthropology, he specialises in the latest psychology, health and neuroscience discoveries. Thomas has a Masters degree (distinction) in Magazine Journalism from the University of Sheffield and has written for Men’s Health, Vice and Radio Times. He has been shortlisted as the New Digital Talent of the Year at the national magazine Professional Publishers Association (PPA) awards. Also working in academia, Thomas has lectured on the topic of journalism to undergraduate and postgraduate students at The University of Sheffield.