Sixteen years ago, Brooks attended a party at a farmhouse on the outskirts of La Cygne, Kansas. According to the FBI, he was one of just three Black men out of approximately 100 guests. He was reportedly unable to find a ride home, and when he didn’t return the next day, his friends and family contacted local police. No one who had been at the party offered up any information on Brooks’ case, and eventually, a month later, his body was recovered on top of a pile of branches in a nearby creek. Many people, including Brooks’ mother, Maria Ramirez, believe Brooks was the victim of a racist hate crime