No charges yet in man’s death

‘Possible homicide’ under investigation; person of interest released

It has been one week since a Platte County man was found dead at his residence on Interurban Road northeast of Platte City. As of The Citizen’s Tuesday evening deadline this week, no cause of death has been determined and a person of interest who was taken into custody on a 24-hour hold has been released.

Platte County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Capt. Erik Holland said the death of Darrell W. Brooks, 56, was still under investigation as a “possible homicide.” Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd said Monday that no charges had been filed in the case and that it “remains under investigation.” Brooks, 56, was found dead March 11 at his residence in the 18000 block of Interurban Road, northeast of Platte City and south of Camden Point. Holland said Brooks was not shot to death, but declined to give his cause of death pending an autopsy report from the Jackson County medical examiner’s office. According to Holland, Sheriff’s deputies responded to two disturbance calls at the Interurban Road residence on March 11. The first call was received shortly before 2 p.m. and cleared, but police were called back to the scene shortly after 3 p.m. At that time officers found Brooks dead outside the residence. They also found Brooks’ stepson, 59-year-old James F. Gibson, Jr., at the scene. Gibson was interviewed by officers before being taken into custody on a 24-hour investigative hold and detained at the Platte County Jail. Gibson was released after no charges were filed within 24 hours of his arrest.