Valeri Camille Brooks

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Versailles Police Department (KY)

Offense Location:

Versailles, Kentucky

Summary:

Valeri Camille Brooks was a 22-year-old mother of two who was kidnapped, raped, and murdered in Versailles, Kentucky on New Year's Eve 1990. She went missing while working the night shift at a Thornton's gas station and was found stabbed to death approximately five hours later on a rural road near Fords Mill Road. The case remains unsolved after 35 years despite DNA evidence collected at the scene.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Offense:

Valeri was working the night of December 30, 1990, when she took on an extra late-night shift. Brooks was taken from the store around 2 a.m. Versailles Police Chief Robert Brown said around 2 a.m., police responded to an alarm at the store, where Brooks was working alone. "We got there within minutes of the alarm," Brown said. "Her purse was there, but she was not there, and no one could be seen anywhere." Her body was found later some 10 miles south of Versailles in a wooded area near Fords Mill Road. About 7 a.m., a resident who lives on a private drive off of Fords Mill Road in the southern tip of Woodford County discovered Brooks' fully clothed body and called police. Police determined the cause of death to be numerous slash and stab wounds and ruled Brooks' death a homicide.

Additional Details:

Throughout the years, DNA evidence has been found, and potential leads haven't panned out. Versailles Assistant Police Chief James Fugate said investigators were looking into whether there were connections between Brooks and 50-year-old Glen Edward Rogers, a man dubbed the "Cross-Country Killer," who has relatives near Versailles. Investigators plan to compare Rogers' DNA on file in Florida to evidence from Brooks' slaying. Versailles police thought DNA evidence had cleared Rogers. It had actually cleared serial killer William Glen Rogers. Caren Brooks, Valeri's mom who now lives in New Haven, Connecticut, has continued seeking answers. Police haven't reached out about Valeri's case in nearly eight years.

Case Last Updated:

May 14, 2026