Cause of death of Cole Brings Plenty, other records sealed by Johnson County judge

Court documents associated with the investigation into actor Cole Brings Plenty’s death were sealed by a Johnson County judge on Friday.

The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office said in an email on Tuesday that it would not release further information about the case because of the court order, which came at the request of Brings Plenty’s family.

All reports, including the cause of death associated with the case, are sealed, the Sheriff’s Office said in an email.

Brings Plenty, 27 — known for his TV role in the “Yellowstone” spin-off “1923” — was found dead April 5 in a wooded area in Johnson County. Deputies found his body when they were called to check on an unoccupied vehicle.

Brings Plenty was reported missing by his family after an alleged domestic-violence incident on March 31 in Lawrence. Police said they responded early that Sunday to reports of a female victim screaming for help at a Lawrence apartment. Brings Plenty, who police later identified as a suspect, reportedly fled before they arrived.

Traffic cameras showed Brings Plenty leaving Lawrence immediately after the incident, traveling south on U.S. 59 highway in a 2005 Ford Explorer. Police asked for the public’s help in finding Brings Plenty, who was wanted on charges related to the incident.

Five days after his body was found, deputies said there is no foul play suspected in Brings Plenty’s death.

Cole Brings Plenty also appeared in “Into the Wild Frontier” and “The Tall Tales of Jim Bridger,” both western TV shows, according to IMDb. He was a student at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence.

After Johnson County investigators said there was no foul play suspected in Brings Plenty’s death, Lawrence police issued a statement saying their agency lacks proper engagement with the local Native American Community.

“Through meeting with Cole’s family members and members of our Native American community, I clearly see that we are not where we need to be in partnering with a community that is very important to Lawrence’s history and to its current culture,” Lawrence Police Chief Rich Lockhart said

In a statement earlier this month, Joe Brings Plenty Sr. asked for privacy as the family processed their grief and was figuring out how to move forward.

“We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone for the prayers and positive thoughts you sent for Cole,” Joe Brings Plenty said. “We would also like to thank everyone who came to walk beside us as we searched for my son and provided the resources we needed to expand our search areas.”