‘No indication of foul play’ in death of actor Cole Brings Plenty, 27, officials say

Five days after the body of 27-year-old actor Cole “Coco” Brings Plenty was found in Kansas, investigators are saying they do not suspect foul play in his death.

In a statement released on April 10, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office said “there is no indication of foul play in the death” of Brings Plenty.

Brings Plenty had been missing on March 31 and was wanted in a domestic violence case in nearby Lawrence, Kansas, was found dead in a wooded area of Johnson County.

In a statement, the Johnson County Sheriff's Office said deputies responded to the area at 11:45 a.m. in response to a report of an unoccupied vehicle. Brings Plenty's body was found nearby.

“Investigations, Crime Scene Investigators, and the Medical Examiner are on scene,” JCSO said in a statement. “This investigation is ongoing.”

As of April 10, no cause of death has been reported.

In a statement shared with NBC News following news of Brings Plenty’s death, his father, Joe Brings Plenty Sr., said he was “deeply saddened” by the loss.

“I am deeply saddened to confirm that my son, Cole, has been found and is no longer with us,” he said. “We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone for the prayers and positive thoughts you sent for Cole. 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. I learned this week how many people knew the goodness in Cole’s heart and loved him.”

Joe Brings Plenty Sr. said the family is asking for “privacy as we process our grief and figure out how we move forward.”

Cole Brings Plenty, who appeared in the “Yellowstone” spinoff show “1923” as Pete Plenty Clouds, had disappeared after an incident on March 31 in Lawrence, Kansas, a university town around 40 miles west of Kansas City.

“Lawrence Police have submitted an affidavit to the District Attorney for the arrest of Cole Brings Plenty after an incident Sunday morning at an apartment in Lawrence,” officials said in a statement on April 2. “We’ve identified him as the suspect, have probable cause for his arrest, and issued an alert to area agencies.”

The release went on to say officers had responded to the apartment following “reports of a female screaming for help, but the suspect fled before officers arrived.”

Lawrence Police said Cole Brings Plenty was spotted on traffic cameras leaving the city immediately afterward, heading south on U.S. Route 59.

“This incident involves allegations of domestic violence, which limits the amount of information we can share to protect the victim,” the police statement read, adding that “no further details will be provided.”

Cole Brings Plenty’s family initially expressed concern about the missing actor and contacted the police.

In a statement on his verified Instagram account, Mo Brings Plenty, who plays Mo in “Yellowstone” and is the younger actor’s uncle, shared a missing person poster of his nephew. The missing person poster noted that the younger Brings Plenty’s phone was off and they’d realized he was missing after he “missed an appointment with his agent for a TV show, which is uncharacteristic for him.”

In a statement to NBC News, Cole Brings Plenty’s agent Peter Yanke said the actor had missed an audition for an upcoming project over Zoom on Monday, April 1.

“I had spoken to him Thursday afternoon about the details and he was excited about it. When Cole didn’t show up on Zoom, I reached out to his manager,” Yanke said. “We hope he is found safe and appreciate the efforts of his family, friends and film industry colleagues to try and locate him. Our thoughts go out to them during this difficult time.”

Cole Brings Plenty’s costars also posted about the actor, asking their social media followers to help find him.

“My good friend @mobringsplenty nephew is missing,” “Yellowstone” star Cole Hauser, who plays Rip Wheeler on the show, wrote in an April 2 Instagram post. “He was last seen on Easter evening in Kansas City.”

Michelle Randolph and Kelsey Asbille, Brandon Sklenar, Julia Schlaepfer and Amina Nieves also shared messages, E! News reported.

In a statement to Native News Online, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe (of which Brings Plenty was a member) demanded a full and thorough investigation into Cole’s disappearance and subsequent death.

“The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe offers its deepest sympathy and support to Cole’s family and friends. He was an exemplary example of what it means to be a good relative and we stand with you in your grief,” the statement reads.

In a statement on April 10, Lawrence Police Chief Rich Lockhart said he believed the police department has to “work harder to increase trust with our Native American community members.”

“This is a tragic case for everyone involved,” he said in the statement. “None of us could have imagined this outcome. I learned through this series of events that our Police Department must work harder to increase trust with our Native American community members.”

“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,” he said.

“This sad series of events has been shared around the world. It’s my hope that future bridges we build and partnerships we form between our Native American community and our police department will create a relationship that will not only increase trust and understanding but will also be a model for other communities.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com