The death of actor Cole Brings Plenty is roiling Native American communities, prompting police to announce Wednesday that there is no evidence of foul play and promise to “increase trust.”
The 27-year-old’s body was found in the Kansas woods on April 5, nearly a week after he was last seen. No cause of death has been released. He had been declared both a missing person and a suspect in a domestic violence incident.
Authorities have released little information about the investigation while speculation about the 1923 actor—who is the nephew of Yellowstone star Mo Brings Plenty—has run rampant online.
In addition, police face criticism that they were quick to paint Brings Plenty as a criminal fugitive and not a person who might be in crisis or a victim.
Lawrence Police Chief Rich Lockhart addressed the accusation in a statement posted to Facebook on Wednesday.
“This is a tragic case for everyone involved. Your Police Department worked very hard to investigate the incidents and worked very hard to find Cole. None of us could have imagined this outcome,” he said.
“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.
“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.”
Separately, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release that law enforcement had been working “diligently” on the case and “there is no indication of foul play in the death of Cole Brings Plenty.”
The backdrop of the Brings Plenty investigation is the long history of missing and murdered indigenous people whose cases have gone unsolved and often unnoticed outside of Indian Country.
Native leaders are demanding an accounting of what happened to the young actor. The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe called for “a full and thorough investigation into Cole’s disappearance and subsequent death” and said its attorney general would be contacting Kansas officials “to ensure this is accomplished.”
Before he went missing, Brings Plenty was seen at the Replay Lounge in Lawrence the night of March 31, where witnesses say his long braids got tangled a microphone cable while he was moshing. According to a since-deleted post by the band Beneather, while patrons were trying to untangle him, someone cut off his hair with scissors.
“As a native person, this is a serious violation,” the band wrote.
According to police, after leaving the bar, Brings Plenty ended up at an apartment in Lawrence early Sunday—where officers later responded “to reports of a female screaming for help.”
“The suspect fled before officers arrived,” police said in a release.
“The investigation identified Brings Plenty and traffic cameras showed him leaving the city immediately after the incident, traveling southbound on 59 Highway. This incident involves allegations of domestic violence, which limits the amount of information we can share to protect the victim.”
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The woman involved in the incident was not identified by police, but some of those grieving Brings Plenty have suggested she is to blame for his death.
In an Instagram post after a warrant was issued for his nephew’s arrest but before he was found dead, Mo Brings Plenty urged the public not to jump to any conclusions.
“We don’t know—FOR A FACT—that Cole was involved in the incident that he is alleged to have been a part of,” he wrote.
“We don’t know—FOR A FACT—that Cole was behind the wheel or in his 2005 Ford Explorer when cameras caught it leaving Lawrence, KS, on U.S. 59.
“We know—FOR A FACT—that Cole would NOT go ‘on the run’ in ANY SITUATION. It is not in his character, despite what people think or say. It isn’t worth it, and he would know that.”
The family is now planning for a two-day wake and a Tuesday funeral to be held at the Cheyenne Eagle Butte High School Gymnasium. On Facebook this week his father, Joe Brings Plenty Sr., paid tribute.
“He loved to dance, sing, joke, make people laugh. He loved his heritage, his way of life, his people,” he wrote.
“Now my baby boy is gone, he doesn’t deserve this, he has only good intentions for anyone around him, no matter who they are or how they are.
“We found my son, now we have to find out what happened and hold people responsible for what happened.”