An investigation into the death of actor Cole Brings Plenty has found no indication that foul play was involved.
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office released an update on Wednesday after the actor was found dead on Friday at the age of 27 in a wooded area in Kansas.
The Lakota actor is the nephew of Yellowstone star Mo Brings Plenty, 54, and appeared in the prequel 1923.
‘Detectives, crime scene investigators, and the Medical Examiner’s Office have been working diligently with the Lawrence Police Department and the Brings Plenty family. There is no indication of foul play in the death of Cole Brings Plenty,’ said a statement released by Sheriff Calvin Hayden.
The actor’s cause of death is not known.
Mo had shared a missing persons poster of his nephew on Instagram on Tuesday (April 2), announcing that Cole had been last seen the previous Sunday, ‘Easter night’.
Kansas police had issued an affidavit for Cole’s arrest in relation to a domestic violence incident on Sunday.
Fans were quick to offer their condolences on X, formerly Twitter, as one wrote, ‘Rest in Piece [sic] to the missing Indigenous man- Cole Brings Plenty.’
Another shared: ‘The passing of Cole Brings Plenty is so heartbreaking. I feel for his family as they held on to hope & did everything they could to find him. I hope a full investigation is done & the family gets the answers they deserve.’
The Lawrence, Kansas Police Department stated on Tuesday afternoon April 2 that officers submitted an affidavit to the Douglas County District Attorney for the arrest of Cole.
Officers received reports of a ‘female screaming for help’ on Sunday morning at an apartment in Lawrence, according to 12News.
It was alleged that Cole had ‘driven away from the scene and was thought to be headed southbound on Highway 59,’ the site claimed.
He was last known to be driving a white 2005 Ford Explorer with a Kansas license plate.
The missing persons poster from Mo’s Instagram reported that Cole missed a scheduled appointment with his agent for a TV show, a behavior described as ‘uncharacteristic’.
The poster also highlighted that his cell phone was switched off.
Cole, known for his role as sheepherder Pete Plenty Clouds in 1923, was last spotted leaving Lawrence, Kansas, in his car on Sunday night, as indicated by the poster.
Mo’s Yellowstone co-star, Cole Hauser, who portrays Rip Wheeler on the series, also shared the poster on his Instagram, urging followers to provide any information if they have seen Cole since Easter evening in Kansas City.
Yellowstone costars Michelle Randolph and Kelsey Asbille also made similar appeals on social media, urging their fans to join in the search for Cole.
Cole’s father, Joseph Brings Plenty Sr., had also posted a call for help on Facebook.
‘If anyone knows where my son Cole Brings Plenty is please tell him to call me,’ Joseph wrote in his post. ‘His family is very worried about him.’
Cole’s sister Belle posted his missing poster on Instagram as well. The poster described Cole as 5′ 10″ with long, black hair and brown eyes.
Shortly after the Yellowstone stars shared the missing person poster, the Lawrence Police Department issued a statement on Facebook, identifying Cole as a suspect in an incident involving allegations of domestic violence.
According to the statement, authorities responded to reports of a woman screaming for help in an apartment on Sunday morning.
Following an investigation that identified Plenty as a suspect, traffic cameras showed him leaving the city immediately after the incident.
Furthermore, the police stated that they had probable cause for his arrest and issued an alert to area agencies.
However, due to the sensitive nature of the allegations, authorities had refrained from disclosing further details about the incident.
The release mentioned that no additional information would be provided.
Additionally, the police mentioned that Cole’s family has been in contact with authorities, expressing concern and reporting him as a missing person.
Besides 1923, Brings Plenty appeared in two INSP channel series: Into the Wild Frontier and The Tall Tales of Jim Bridger.