No evidence of foul play in death of actor Cole Brings Plenty, deputies say
Five days after his body was found in Johnson County, deputies say there is no evidence of foul play in the death of “1923’” actor Cole Brings Plenty, according to a news release from the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday.
Brings Plenty, 27, an actor from Lawrence best known for his starring role in the “Yellowstone” spinoff, was reported missing by his family after an alleged domestic violence incident on March 31.
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.
Around 11:45 a.m. April 5, deputies responded to an unoccupied vehicle at West 200th Street and Homestead Lane near Edgerton in Johnson County. There, they found a man deceased in a nearby wooded area, and later identified him as Brings Plenty.
Police said they remained in close contact with the Brings Plenty family during their investigation. No other information from police or deputies was available Wednesday, including his cause of death.
Brings Plenty was most known for playing a Native American sheepherder named Pete Plenty Clouds in the TV show “1923,” a prequel to the show “Yellowstone,” which his uncle Mo Brings Plenty starred in. 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 also a student at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence.
Lawrence Police issued a statement Wednesday after Johnson County investigators said there was no evidence of foul play in Brings Plenty’s death.
In the statement, Police Chief Rich Lockhart said he was saddened by the tragic outcome of the case. He also said he learned through their own investigation that Lawrence Police lack proper engagement with the local Native American community.
“I learned through this series of events that our police department must work harder to increase trust with our Native American community members,” Lockhart said. “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.”
“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,” he said.
The Star did not immediately receive a response from a spokesperson of the Brings Plenty family, but they shared a statement from Joe Brings Plenty Sr. on social media following his son’s death.
In the statement, he asked for privacy as the family processed their grief and figure 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.”
“I learned this week how many people knew the goodness in Cole’s heart and loved him,” he said.
The Star’s Andrea Klick and Bob Cronkleton contributed to this report.
This story was originally published April 10, 2024 at 5:17 PM.
