Actor Cole Brings Plenty, who had been missing since Sunday amid a domestic violence investigation, has been found dead, authorities in Kansas said Friday.
Deputies were dispatched shortly before noon Friday to check on an unoccupied vehicle in an area about 43 miles southwest of Kansas City, Kansas. They discovered the 27-year-old's body in an adjacent wooded area, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
Deputies have not described the nature of the death. “Our office is still investigating this incident and I will update if I learn more,” Johnson County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson McKenzi Davis said.
The actor was known for his work on the “Yellowstone” spinoff “1923.”
Police in Lawrence, Kansas, about 30 miles northwest of where Cole Brings Plenty's body was found, said earlier in the week that he was seen driving south from the city’s center in his Ford Explorer SUV following an alleged domestic violence incident Sunday.
Friends and family, including uncle Moses Brings Plenty, a staple on "Yellowstone" who also has appeared on "1923," raised awareness and feared the worst.
Moses Brings Plenty shared missing person fliers for his nephew on his Instagram account this week. In one post, he expressed doubt that his nephew would have committed domestic violence, as Lawrence police alleged. The uncle also doubted that his nephew would flee or otherwise be "on the run."
One flier said the younger actor's phone has been off, exacerbating concern. The elder actor called his nephew's disappearance "anomalous," and asked authorities to find him.
Lawrence police said Thursday that they were in touch with family and were following leads in the effort to find the actor.
Police filed an affidavit in support of an arrest warrant for Cole Brings Plenty, but the narrative was withheld and couldn't be released unless formal charges were filed, the district attorney's office for the area said.
Lawrence police said officers responded to a report of a woman screaming for help Sunday. Traffic cameras in the area captured a Ford Explorer headed away from town, they said.
Cole Brings Plenty’s manager did not respond to a request for comment.
Paramount Network's "Yellowstone," starring Kevin Costner, has become a cable juggernaut since is 2018 launch. It spawned multiple spinoffs that include Paramount+'s "1923," which debuted in late 2022.
Both members of the family who appear on franchise shows draw on their Lakota heritage to create their Indigenous characters, with the uncle's being, simply, Mo Brings Plenty.
In a statement from Cole Brings Plenty's father, Joe Brings Plenty confirmed his son's death and thanked those who helped search for him.
"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," he said. "I learned this week how many people knew the goodness in Cole’s heart and loved him."
He added that family would try to "figure out how we move forward."
