Yellowstone‘s Mo Brings Plenty questioned why his nephew Cole Brings Plenty‘s death has gone “uninvestigated” after no foul play was found.
Nearly two years since Cole’s death, Mo, 56, reflected on how “heartbreaking” the loss has been.
“He was my nephew, but he was like a son to me. And for his murder to go uninvestigated, and for it to be written off as ‘no foul play,’ because they didn’t want to invest anything into it? It’s heartbreaking,” Mo claimed in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter on Sunday, March 22. “Because we’re taxpaying people as well. So for them to not work for us, no different than how they work for anyone else is pretty sad.”
Mo accused authorities of not putting “much effort into” investigating the circumstances of Cole’s disappearance and subsequent death.
“In fact, they weren’t even really looking for him. They were hunting him.,” he told the outlet.“They weren’t searching for him.”
In March 2024, a warrant was issued for Cole’s arrest in relation to a domestic violence incident. According to a press release, authorities were called to the scene after reports of a screaming woman, but Cole had fled in his vehicle before they arrived. Mo and his Yellowstone costar Cole Hauser asked for the public’s assistance in finding his nephew.
Days later, Cole was found dead at age 27. A cause of death was not released.
“None of us could have imagined this outcome,” Lockhart shared in a statement at the time. “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 continued, “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.”
Mo, however, questioned how the investigation into Cole’s disappearance — and death — was handled.
“There are a lot of families such as mine that are going through this right now, and we still have a lot of unanswered questions,” he continued on Monday. “Because I saw his body, I saw the evidence that is there, that someone caught him. So for them to say that there was nothing, I can’t believe that. I still can’t.”
Mo encouraged others to “spread the message” as Cole’s family is “not letting it go.”
“It was a hard loss for us because this was an individual who was speaking our language, singing our songs and carrying on our traditions. He was the future for us,” he concluded. “We want more and more of our young people to be inspired to pick up who we are from a cultural perspective.”
The Lawrence Police Department publicly addressed Mo’s comments, telling Luxury Handbag Shopping in a statement, “We understand this was a very difficult loss for the family and our condolences go out to them today just as they did at the time. We provided a complete, in-person, presentation of the evidence to the family which included videos, witness statements, and photographs. The family chose not to release the facts. Out of compassion we complied with their wishes.”
The statement continued: “Once the case concluded, the family petitioned the court to seal the autopsy report, medical examiner’s case file, law enforcement case files of the Lawrence, Kansas Police Department and the Johnson County, Kansas Sheriff’s Department, and the Death Certificate of Cole Brings Plenty. A judge signed it. The entire case contains clear evidence that there was no foul play involved in Cole’s death and that Cole acted alone. Any confusion and speculation are a result of the family’s messaging. With the family’s permission, we are willing to release a full report of our investigative efforts and results.”
