Native American Actor Cole Brings Plenty is Missing
Cole Brings Plenty (Mnicouju Lakota), 27-year-old nephew of famed Native American actor Mo Brings Plenty, has been missing since Sunday, March 31.
According to various media reports, Cole was last seen and heard from on Sunday. His vehicle, a white 2005 Ford Explorer with chipping paint, was seen exiting Lawrence, Kansas and heading southbound on U.S. Highway 59.
He is 5'10" and between 145-150 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. Cole is a student at Haskell Indian Nations University, where he studies media.
Cole, also an actor who has appeared on various television shows, missed an appointment with his agent, which is uncharacteristic of him, according to a missing persons flier.
The flier also notes that Cole's cell phone is turned off. His family filed a missing persons report with the Lawrence Police Department on Monday. His father, Joseph Brings Plenty, posted on Facebook, asking people to be on the lookout for Cole.
'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 family did not reply to Native News Online’s request for comment at press time.
The Kansas City Indian Center is assisting in the search for Cole by spreading information and missing person fliers.
Executive Director Gaylene Crouser (Standing Rock Sioux Tribe) told Native News Online that they are in contact with Cole's family, who are not local to the Lawrence area and live in South Dakota.
Crouser noted the importance of amplifying missing Indigenous people cases. American Indian and Alaska Native peoples are at a disproportionate risk for violence, murder, and going missing. Jurisdictional gaps and systemic apathy leave many of these cases unsolved, culminating in what is known as the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples (MMIP) Crisis.
"A lot of times, our people fall through the cracks and don't get the attention that some other people do, especially with our men, " Crouser said. "We are really grateful to anyone who brings attention to this ... the more people who are looking for him, the sooner we will be able to find him."
If you have any information on Cole's whereabouts, contact the Lawrence Police Department at 785-832-7509 or the Kansas Bureau of Investigation at 785-296-4017.
About the Author: "Elyse Wild is senior editor for Native News Online and Tribal Business News. "
Contact: ewild@indiancountrymedia.com
