A Missing Texas Police Officer Faked His Death and Is Alive in Mexico, Officials Say.
Coleman Martin, an Austin police officer, was believed to have killed himself earlier this week after his wife told police the 29-year-old was unstable, according to reports.
When Martin initially disappeared, police described him as an officer in “emotional distress.”
Martin initially told his wife that he needed to leave their home to “clear his head,” according to reports.
Later he texted her a suicide note that reportedly said he planned to drown himself in a lake near the Mexican border.
Martin took $300 out of a joint bank account he shared with his wife about 45 minutes later, police said.
He went on to buy a raft, take out more cash and stop for lunch at Wendy’s, according to ABC News.
The next day authorities reported that Martin’s vehicle was found near the lake, according to the affidavit.
A “suicide note,” the same one Martin texted to his wife, was found on the seat on the seat of his car, according to reports.
A raft was found on the shore a few miles from where Martin’s vehicle was parked.
Authorities searched the lake for Martin’s body.
Police then discovered that Martin had a close relationship with a woman who told police that he was alive and attempted to fake his death, reports said.
The woman showed police an email that Martin sent her after the alleged suicide.
Martin, whose still missing, is now facing a misdemeanor charge of “false report,” according to a police department statement.
