Austin Officer Faked Own Death, Fled To Mexico, Captured In Dallas

AUSTIN, TX — The Austin police officer who went missing before it was determined he had elaborately faked his own death by suicide was captured Wednesday in Dallas, the police chief said.

In a prepared statement, Austin Police Department interim Chief Brian Manley said Officer Coleman Martin, 29, was found after going missing last week. On April 28, Martin's disappearance prompted an urgent, statewide alert by local police after Martin was described as being in "emotional distress." His car was later found at Lake Amistad in Val Verde County some 300 miles away, a suicide note placed on the drivers's seat in plain view of arriving officers.

“Officer Coleman Martin was taken into custody this morning without incident by officers at the Dallas/Fort Worth airport for the False Alarm or Report warrant, a Class A misdemeanor," Manley said. "He is being transferred to the Austin Police Department and will be booked into Travis County Jail.”

Manley said the officer made it as far as Colombia after having entered Mexico after an elaborate staging of his own death. His motivation for orchestrating his disappearance isn't yet clear.

“Martin was coming from Colombia, to DFW airport and then Austin Bergstrom International Airport," Manley said. "He will be placed on restricted duty."

After tracking Martin's credit card purchases and cash withdrawals, police said, they determined he staged his own disappearance to appear as a suicide. The motive is unclear, but Martin was communicating with a woman other than his wife boasting of his successful choreography in faking his death, police said.

Related story: Missing Officer Faked His Own Death, Fled To Mexico: Austin Police Department

In an arrest affidavit provided to Patch and other media outlets, police outlined Martin's elaborate scheme in great detail, including his commandeering of a bicycle to get closer to the U.S.-Mexico border after ditching his car (pedaling for eight miles), flagging a taxi to get into the country's interior, purchasing a tablet to communicate with the other woman after he was supposed to have been found dead and the suspicious curiosity that the only thing missing from the contents of his abandoned vehicle was his passport.

Martin now faces a Class A misdemeanor for prompting the false report, along with a $3,500 bond, as police previously said in a press advisory.

The case remains an active investigation, Manley said. He thanked those who expressed concern for Martin's welfare believing he was dead, and also conveyed gratitude to other agencies that assisted in the investigation leading to Martin's capture.

"APD would like to thank everyone for their concerns expressed for Officer Martin’s safety," Manley said. "I would like to personally thank APD’s Cold Case Unit for their hard work, as well as Val Verde County Sheriff's Office, National Parks Service, Texas Parks and Wildlife Division Game Wardens, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Marshals.”

This is a developing story. Patch will provide further details as they become available.

Booking photo of Coleman Martin courtesy of the Austin Police Department