Missing Officer Faked His Own Death, Fled To Mexico: Austin Police Department [UPDATED]

AUSTIN, TX — The police officer for whom an urgent statewide missing persons report was issued earlier this week by concerned colleagues likely faked his own death before fleeing to Mexico, the Austin Police Department said Friday.

Police on Tuesday issued a statewide alert for the officer described as having been in "emotional distress" after he was reported missing. His car later was found abandoned at Lake Amistad in Val Verde County some 300 miles away.

But in an update issued by police Friday evening, the APD said the officer, identified as Coleman Martin, 29, likely staged his own disappearance before fleeing.

"As this investigation progressed, evidence was uncovered to lead investigators to believe that the missing officer took means to stage his own death," a police statement read. "It is believed at this time he is not deceased and has fled to Mexico."

Related story: Austin Police Department Officer In 'Emotional Distress' Goes Missing, Car Found

Once located, Martin will be charged with a Class A misdemeanor for causing the false alarm/report, police said. Anyone with information as to Martin's whereabouts is urged to call the APD at (512) 974-5250 or dialing 911.

It's unclear what may have led the officer to stage his own disappearance. Police didn't specify how long Martin has been on the force. A photo of the officer was issued, along with the signed affidavit related to the case.

According to that affidavit, an investigation into Martin's whereabouts was sparked after the officer's wife called 911 on Tuesday to report her husband was suicidal. When police arrived at the home at around 10 a.m., the woman told arriving officers Martin had been depressed over family issues.

Throughout the day, Martin sent his wife text messages, according to the affidavit. Initially texting her that he was just going to clear his head, he later sent her a photo of a handwritten suicide note saying he was going to drown himself near the Mexican border.

At around 11 a.m., Martin withdrew $300 in cash as indicated by financial records. He purchased gas about 15 minutes later, a raft at an Academy Sports store in Austin and got cash back at 11:17 a.m. Another transaction showed he purchased rope and concrete blocks at a Home Depot store. Martin later proceeded to buy food at a Wendy's restaurant in Live Oak, Texas, at 3:50 p.m., a stop confirmed by video surveillance footage from the restaurant.

By 11:50 p.m., according to the affidavit, on-call detectives with the APD's Homicide Cold Case/Missing Persons Unit were dispatched to help with the investigation, and Martin and his vehicle were both entered into state and national databases.

During their investigation, local police learned that during his travels, Martin was stopped by a Texas Department of Public Safety on U.S. 90 near Uvalde at about 6 p.m. The trooper told police Martin said he was headed to Mexico on vacation, and did not appear to be in crisis.

By the following day, Martin's vehicle was located near the lake by officers with the Amistad National Recreation Area. A suicide note was left on the seat of the vehicle in plain view of police officers—the same note he photographed earlier and sent to his wife the night before. Police also found an inflatable raft on shore just a few miles from the vehicle along with remnants from the concrete block. The raft had scrape marks on the side, suggesting concrete blocks had been pushed over the edge.

According to the affidavit, a religious cross had been etched in the mud with a stick. Inside the vehicle, police found Martin's wallet with no money in it and other personal effects. The one item missing: His passport.

The investigation revealed Martin's email account was accessed on April 26 at 3:34 a.m.—five hours after the supposed suicidal message was sent to the officer's wife. The IP address from which the email account was accessed was traced to Mexico.

Martin purchased an HP tablet with Wi-Fi capability from the Best Buy store in Austin the day before at around 2:20 p.m., police learned. The purchase was made with a Best Buy credit card in the officer's name. The tablet was missing along with the passport when officers logged the items found in the abandoned car.

Through the course of their investigation, police learned of Martin's close relationship with an unidentified woman who is not his wife. She told investigators she had evidence the officer was alive and "...the entire event was an effort to stage his own death," according to the affidavit. She told police she got an email from Martin telling her he had staged the scene and rode a bicycle for some eight miles to a convenience store. The affidavit details that Martin later threw away the bicycle in a trash dumpster behind the store.

He then took a taxi to a border crossing, according to the affidavit. He then traveled by bus into the interior of Mexico, investigators learned. Surveillance footage from the gas station in Del Rio, Texas, places him at the scene when the taxi was called just before 11 p.m. on April 25.

Worried over his safety when they initially believed he was in distress, police utilized the full array of state and federal resources in trying to locate him: Air support, boats, dive teams and ground efforts.

"Local law enforcement agencies are actively searching for the officer," the APD statement read. "We will advise further as we learn new information."

This is an ongoing story, and Patch will provide more details as they become available.

>>> Photo of Coleman Martin provided by Austin Police Department