Missing APD officer who faked death arrested in Dallas
UPDATE: The Austin Police Department says that Coleman Martin has been arrested at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Martin has been booked and is currently in the Dallas County Jail. Officials say that Martin is wanted for questioning in Austin but it's not clear on when he will be back.
The Austin Police Department believes the missing police officer, 29-year-old Coleman Martin, who was under 'emotional distress' may have staged his own death and fled to Mexico.
According to APD, evidence was uncovered during the investigation that leads detectives to believe that Martin is not deceased. Based upon these developments, Coleman Martin has been charged with a False Alarm or Report, a Class A Misdemeanor.
Read APD searching for police officer in emotional distress
On Tuesday, April 25, Jaclyn Williams called 911 to report that her husband was suicidal. Officers with the Austin Police Department responded to her residency and Williams identified her husband as Coleman Martin.
According to Williams, Martin told her that morning that he had been depressed for the past two days over family issues and that he needed to leave for a while to clear his head. Later that night, Martin sent Williams with a photograph of a handwritten note stating he was going to commit suicide and drown himself in a lake near the border of Mexico. In addition to the picture of the note, Martin had left a card at their home ysaing that he needed some time to himself.
The Austin Police Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety worked through the night in an effort to establish Martin's location and get him assistance for his emotional crisis.
On Wednesday, April 26, law enforcement officers with the Amistad National Recreation Area recovered Martin's vehicle near the Amistad Reservoir. The same suicide note that was sent via text message to Williams was left on the seat of the vehicle in plain sight for first responders to see from outside the vehicle.
The vehicle was also left unlocked with the keys inside. Inside the vehicle, officers found Martin's wallet with no U.S. currency, a few personal items, and and an empty box for an inflatable raft.
Martin's passport was not found within the vehicle.
The Austin Police Department and Val Verde County Sheriff's Office conducted a massive search operation using local, state, and federal resources. The search efforts included air assets , boats, dive teams, and other ground efforts. An inflatable raft was located on shore a few miles from where Martin's vehicle was parked.
The raft had Martin's name with his date of birth, date of death (4/25/17) and the initials of his wife.
Remnants of a concrete block and the appearance of scrape marks were also found on the side of the raft. A religious cross was also discovered drawn in the mud with a stick at the point of entry to the water.
During the investigation, it was discovered that Martin's email account had been accessed approximately five hours after the suicide message was sent to Williams. The IP address which accessed the email account was in Mexico. It was also discovered during the investigation that Martin had purchased a HP tablet from the Best Buy in Austin, Texas that was equipped with Wifi capability.
That tablet has not been located by police officers.
Investigators also learned that Martin had a close relationship with a female. The female witness was contacted by police officers and she stated that she had evidence that Martin was alive and that the entire event was an effort to stage his own death.
The female witness received an email from Martin after the alleged suicide stating that his plan for a staged death had been successful. In the email, Martin described that he intentionally staged the scene with his vehicle by the Amistad Reservoir and rode a bike about 8 miles to a convenience store.
Martin goes on to describe how he threw the bike in a dumpster behind the convenience store and took a taxi to the border crossing. Once in Mexico, Martin took a bus toward the interior of Mexico. Surveillance footage was obtained at a gas station in Del Rio of Martin using the store clerk's cell phone to call a taxi.
The call to the taxi company was placed at 10:56 pm on Tuesday, April 25, 2017.
Based upon these new developments, a criminal charge of False Alarm or Report, a Class A Misdemeanor, has been filed against Martin. Anyone with information as to the whereabouts of 29 year-old Coleman Martin is asked to call the Austin Police Department at (512)974-5250 or 911.