Silver City/Grant County

On Thursday June 22, 2017 around 3:41 p.m. the New Mexico State Police received information of an abandoned vehicle off Forrest Road 430 approximately an eighth of a mile from State Road 15 near mile post 36.

The driver of the vehicle Mr. Phillip Cook (24) of Albuquerque, NM was reported by his parents as a missing person who is schizophrenic, not on his medication, and may be in possession of a handgun. A search and Rescue mission was initiated in the area of the abandoned vehicle, aerial support was not possible due to fires burning in the Gila National Forrest.

On Saturday morning, June 24, 2017 around 9:13 a.m. the body of Mr. Cook was located, he was pronounced deceased on scene by the Office of the Medical Investigator of an apparent gunshot. Agents of the New Mexico State Police Investigations Bureau were called to the scene, the Initial investigation indicated the gunshot to be self-inflicted.

An autopsy will be conducted, as more information becomes available it will be disseminated.