Naples man found dead in Cookville
By CASEY BUECHEL - Tribune Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 23, 2008 10:58 AM CDT
A 23-year-old Naples man, James Robert Coleman, was found dead in his truck by Titus County Sheriff's Office (TCSO) deputies after a Cookville resident noticed Coleman's truck sitting in the same place on CR 3150 for several hours Sunday morning.
The dark blue 2006 truck had first been noticed by the Cookville resident at approximately 7 a.m. and when it was still there at approximately 10 a.m., the resident called the sheriff's office.
"When our deputies arrived on scene, they determined the victim to be inside the trunk which was locked from the inside and they made entry into the truck but the victim was deceased,' said Captain Scott Sartain of the TCSO Criminal Investigation Division.
"Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace Paula Dyke came to the scene and pronounced Mr. Coleman dead at 11:32 a.m.," Sartain said.
"Although his remains were sent to the South West Institute of Forensic Science in Dallas for autopsy, evidence gathered at the scene indicates to us that Mr. Coleman died from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound," Sartain continued.
"We are continuing our investigation into the death and we are constructing a timeline concerning the victim's activities before he was discovered," said Sartain.
"We do know that he left a party in the Naples area at approximately 2:15 a.m.," he said.
"We will probably hear something definite from the autopsy within the next few days," Sartain said.
