Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
then open in external browser
and click "Open in External Browser" 
2.7K
“These Officers Knew Something”: Four Texas Officers Take Their Own Lives Within Six Weeks
Tragedy struck in Texas once again. In a heartbreaking series of events that has shaken the foundations of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, four deputies have tragically ended their own lives within a brief six-week period.
As the community grieves these losses, questions about the unseen battles that law enforcement officers face behind their badges arise.
Highlights
- Four deputies from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office passed away by taking their own lives within a span of six weeks.
- The recent passings include Deputy Christina Kohler, who had been reported missing before her body was discovered just last week on March 13.
- The sheriff's office has highlighted its commitment to providing mental health support for its staff.
RELATED:
Four deputies from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office in Texas have taken their own lives
Image credits: Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers/Getty
Image credits: KHOU 11
Last week, the sheriff’s office announced the passing of Deputy Christina Kohler. The 37-year-old law enforcement officer had joined the force in 2018 and served in the courts division.
According to police officials, Kohler was reported missing two weeks ago and her body was discovered on March 13, with a medical examiner ruling her passing as self-harm. The news of Kohler’s passing added to the growing number of late officers who have taken their own lives in the last two months.
The alarming series of passings has come one after another within a six week period.
Image credits: HCSO Community Engagement Division
Image credits: HCSO Community Engagement Division
Just three days after Kohler’s passing, former Harris County officer Maria Vasquez also took her own life, after having retired from the department in December 2024. The most recent in the series of passings was that of former deputy William Bozeman, who was found deceased at the beginning of last week in March 2025.
The alarming trend began on February 6, when another ex-sheriff deputy, Long Nguyen, passed away in a similar manner at the age of 58.
The president of the Harris County Deputies’ Organization said the incidents “caught a lot of [them] by surprise”
Image credits: Birdwell Foundation of San Antonio
Image credits: Birdwell Foundation of San Antonio
Speaking about the tragic series of events, the president of the Harris County Deputies’ Organization, Jose Lopez, told KTRK-TV, “It caught a lot of us by surprise.”
“One is too many. Two? Three? Yes, it’s definitely devastating,” Lopez added.
The officer had been helping his Texan colleagues process the grief of the late deputies as he personally knew two of them for more than two decades.
“It hits very close to home and it’s a reminder to us how fragile life is and it’s also a reminder we do need to look out for each other. We do need to take care of each other,” Lopez added.
The risk rate for self-harm is 54% higher for those in law enforcement
Image credits: CW 39
According to Houston Police Officers’ Union president Douglas Griffith, the entire law enforcement community is under threat. The statistics show that the risk rate for self-harm ranks about 54% higher for those in law enforcement.
After four of the HCSO officers recently passed away by taking their own lives, HCSO’s behavioral health team shared that it’s important to break down the stigma surrounding mental health to possibly save more lives.
“We do everything we can to minimize the threats these officers face, but you can’t always face the threat that’s within,” Griffith said.
He said that from the first day at the academy, an officer’s mental health takes priority. But sometimes what they see daily carries an unbearable weight.
“We do see that a lot of our officers who do commit su–ide … there may have been signs that we missed. And then that torments us,” Griffith said.
The director of the HCSO’s Behavioral Health Division said facing critical incidents takes a toll on the mental health of officers
Image credits: KHOU 11
The director of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Behavioral Health Division, Dr Thomas McNeese, went further into the alarming statistics during an interview with KHOU 11.
Behavioral Health Division Director Thomas McNeese shared, “The average citizen I think in a lifetime may be exposed to two — I think is the statistic — critical incidents whereas one of our officers might be exposed to that on a shift. So, over time, that definitely takes a toll.
“It’s cumulative and it takes a toll over time because it depletes your reserves that you have,” McNeese added.
“It’s OK to not be OK, but it’s not OK to not do something about it. You don’t want to stay stuck there,” McNeese concluded.
Harris County Behavioral Health Division is working to support officers’ mental health
McNeese stated that the Harris County Behavioral Health Division is among the first of its kind in the United States to provide in-person or office care. The division’s peer support deputies include Karen Altamirano and John Celius.
“I would say it’s heavy, especially seeing people that you know, it’s hard on them. And the biggest thing was trying to get them to see that it’s going to be OK — we’re going to push through,” Altamirano shared.
“The driving factor for both of us is we want to be that support for our colleagues,” Celius said. “We want to be that support for our peers.”
If you are having thoughts of self-harm, please call the National Sui*ide Prevention Hotline immediately at 988 or chat with counselors on their official website.
Netizens commented on the tragic series of events on social media
Poll Question
Total votes ·
Thanks! Check out the results:
Total votes ·
Newsletter
Subscribe to Access
Exclusive Polls
By entering your email and clicking Subscribe, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Privacy Policy.
Thank you! You've successfully subscribed to newsletters!
Explore more of these tags
What do you think ?
tameson 8 months ago
To everyone saying that this can't be a coincidence, yes it can. As already stated, s*****e clusters are common. Two were recently retired, which is a known risk factor for s*****e, one had recently "left the department'. And, as mentioned above, police officers in general are at a much higher risk of s*****e than the general population. We need to do much better about providing mental health services.
cugel. 8 months ago
Doesn't have to be about suicide either, random events sometimes clump anyway.
Load More Replies...
Honey 8 months ago
I'm a Federal Peace officer, and although they do their best to tell us about Mental Health options, it's never enough. It's a lucky day when we don't see or deal with incidents. Many of which are psychological. And not enough of us find hobbies to occupy ourselves on days off. I thankfully have about 10 hobbies on the go but it's difficult for SO many.
zxj7rfyqqw 8 months ago
Ex law enforcement. Had to leave for my metal and physical health. Zero regrets looking back. The job just takes and takes until there is nothing left. Everyone is hanging on best they can. Literally the worst job in the world. My advice, get out. Get out and put your health and loved ones first for a change.
Bewitched One 8 months ago
But then who would do it? Maybe they need to mandate time off and intensive counseling or term limits of some sort, or critical event limits even. Once you’ve dealt with so many critical events or tragedies then you are required to retire with full pension paid. I agree that they should put their health and loved ones first (my dad was an LEO as well, he’s been gone for 24 years now but he’ll always be the best police officer I ever knew), but if everyone gets out, who will do their job then?
Load More Replies...
Alex Boyd 8 months ago
Definitely seems fishy...on the other hand, s*****e contagion is a real thing. Sometimes hearing about the s*****e of someone else, especially someone you realize to in some way, pushes a person over the edge.
Load More Replies... BoredPangolin 8 months ago
What about the effects on them of their new president's policies? Three of them looks from visible minority. Maybe they were hit by the new orders of hunting immigrants?
Jordan Croff 8 months ago
As a "visible minority" I can tell you minority cops are usually the most aggressive when going after their own.
Load More Replies...
Ron Man 8 months ago
Harris County is the 3rd most populous county in the US, right after LA County (Los Angeles CA) and Cook County (Chicago, IL). Their sheriffs dept is going to be very large. Larger than yours unless you live in one of the other 2 counties. There is no conspiracy theory here, it's all just numbers. They have a lot of deputies, so 4 seems like a lot. But on the national average, it's actually a little low. What civilians don't understand is the emotional toll law enforcement takes on you. There are a lot of big emotions that don't get dealt with properly. This is why things like self harm and divorce are much higher in LE than other industries. Don't take this as a conspiracy theory, take this as a realization that mental health in LE is terrible and needs help.
Benjamin Thompson 8 months ago
There's a lot of Bulls running around in Harris County. That means 2 things. Lots of dead people and lots of b******t. 😅
tameson 8 months ago
To everyone saying that this can't be a coincidence, yes it can. As already stated, s*****e clusters are common. Two were recently retired, which is a known risk factor for s*****e, one had recently "left the department'. And, as mentioned above, police officers in general are at a much higher risk of s*****e than the general population. We need to do much better about providing mental health services.
cugel. 8 months ago
Doesn't have to be about suicide either, random events sometimes clump anyway.
Load More Replies... Honey 8 months ago
I'm a Federal Peace officer, and although they do their best to tell us about Mental Health options, it's never enough. It's a lucky day when we don't see or deal with incidents. Many of which are psychological. And not enough of us find hobbies to occupy ourselves on days off. I thankfully have about 10 hobbies on the go but it's difficult for SO many.
zxj7rfyqqw 8 months ago
Ex law enforcement. Had to leave for my metal and physical health. Zero regrets looking back. The job just takes and takes until there is nothing left. Everyone is hanging on best they can. Literally the worst job in the world. My advice, get out. Get out and put your health and loved ones first for a change.
Bewitched One 8 months ago
But then who would do it? Maybe they need to mandate time off and intensive counseling or term limits of some sort, or critical event limits even. Once you’ve dealt with so many critical events or tragedies then you are required to retire with full pension paid. I agree that they should put their health and loved ones first (my dad was an LEO as well, he’s been gone for 24 years now but he’ll always be the best police officer I ever knew), but if everyone gets out, who will do their job then?
Load More Replies... Alex Boyd 8 months ago
Definitely seems fishy...on the other hand, s*****e contagion is a real thing. Sometimes hearing about the s*****e of someone else, especially someone you realize to in some way, pushes a person over the edge.
Load More Replies... BoredPangolin 8 months ago
What about the effects on them of their new president's policies? Three of them looks from visible minority. Maybe they were hit by the new orders of hunting immigrants?
Jordan Croff 8 months ago
As a "visible minority" I can tell you minority cops are usually the most aggressive when going after their own.
Load More Replies... Ron Man 8 months ago
Harris County is the 3rd most populous county in the US, right after LA County (Los Angeles CA) and Cook County (Chicago, IL). Their sheriffs dept is going to be very large. Larger than yours unless you live in one of the other 2 counties. There is no conspiracy theory here, it's all just numbers. They have a lot of deputies, so 4 seems like a lot. But on the national average, it's actually a little low. What civilians don't understand is the emotional toll law enforcement takes on you. There are a lot of big emotions that don't get dealt with properly. This is why things like self harm and divorce are much higher in LE than other industries. Don't take this as a conspiracy theory, take this as a realization that mental health in LE is terrible and needs help.
Benjamin Thompson 8 months ago
There's a lot of Bulls running around in Harris County. That means 2 things. Lots of dead people and lots of b******t. 😅
You May Like “Such A Downgrade”: Woman Moves To Florida From Canada, Shares Her Biggest Culture Shocks “Safe, Reliable And Boring”: 43 People Compare What It’s Like To Live In Europe Vs. The US “Everyone Felt It”: Conspiracy Theorists Go Wild Over Clip Of Soldier During Presidential Speech
Ilona Baliūnaitė
Viktorija Ošikaitė
Gabija Saveiskyte
Related on Bored Panda
39
62