Ex-CIA officer John Stockwell found dead in Austin after Silver Alert

John Stockwell, the 88-year-old former CIA officer known for writing a tell-all book about the agency, was found dead in Austin following an extensive search, according to the Travis County sheriff’s office. 

The office issued the alert for Stockwell at about 1:30 a.m. June 13 after he was reported missing. He was last seen walking near the 3000 block of  Wickham Lane on June 12, authorities said.

The alert was discontinued June 14 after search crews found him dead in a wooded area near his neighborhood, spokesperson Kristen Dark said.

Dark said the search involved Travis County sheriff’s deputies, sheriff’s office K-9 units, Texas Search and Rescue K-9 teams and boats, Texas game wardens in boats, sheriff’s office drones and aerial assistance from Austin police Air 1 unit and Star Flight.

The Travis County sheriff’s office continues to investigate Stockwell’s death.

“As with all investigations into unnatural deaths, every possibility is considered by detectives,” Dark said in an email. “So far, the investigation has not revealed any signs of foul play.”

The case will remain open until investigators receive final autopsy results, which are still pending. The sheriff’s office has not released a cause of death.

Beyond the search that drew local attention in Austin, Stockwell was known nationally as a former CIA officer who later became one of the agency’s most prominent critics.

He was born Aug. 27, 1937, in Brazoria, Texas, and received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas in 1959 before enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corps. 

Stockwell spent years with the CIA and served as chief of the agency’s Angola Task Force during the mid-1970s, according to The New York Times. After leaving the agency in 1977, he publicly criticized covert U.S. operations and wrote “In Search of Enemies,” a book detailing his experiences with the CIA.

After leaving the CIA, Stockwell returned to Austin to write. He published the novel “Red Sunset” in 1982 and a collection of essays titled “The Praetorian Guard: The U.S. Role in the New World Order” in 1991.