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.
Four deputies from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office in Texas have taken their own lives
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.
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”
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
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
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.
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