Haney, 66, "appeared to have suffered a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound," the Amador County Sheriff's Office said in a release. Sheriff and coroner Martin A. Ryan shared the initial details of the case.
"On February 21, 2020 at approximately 1012 hours, deputies and detectives responded to the area of Highway 124 and Highway 16 in Plymouth to the report of a male subject on the ground with a gunshot wound," the release read.
"Upon their arrival, they located and identified 66-year-old Philip Haney, who was deceased and appeared to have suffered a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound. A firearm was located next to Haney and his vehicle. This investigation is active and ongoing. No further details will be released at this time," the office added.
Haney was recently in contact with DHS officials about a possible return to the agency, the Washington Examiner reported, adding that he was also engaged to be married.
In June 2016, Haney testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he alleged that the Obama-era DHS had ordered him to delete hundreds of files about reputed associates of Islamic terrorist groups. Haney made the case that several attacks in the U.S. could have been prevented if some of the files had not been deleted, the Examiner reported.
Related:
Philip Haney: 2018-07-20 Mercer: Doubting the Intelligence of the 'Intelligence Community'
Philip Haney: 2016-06-16 Bombshell: Whistleblower Claims DHS Scrubbed Records That Might Have Prevented Orlando And San Bernardino Attacks
Philip Haney: 2015-12-17 Administration nixed probe into Southern California jihadists
Philip Haney: 2018-07-20 Mercer: Doubting the Intelligence of the 'Intelligence Community'
Philip Haney: 2016-06-16 Bombshell: Whistleblower Claims DHS Scrubbed Records That Might Have Prevented Orlando And San Bernardino Attacks
Philip Haney: 2015-12-17 Administration nixed probe into Southern California jihadists