Colquitt (GA) Police Chief Kenneth Kirkland was found dead in his vehicle. (Photo: Colquitt PD) -

Colquitt (GA) Police Chief Kenneth Kirkland was found dead in his vehicle. (Photo: Colquitt PD)

Colquitt (GA) Police Chief Kenneth Kirkland has been found dead following a large police search in Miller County, according to City Manager Cory Thomas.

Kirkland, 51, was found late Wednesday night around 10:30 p.m. He was reported missing Wednesday evening when he did not show up at a church where he was scheduled to speak.

Law enforcement officials said they tracked his cell phone to find his vehicle hidden by bushes where it apparently ran off the road, WALB reports.

Kirkland’s body has been sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab for an autopsy but Thomas said his death was caused by natural causes, possibly a heart attack.