Philip Haney, a former Homeland Security official who became a whistleblower in the Obama administration, was found dead on Friday.

The Amador County Sheriff's Office said in a press release that Haney, 66, was found about 40 miles east of Sacramento, California, from what appeared to be a "a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound," Fox News reported.

The press release said:

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.



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.

Sources who spoke with the Washington Examiner said that Haney was exploring a return to the Department of Homeland Security and was engaged to be married.

Haney was an Arabic culture and language expert and outspoken critic of the Obama administration, particularly over its handling of Islamic extremism.

Haney testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in June 2016 that the Obama DHS ordered him to delete hundreds of files on individuals believed to be involved in Islamic extremism.

Haney also said publicly that the government possessed enough information to prevent domestic Islamic terror attacks, including the San Bernardino attack in Dec. 2015.