A mom of a six-year-old girl who was kidnapped nearly 30 years ago has spoken out after police identified the main suspect in her disappearance.
On the evening of June 9, 1995, Morgan Nick, 6, was kidnapped from a parking lot after attending a little league ball game in the city of Alma in Arkansas.
With only a description of a suspect to go by and little else, law enforcement spent 'thousands of hours investigating more than 10,000 leads'. However, it's taken nearly three decades for a 'major development' to be announced.
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Early person of interest
When Morgan first went missing, a description for a suspect was given to police, which stated a man 'described as white, 6 feet tall, with a medium to solid build, a moustache and a 1-inch beard' had been watching the young girl - as per the Morgan Nick Foundation - and he'd been driving 'a red truck with a white camper shell' was 'allegedly involved'.
"One of the early persons of interest was Billy Jack Lincks, a resident of Van Buren, Arkansas. Lincks was arrested on August 29, 1995 - roughly 12 weeks after Morgan’s disappearance - for sexual solicitation of a child. Lincks used his red truck during the offense," Alma Arkansas Police Department states in a post to Facebook.
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However, on August 31, 1995, when police questioned Lincks about Morgan, he 'denied any knowledge of Morgan's abduction' and 'appeared to be truthful' so 'investigators moved on'.
Since 1995, the investigation has continued, with no major breakthroughs, until the Alma (Arkansas) Police Department revealed on October 1 they're now focusing on a single suspect.
The 'major development'
Alma Police detectives began to review the early stages of the investigation in July 2019 and their focus was drawn 'once again' to Lincks - who according to 5NEWS, was arrested in 1992 for sexually abusing a young girl.
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Authorities located Lincks' truck which he'd owned in 1995 'which had been sold several times in the years that followed' and detectives conducted an 'in-depth examination of the vehicle for evidence'.
The following year, the FBI Evidence Response Team examined the truck and found 'hair' samples and in 2023 evidence collected from the truck was submitted to advanced analysis processes at Othram Laboratory in Texas and in 2024 it was 'determined' hair found in the truck 'was that of Colleen Nick, one of her siblings, or one of her children'.
"Follow-up interviews of members of the Nick family revealed that none of them knew Billy Jack Lincks and that none of them had ever been in his truck," Alma Police's statement continues. "Physical evidence collected from the truck that Lincks owned when Morgan was abducted strongly indicates that Morgan had been in his truck."
Alma Police detectives resolved they'd 'reached a point' they could 'concentrate on a single suspect to determine the circumstances surrounding Morgan's abduction' however, Lincks died in the year 2000 which has led to Morgan's mom, Colleen Nick, to come to a heartbreaking realization.
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She told the Mail Online on Tuesday: "There's probably a one per cent chance she's still alive - but really I don't think there is."
She continued: "Now I just want to know where Morgan is."
Morgan's mom praised the 'army of supporters, advocates and heroes' who have 'rallied to uncover the truth about her disappearance' and noted while a man 'stole Morgan' from her, 'her dad, Logan and Taryn' he 'didn't see that he could never win'.
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Nick resolved: "Because our love for Morgan - her memory, her voice -outlasted his life. And that love continues to shine. Morgan’s heart shines on."
Alma Police asks that anyone with information that could help resolve this case, please call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).
Topics: Crime, Parenting, True crime, US News
Poppy Bilderbeck