During a press conference on Tuesday, the Alma Police Department in Arkansas provided a significant update in the case of Morgan Nick, a young girl who went missing in 1995. Authorities revealed that DNA collected from a truck previously owned by the primary suspect in her disappearance has been connected to Morgan.
On June 9, 1995, Morgan, then six years old, was abducted from a parking lot near Wofford Field in Alma, where she was attending a Little League game. “When I couldn’t see Morgan, my heart started to beat really fast,” recalled her mother, Colleen Nick, in a 2019 interview. “We were somewhere we hadn’t been before. She wouldn’t go anywhere by herself.”
Following the incident in 1995, the Alma Police Department gathered witness statements and received a description of a suspect along with details about a red truck with a white camper shell that was reportedly involved in her abduction. A man named Billy Jack Lincks became a person of interest shortly after. Although he was questioned in 1995, Lincks claimed he had no knowledge of the case.
In July 2019, the police revisited Morgan’s disappearance. In 2020, they located Lincks’s truck, which had since changed owners several times. The current owner permitted authorities to search the vehicle, leading to the collection of various items, including hair. This evidence was forwarded to the FBI for analysis.
A year later, the FBI suggested they were closing in on the identity of the person responsible for Morgan’s abduction but needed additional information about Lincks. They urged the public to come forward with any details from his life, emphasizing that no piece of information was too trivial.
In 2023, an Alma detective discovered a new DNA analysis method offered by Othram Labs, which successfully creates DNA profiles from hair samples. By the end of that year, evidence was analyzed, and on September 27, 2024, Othram reported that the hair samples matched Colleen Nick or one of her family members.
Upon reinterviewing the Nick family, investigators found that none were familiar with Lincks or had ever been in a truck like his. Chief Pointer noted that this evidence strongly suggests Morgan was in Lincks’s vehicle. Lincks passed away in 2000.
Pointer stated that law enforcement has dedicated countless hours pursuing over 10,000 leads in the case but reiterated that Morgan is still missing. He emphasized the need to focus on one suspect to ascertain the circumstances surrounding her disappearance. “How was she taken from the ball field? What happened afterward? Did Lincks have assistance in abducting Morgan or covering up the crime all these years? And where is Morgan now?” he asked.
The investigation remains active, with authorities reinterviewing known associates of Lincks and seeking any additional information regarding Morgan’s case. Anyone with pertinent details is encouraged to contact 1-800-THE-LOST (843-5678).
During the press conference, Morgan’s mother, Colleen, expressed gratitude for the supportive community working to uncover the truth surrounding her daughter’s disappearance. “He stole Morgan from me, he stole her from her dad, and he stole her from Logan and Taryn,” Colleen lamented. “But he didn’t see that he could never win. Because our love for Morgan — her memory and her voice — outlasted his life.”
Colleen is convinced that their love will endure. “That love continues to shine. Her heart — Morgan’s heart shines on,” she affirmed.