ALMA, Ark. — The Alma Police Department said there has been a "significant development" in the investigation into the 1995 kidnapping of 6-year-old Morgan Nick.
Police Chief Jeff Pointer will report the development on Oct. 1 at 10:30 a.m. You can watch the press conference on-air at Channel 5 or on our streaming app 5+.
The press conference will take place in the courtroom of the Alma Police Department, 804 Fayetteville Ave., Alma.
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What we know
Since 1995, Morgan's disappearance has become one of Arkansas's most infamous unsolved mysteries.
In 1995, Morgan and her family went to a little league baseball game in Alma to cheer on a friend. Toward the end of the night, Morgan was invited to go catch fireflies with some friends. After playing for a while, her friends decided to leave, leaving Morgan by herself. That was the last time anyone saw her.
For years, everyone from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to local police departments has been trying to solve the case. In 2021, the FBI believed they were closer than ever as they linked local World War II veteran and Crawford County native Billy Jack Lincks to Morgan's abduction.
Lincks, a resident of Van Buren since the late 1970s, was caught attempting to abduct an 11-year-old girl 8 miles away from the Wofford Baseball Field where Morgan was taken from. Lincks's abduction attempt was just two months after Morgan's disappearance.
Lincks was found guilty of sexual solicitation of a child and sentenced to prison where he later died in 2000. However, he was not named a suspect in Morgan's disappearance until after his death.
Live updates
10:33 a.m.:
Jeff Pointer, the chief of the Alma Police Department, has taken the podium. He began speaking about the criminal history of Billy Jack Lincks.
Police tracked down the current owner of Linck's truck. The FBI tested the truck for DNA in 2020. In July 2023, an Alma detective discovered advanced an DNA system, and spoke with FBI to send the DNA evidence to a lab for testing.
10:38 a.m.:
On Sept. 27, 2024, the lab's report came back determining that hair contained in the evidence sent in belonged to either her mother Colleen Nick, or a member of Colleen's family, including Morgan. Pointer said that nobody in the Nick family was familiar with Lincks.
Pointer officially identified Billy Jack Lincks as the main suspect in Morgan's disappearance. However, what happened to Morgan after police believe Lincks took her from the Alma ballpark, detectives are still looking into.
10:45 a.m.:
Pointer answered a question about Linck's red truck, which witnesses reportedly told investigators in 1995 a similar red truck was at the ballpark when Morgan was taken. The red truck was at the center of the FBI's recent investigation.
Colleen Nick gave a closing statement at the press conference.
"He stole Morgan from me," she said.
5NEWS producers are watching the press conference live and will update this section after it begins.