ALMA, Ark. — A new development in the Morgan Nick case was revealed on Tuesday, Oct. 1, during a press conference in Alma.
The Alma Police Department (APD) has officially announced Billy Jack Lincks as a suspect in the disappearance of 6-year-old Morgan Nick.
1995 Disappearance
Morgan Nick disappeared on June 9, 1995. Her mother, Colleen Nick, took Morgan to a little league baseball game in Alma, but she never imagined she would be going home without her daughter.
During the game, Morgan left with some friends to catch fireflies. After a while, Morgan was left by herself and then never seen again.
Since then, the FBI, local authorities, and her family have been seeking answers to her disappearance.
Authorities believe that Morgan was abducted from the parking lot at around 10:45 p.m. Officials received a suspect description as well as the description of a red truck with a white camper shell that was allegedly involved in the crime.
Billy Jack Lincks
In 2021, the FBI 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 eight miles away from the Wofford Baseball Field where Morgan was taken from. Lincks's abduction attempt was just two months after Morgan's disappearance. This crime was committed using his red truck. Chief of Alma Police Department, Jeff Horner, said Lincks was questioned about Morgan's abduction, but he denied any knowledge of it, so "investigators moved on."
Lincks was found guilty of sexual solicitation of a child and sentenced to prison where he later died in 2000. However, he was not investigated as a suspect in Morgan's disappearance until after his death.
New development
On Oct. 1, Alma police announced Lincks as an official suspect after DNA evidence connected his involvement with the six-year-old's disappearance.
Police tracked down the current owner of Lincks's truck, who allowed them to investigate it. The owner said he did not know Lincks. According to a release by Arkansas State Police, the truck had been sold "several times in the years that followed. " The FBI Evidence Response Team then took over, tested the truck for DNA in 2020, and vacuumed it for evidence.
In the collection, investigators were able to find hair. In July 2023, Alma Detective Shawn Taylor discovered an advanced DNA system that could test hair with or without roots. Taylor spoke with the FBI to send the DNA evidence to a lab for testing.
On Sept. 27, 2024, the lab's report came back, determining that the hair contained in the evidence sent in belonged to either Morgan's mother, Colleen Nick, or a member of Colleen's family. Officials said nobody in the Nick family was familiar with Lincks and had never been inside the truck, prompting the suspicion that Morgan was the one in the truck. Horner said this physical evidence "strongly indicates that Morgan had been in his truck."
Alma Police Chief Jeff Pointer officially identified Billy Jack Lincks as the main suspect in Morgan's disappearance. However, the investigation is still in the search for Morgan and what happened after the alleged abduction.
"Alma Police detectives have reached a point where they can concentrate on a single suspect to determine the circumstances surrounding Morgan’s abduction," officials said.
Morgan's mother also stepped up to the podium to share some words.
"An army of supporters, advocates and heroes have rallied to uncover the truth about her disappearance,” she said. “He stole Morgan from me, her dad, Logan and Taryn. He didn’t see that he could never win. Because our love for Morgan – her memory, her voice – outlasted his life. And that love continues to shine. Morgan’s heart shines on.”
Police still have many unanswered questions and ask the public to report any information about this case to 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).
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