Alma Police Chief Jeff Pointer discusses an update in the ongoing investigation of Morgan Nick’s 1995 kidnapping during a press conference at the Alma Police Department on Oct. 1, 2024. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)
ALMA — New DNA evidence firmly connects Billy Jack Lincks to the disappearance of Morgan Nick nearly 30 years ago, making him an official suspect, Alma’s police chief announced Tuesday.
Nick was six years old when she was abducted in 1995; she’s never been found. Lincks died in prison in 2000 while serving time for another crime.
Last December, investigators submitted evidence they’d collected from a pickup Lincks once owned to Texas-based Othram Laboratory, which offers advanced DNA testing. Officers had located the current owner of the truck in 2020.
A report sent from the lab on Friday determined that hair that was tested belonged to Morgan’s mom, Colleen, or one of Colleen’s siblings or children. Pointer said officials spent the weekend conducting follow-up interviews with the Nick family and determined none of them knew Lincks or had been in a truck similar to the one that was investigated.
Having physical evidence that “strongly indicates” Morgan was in Lincks’ truck is the most significant breakthrough in the case, Pointer said.
“The most important thing here is Morgan is still missing, but we’ve reached a point where we can concentrate on one suspect to determine the circumstances surrounding Morgan’s abduction,” he said. “…this investigation is not over, it is ongoing and active.”
In the wake of this development, Pointer said investigators are working to expand their understanding of Lincks and his activities through additional interviews and re-interviews of known associates, as well as locating any additional physical evidence.
Colleen Nick talks about her daughter, Morgan, who was kidnapped from an Alma baseball complex in 1995 during a press conference at the Alma Police Department on Oct. 1, 2024. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)
Colleen Nick has continued to tell her daughter’s story and advocate for families of missing children through the Morgan Nick Foundation, which she launched in 1996. On Tuesday, Colleen said Lincks stole Morgan from her family.
“But he didn’t see that he could never win because our love for Morgan, her memory and her voice outlasted his life, and that love continues to shine,” she said. “Her heart, Morgan’s heart shines on.”
Lincks was serving a sentence for a 1996 conviction for sexual indecency with a child when he died in prison at the age of 75, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Morgan Nick was kidnapped from the Alma Little League ballfield on June 9, 1995. A description of a suspect and a red truck with a white camper shell that were allegedly involved were provided at that time, according to a press release from Arkansas State Police.
A photo of Morgan Nick was on display at the Alma Police Department during a press conference on Oct. 1, 2024 where officials gave an update on her 1995 kidnapping. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)
In the nearly three decades since, local, state and federal law enforcement officials have spent thousands of hours working more than 10,000 leads in the case, Pointer said.
Lincks, a Van Buren resident and an early person of interest, was arrested on Aug. 29, 1995, for sexual solicitation of a child. He used his red truck during the offense. Lincks denied any knowledge of Morgan’s abduction when questioned by police on Aug. 31, 1995, so investigators moved on, according to the press release.
During a review of the early stages of the investigation, Alma police in July 2019 were drawn to Lincks and located his truck, which had been sold several times over the years. The current owner, who had no knowledge of Lincks, gave permission to examine the truck for evidence, Pointer said.
The FBI Evidence Response Team examined the truck in 2020 and retained custody of the evidence. Alma Police Detective Shawn Taylor retrieved the evidence in 2023 after learning of advanced testing processes and submitted it for analysis, according to the press release.
Pointer thanked ASP for providing the funding necessary to conduct the analysis during Tuesday’s press conference.
The Alma Police Department is seeking the public’s help in solving the case, Pointer said, and anyone with information can call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST.
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