On June 9, 1995, 6-year-old Morgan Nick disappeared from the Alma Little League ballpark parking lot in Alma, Arkansas, after attending a game.
She was never located after extensive searches. However, in 2024, crucial revelations brought investigators closer to solving her disappearance.
What happened years ago? Could it be solved?
Saw a “creepy” dude
Colleen and her 6-year-old daughter Morgan Nick attended a Little League baseball game at Alma, Arkansas, in the late evening of June 9, 1995.
Morgan, blonde and blue-eyed, was from Ozark but was attending her brother’s minor baseball game in Alma, 145 miles northwest of minor Rock.
After the game, Morgan asked her mother to let her and her pals collect fireflies. She had a green Girl Scout T-shirt, blue denim shorts, and white sneakers. Colleen let Morgan join her friends at the parking lot after a moment.
Morgan was last spotted by her friends emptying her shoes at her mother’s car at 10:45 p.m. Other kids were doing the same a few dozen feet distant.
Arkansas Justice Project
Morgan’s friends saw a “creepy” man talking to her as she put her shoes back on. The confusing talk made the children nervous, and they quickly became alarmed.
The unnamed male stood around 6’0″ and weighed approximately 180 lbs. He was aged 23-38. His salt-and-pepper hair was brushed back and possibly wavy.
Digged
Morgan’s buddies returned to the stands after the game, but Morgan was gone. The friends told Colleen she was at her car, but when she arrived, her daughter was gone.
Morgan Nick was never located after years of searching. Investigators sought for Morgan Nick’s disappearance for years without success. Several leads emerged during the study.
After a tip, Booneville, Arkansas police dug up a private property where Morgan may have been buried. Authorities searched using a police dog since the tip was “so specific”. No proof was uncovered, therefore the investigation was called off and authorities said they would not return to the premises.
The Morgan Nick Foundation
Federal agents investigated a deserted Spiro, Oklahoma, residence seeking DNA evidence that could link Morgan to it. The search was reopened after new information. Cadaver dogs led detectives to a property well, which became the focus. The case remained unsolved as the search yielded no meaningful evidence.
A red pickup truck
Despite these difficulties, local, state, and federal authorities are investigating Morgan Nick’s abduction.
In 2019, investigators revisited Billy Jack Lincks, a key suspect. Authorities spotted Lincks early in the investigation.
Within months of Morgan’s disappearance, he was arrested and charged with sexually soliciting an 11-year-old girl into his pickup vehicle.
Arkansas Police Department
Billy Jack Lincks, who died in 2000, drove a red pickup truck that was key to the inquiry since 1995. The FBI then found that truck fibers matched Morgan’s t-shirt, linking Lincks to her disappearance.
Lincks said he was unaware of Morgan Nick’s fate when questioned. His denial did not stop the lawsuit from progressing. Billy Jack Lincks’ truck was examined for evidence and hair samples were taken in 2020.
Fresh DNA evidence
In a news conference four years later, the Alma police chief declared a “significant development” in the case and disclosed new DNA evidence linking a Nick family member to the interior of Billy Jack Lincks’ red truck.
Advances in testing allowed DNA analysis of 2020 hair. One hair matched Morgan’s mother, Colleen Nick. Police stated that the DNA results suggested the hair belonged to Colleen, her siblings, or her children.
According to Alma Police Chief Jeff Pointer, “The physical evidence collected from the truck Lincks owned when Morgan was abducted strongly indicates that Morgan had been in his truck.”
Colleen Nick cried at a news conference, claiming, “He stole Morgan from me. He stole her from dad. But he didn’t realize he’d never win. Because we loved Morgan, her memory, and her voice after his death.” Morgan’s disappearance remains under investigation.
Changing missing child cases
Morgan Nick’s disappearance changed missing kid cases and raised awareness in the US. Colleen Nick founded the Morgan Nick Foundation in 1996 to help parents suffering from missing children and prevent such tragedies.
Unsolved Mysteries and America’s Most Wanted highlighted Morgan’s disappearance. Her family was featured on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in 2005 after a water heater explosion damaged their home.
The Arkansas AMBER Alert system is named after Morgan to help other families in difficulty.
Tonya Smith and James Monhart, two convicted offenders, were arrested in 2012 for trying to impersonate Morgan, highlighting her case’s lasting influence.
Morgan’s possible appearance today.
The Ridley Scott-produced four-part docuseries Still Missing Morgan revived Morgan Nick’s abduction in February 2023. The Hulu series honors Morgan and reminds us of the ongoing hunt for answers and the impact her case has on the fight against child abductions in the U.S.
Morgan’s disappearance is under probed. Her mother, Colleen Nick, awaits her return.