Morgan Nick: What we know about her disappearance

On June 9th, 1995, 6-year-old Morgan Nick vanished without a trace from the parking lot of the Alma Little League ballpark in Alma, Arkansas, after watching a game.

Despite exhaustive searches and investigations, she was never found. However, in 2024, key developments surfaced, bringing investigators closer than ever to uncovering the truth behind her disappearance.

What happened all those years ago, and could the mystery finally be solved?

Noticed a ”creepy” man

In the late evening of June 9, 1995, Colleen and her 6-year-old daughter, Morgan Nick, attended a Little League baseball game at the Alma ballpark in Arkansas.

Morgan, with her blonde hair and blue eyes, was from Ozark but was attending her brother’s little league game in Alma, situated about 145 miles northwest of Little Rock.

As the game wrapped up, Morgan asked her mother if she could go catch fireflies with her friends. She was wearing a green Girl Scout T-shirt, blue denim shorts, and white sneakers. After a brief hesitation, Colleen agreed, allowing Morgan to join her group of friends near the parking lot.

Around 10:45 p.m., Morgan was last seen by her friends, standing alone near her mother’s car and emptying sand from her shoes. The other children were a few dozen feet away, doing the same.

It was at that moment that Morgan’s friends noticed a man — described as “creepy” — talking to her as she put her shoes back on. The conversation, though unclear, appeared strange to the children, and their uneasy feelings quickly turned to alarm.

The unidentified male was described as being between 23 and 38 years old, 6’0″ tall, and weighing around 180 lbs. He had salt-and-pepper hair, which was combed back and possibly curly.

Conducted a dig

As the game came to a close, Morgan’s friends returned to the stands, but Morgan was nowhere to be found. The friends told Colleen that she had been at her car, but when Colleen made her way over, her daughter had vanished.

Despite extensive searches and investigations over the years, Morgan Nick was never found. Morgan Nick’s disappearance remains unsolved, and for many years, investigators searched in vain for answers. However, a few leads surfaced during the course of the investigation.

Police conducted a dig on a private piece of land in Booneville, Arkansas, after receiving a tip that Morgan might have been buried there. The tip was deemed “so specific” that authorities decided to proceed with the search, even bringing in a police dog to assist. Ultimately, the investigation was called off after no evidence was found, and authorities confirmed they would not return to the property.

In another lead, federal investigators searched a vacant house in Spiro, Oklahoma, for DNA evidence that could suggest Morgan had been there. The search was revisited after new information came to light. Cadaver dogs alerted investigators to a well on the property, which became the focal point of the investigation. However, the search ended without finding any significant evidence, and the case remained unresolved.

The red pickup truck

Despite these setbacks, new leads in Morgan Nick’s disappearance continue to emerge and are being pursued at local, state, and federal levels.

A breakthrough in the case came in 2019, when investigators revisited a person of interest — Billy Jack Lincks. Early in the investigation, Lincks had drawn the attention of authorities.

He had been arrested and charged with the sexual solicitation of a child after allegedly attempting to lure an 11-year-old girl into his pickup truck, just a few month’s after Morgan’s disappearance.

Billy Jack Lincks, who passed away in 2000, drove a red pickup truck that had been a focal point of the investigation since the very beginning in 1995. The FBI later revealed that fibers found in the truck were a close match to those from Morgan’s t-shirt, providing a significant link between Lincks and her disappearance.

But during his questioning about Morgan Nick, Lincks denied any involvement, claiming he had no knowledge of what had happened to her. Despite his denial, the case would soon see new developments. In 2020, investigators searched Billy Jack Lincks’ truck for evidence and collected hair samples from the vehicle.

New DNA evidence

Then, four years later, the Alma police chief announced a “significant development” in the case, and held a press conference – where they revealed new DNA evidence that linked a member of the Nick family to the interior of a red truck once owned by Billy Jack Lincks.

Thanks to advances in testing methods, the hair found in 2020 was able to be analyzed for DNA. One strand of hair returned a positive match to Colleen Nick, Morgan’s mother. Police clarified that the DNA results indicated the hair could have belonged to Colleen, one of her siblings, or one of her children.

Alma Police Chief Jeff Pointer stated, “The physical evidence collected from the truck Lincks owned when Morgan was abducted strongly indicates that Morgan had been in his truck.”

During a news conference, Colleen Nick emotionally spoke out, saying, “He stole Morgan from me. He stole her from her dad. But he didn’t see that he could never win. Because our love for Morgan, her memory, and her voice outlasted his life.” The investigation into Morgan’s disappearance continues.

Shaping the future of missing children cases

The disappearance of Morgan Nick has had a profound impact in the United States, shaping the way missing children cases are handled and raising awareness across the nation. In 1996, Colleen Nick established the Morgan Nick Foundation to support parents facing the nightmare of a missing child and to help prevent such tragedies.

Morgan’s case was featured on Unsolved Mysteries and America’s Most Wanted, further bringing attention to her disappearance. In 2005, her family’s story was highlighted on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition after their home was damaged in a water heater explosion.

In Arkansas, the AMBER Alert system is named in Morgan’s honor, ensuring her legacy continues to help other families in crisis.

In 2012, two convicted felons, Tonya Smith and James Monhart, were arrested for attempting to assume Morgan’s identity, further showing the lasting impact of her case.

An image that shows how Morgan could look today.

In February 2023, the story of Morgan Nick’s disappearance was brought back to the public eye with the release of the four-part docuseries Still Missing Morgan, executive produced by Ridley Scott. Available on Hulu, the series continues to keep Morgan’s memory alive, reminding us all of the ongoing search for answers and the indelible mark her case has left on the fight against child abductions in the U.S.

The investigation into Morgan’s disappearance is still active. Her mother, Colleen Nick, is still waiting for her to come home.

If you have any information regarding her disappearance or know her whereabouts, please call Alma Arkansas Police Department 479-632-3333 or Arkansas State Police-Troop H at 479-783-5195.