LITTLE ROCK, Ark — The 1995 disappearance of 6-year-old Morgan Nick has become one of the most prominent unsolved cases in all of Arkansas in the nearly 30 years since her kidnapping.
It's officially been 29 years since her disappearance and on Oct. 1, 2024, the Alma Police Department held a press conference where they announced a "significant development" in the investigation.
During the press conference, Alma police shared that after conducting DNA testing, hair found in a truck that was once owned by Billy Jack Lincks was connected to the Morgan Nick case.
Lincks was named as a person of interest in the case back in 2022, but during the press conference, officials named him as the first and only suspect in the case.
Authorities shared during the press conference that hair inside of the truck was tested and was linked to the same DNA belonging to someone in the Nick family.
Officials believe the hair tested belongs to Morgan Nick.
Following the announcement of the DNA testing, Morgan's mother Colleen stood alongside police as she addressed the public.
"There have been an army of supporters and advocates and heroes who have rallied to uncover the truth of Morgan's disappearance and you see those people here in this room today," Colleen said during the press conference. "[Billy Jack Lincks] stole Morgan from me, he stole her from her dad... but he could never see that he could never win because our love for Morgan, her memory, and her voice outlasted his life," Colleen continued.
In 1995, Morgan disappeared after attending a little league baseball game in Alma. As the night progressed, the 6-year-old was invited to go catch fireflies with her friends. After playing for awhile Morgan was eventually left by herself as her friends decided to leave the area — this was the last time anyone ever saw her.
The investigation into Morgan's disappearance gained national exposure, as a docuseries titled "Still Missing Morgan" was released on Hulu in 2023 to raise awareness about the investigation.
Back in 2022, investigators initially connected Lincks to the abduction of Morgan, asking the public at the time for any information about him.
According to court documents from August 1995, Lincks attempted to abduct an 11-year-old girl at a Sonic in Van Buren, Arkansas.
It happened just two months after Morgan's abduction, only 8-miles away from the Wofford Baseball Field in Alma where Morgan was last seen.
Following the Sonic incident, Lincks was charged and later convicted for sexual solicitation of the Van Buren child. Lincks died in prison in 2000.
The biggest detail about Lincks that stuck out from the investigation was not his track record, it was the vehicle he drove — a red 1986 Chevrolet pickup.
For years, the Alma Police Department has connected a similar red truck, but one with a white camper shell, to Morgan's disappearance.