The Disappearance of Morgan Chauntel Nick
On June 9, 1995, six-year-old Morgan Chauntel Nick was abducted from a little league game in Alma, Arkansas. Despite 1000s of leads, she has not been located. Her case remains open.
Morgan’s Disappearance
On June 9, 1995, Morgan attended a little league baseball game with her mother, Colleen Nick, at the Wofford baseball field in Alma, Arkansas. At approximately 10:30 p.m., Morgan asked her mother if she could go catch fireflies (lightning bugs) with a group of her friends that were playing near the sandbox. Her mom could easily see the sandbox from where she was sitting in the bleachers. She allowed Morgan to play with her friends for a few minutes before the baseball game ended. Once the game was over, approximately 15-minutes later, Colleen went to collect Morgan. She could see the other children walking away from the play area, but Morgan was not with them. When she asked them where Morgan was, they had said that they had seen Morgan standing at Colleen’s car, emptying the sand from her shoes. When Colleen reached her car, Morgan was not there. People nearby helped with a quick initial search. There was no sign of Morgan.
A few of Morgan’s friends stated that there had been a “creepy” man talking to Morgan in their car when she had been putting her shoes back on after emptying the sand. Other witnesses would state that they saw a man watching the children play.
On the day that she disappeared, Morgan was approximately 4 feet tall, 55 pounds, with blonde hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a green Girl Scout t-shirt, blue denim shorts, and white tennis shoes. She also had 5 silver caps on her molars, which could be easily seen.
Suspicious Individual
Other witnesses would state that they saw a man watching the children play. They described him as a Caucasian male between the ages of 23-38 years old. He was approximately 6-feet tall with a medium/solid build, and a mustache with a 1-inch beard. Witnesses also noticed a faded red colored pickup with a white truck camper parked nearby. Witnesses thought the camper looked too small for the truck bed (by a couple of inches) and that there was potential damage to the camper’s right rear corner. A few people stated they thought the pickup had Arkansas license plates. The plate number was not noted.
The Investigation
From the beginning of the initial investigation, efforts by authorities have been extensive. Thousands of leads and tips have been, and each one has been researched. One such lead took investigators to a section of private property approximately an hour south of where Morgan was last seen. On January 15, 2002, investigators dug on a piece of Booneville Arkansas property, trying to locate a possible burial site, according to a tip. A police dog participated in the on-site investigation. They did not find any evidence.
Possible national sightings of Morgan have also been reported. Another tip led investigators, including the FBI, to a vacant house in Spiro, Oklahoma, approximately a 30-minute drive southwest of Alma, AR. On November 15, 2010, investigators searched the vacant house looking for any evidence of Morgan being on the property. On December 18, 2017, an anonymous tip led investigators back to the same vacant house in search of Morgan’s DNA or any other types of evidence. Cadaver dogs alerted on a water well on the property, but no further evidence was discovered and the on-site investigation for the vacant property was ended.
A Person of Interest
One of the more recent tips was in 2021. The FBI made an announcement. Billy Jack Lincks is one person who they are pursuing as a person of interest. Lincks grew up in the area before serving in the U.S. Army. He worked as an upholsterer for Braniff Airlines in Dallas from the years 1962-1974. He returned to Van Buren, AR area, but had very close ties to people in Tennessee.
Two months after Morgan disappeared in 1995, Lincks attempted to abduct an 11-year-old girl. He approached her at a local fast-food restaurant in Van Buren, AR and offered her money in exchange for sexual favors. He was unsuccessful at luring her into his red pickup. Lincks was arrested and convicted of sexual solicitation of a child. He died in prison in 2000, while serving his sentence. According to his obituary, Lincks was married with children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was of Pentecostal faith. Lincks was buried at Gracelawn Cemetery in Van Buren, AR on August 10, 2000.
In relation, the site of Morgan’s disappearance and the site of the attempted abduction in Van Buren were 8 miles from each other, which was one of several reasons that Lincks’s name gained attention.
Although the investigators are seeking more information about Lincks, they have not definitively tied him to the disappearance of Morgan Nick.
The Aftermath
Over the years, the disappearance of Moran Nick has gained television coverage by such television programs as America’s Most Wanted and Unsolved Mysteries. The Amber Alert system in the state of Arkansas was named the Morgan Nick Amber Alert. Colleen Nick started the Morgan Nick Foundation in 1996. The foundation’s purpose is to offer support for families of missing children and educational tips for abduction prevention.
The Morgan Nick Foundation can be found here.
Investigators continue to receive tips regarding the location of Morgan Nick. She has yet to be discovered. Any tips or additional information regarding Morgan’s case can be directed to the Alma Police Department at (479) 632-3333, Morgan Nick Foundation at (877) 543-4673, the National Center for Missing Children at (800) 843-5678, or the Federal Bureau of Investigation at 1 (800) CALL-FBI.