Key facts
- Name: Morgan Chauntel Nick
- Born: September 12, 1988
- Age at abduction: 6
- Last seen: June 9, 1995, ~10:45 p.m.
- Location: Wofford baseball field parking lot, Alma, Arkansas
- Height / weight: 4’0″, 55 lbs, blonde hair, blue eyes
- Distinguishing: Five visible silver caps on her molars; crowded teeth; a protruding purple vein on her lower left rib cage
- Last seen wearing: Green Girl Scouts t-shirt, blue denim shorts, white tennis shoes
- Status: Still missing — case open and under active investigation; $60,000 reward
- Named suspect: Billy Jack Lincks (deceased 2000) — never charged, never tried
- Investigating agency: Alma Police Department (lead), with the FBI, Arkansas State Police, and NCMEC
First, the most important fact: this case is not solved
You’ve probably seen the headlines calling the Morgan Nick case “solved.” It isn’t. In October 2024, police named a suspect for the first time — a man who died in prison in 2000 and can never stand trial. Nobody has ever been charged with taking Morgan. No remains have been found.
At the press conference, Alma Police Chief Jeff Pointer said it as plainly as it can be said: “The most important thing here is Morgan is still missing.”
Some low-quality outlets and viral videos have gone further, inventing details from nothing — including a fabricated 2024 “arrest” that never happened. This article sticks to what’s verified.
Fireflies
On the evening of June 9, 1995, the Nick family was at a Little League game at the Wofford ball field in Alma, Arkansas. Morgan’s mother Colleen let six-year-old Morgan go catch fireflies in the parking lot with two friends. It was about 10:45 p.m.
The two friends stopped to shake sand out of their shoes near the front of the cars. Morgan went around behind her mother’s car. A man was seen watching the children — seen talking to Morgan.
When the game ended, Morgan was gone.
What followed was one of the largest searches in Arkansas history: more than 300 volunteers, the FBI, and — over the years — more than 10,000 leads. Witnesses described an older red pickup with a white camper shell and rear-end damage, and a composite went out: a man between 30 and 50, about six feet, around 180 pounds, salt-and-pepper hair.
The suspect
Two months after Morgan vanished, in August 1995, a man from Van Buren — eight miles from Alma — was arrested trying to abduct an 11-year-old girl at a Sonic drive-in. His name was Billy Jack Lincks. He was convicted in 1996 of sexual solicitation of a child. He died in prison on August 5, 2000, of unrelated causes.
For 25 years, Lincks was just a name in the file. Then the case broke open:
- 2020 — The case was reopened. Investigators tracked down Lincks’ old red truck and vacuumed it for evidence. FBI fiber analysis found fibers in the truck that closely matched Morgan’s Girl Scout t-shirt.
- November 2021 — The FBI named Lincks a person of interest and asked the public for anything on him.
- December 2023 — A hair sample from the truck went to Othram Labs in Texas for advanced DNA analysis, paid for by the Arkansas State Police.
- September 2024 — The results: the hair was a first-degree familial DNA match to Colleen Nick’s family — and interviews eliminated every family member as having ever known Lincks or been inside his truck.
- October 1, 2024 — At a press conference, Chief Pointer named Billy Jack Lincks an official suspect for the first time. The lab findings, he said, strongly indicated Morgan had been in the truck.
It was the biggest development in the case’s history. It wasn’t a solution. Lincks died uncharged in 2000 — he can never be tried, and the questions of how Morgan was taken, what came next, whether Lincks had help, and where Morgan is remain open and under active investigation.
What we still don’t know
What happened after the parking lot? The DNA puts Morgan’s family’s genetic material in Lincks’ truck, and the fibers match her shirt — the strongest evidentiary picture the case has ever had. But it’s unadjudicated: no court has tested it, and Lincks is gone.
Did he have help? Police have said they’re looking at whether Lincks acted alone. Open question.
Where is Morgan? Unknown. No remains have ever been found. Digs on tips — Booneville in 2002, a house in Spiro, Oklahoma in 2010 and 2017 — came up empty.
The legacy
Morgan’s mother Colleen founded the Morgan Nick Foundation, which works missing-children cases. Arkansas’s missing-child alert system is called the Morgan Nick Alert. In 2023, Hulu released the docuseries Still Missing Morgan. A $60,000 reward stands for information leading to Morgan’s recovery and an arrest.
Have information?
Contact the Alma Police Department: (479) 632-3333, the Morgan Nick Foundation: 1-877-543-4673, the FBI Little Rock: (501) 221-9100, or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children: 1-800-843-5678. In an emergency, dial 911.
Timeline
- September 12, 1988 — Morgan Chauntel Nick is born.
- June 9, 1995, ~10:45 p.m. — Abducted from the Wofford ball field parking lot, Alma, AR, while catching fireflies.
- Summer 1995 — One of the largest searches in Arkansas history; 10,000+ leads over the years.
- August 1995 — Billy Jack Lincks arrested attempting to abduct an 11-year-old at a Sonic in Van Buren.
- 1996 — Lincks convicted of sexual solicitation of a child.
- August 5, 2000 — Lincks dies in prison.
- 2002–2017 — Digs on tips (Booneville 2002; Spiro, OK 2010, 2017) find nothing.
- 2020 — Case reopened; Lincks’ truck found and tested; fibers match Morgan’s shirt.
- November 2021 — FBI names Lincks a person of interest.
- December 2023 — Hair sample sent to Othram Labs.
- October 1, 2024 — Press conference: Lincks named a suspect via familial DNA; “Morgan is still missing.”
- 2023 — Hulu releases Still Missing Morgan.
- Today — Still missing; case open; $60,000 reward.
FAQ
Is the Morgan Nick case solved?
No. Despite headlines suggesting otherwise, the case is unsolved. In October 2024, police named the deceased Billy Jack Lincks as a suspect based on DNA evidence, but no one has ever been charged, no remains have been found, and the investigation is active. Claims of a 2024 “arrest” in viral videos are fabricated.
How old would Morgan Nick be today?
Morgan was born September 12, 1988 — she turned 38 in September 2026.
Who was Billy Jack Lincks?
A Van Buren, Arkansas man arrested in August 1995 — two months after Morgan’s abduction — for attempting to abduct an 11-year-old girl. He was convicted of sexual solicitation of a child in 1996 and died in prison in 2000. In 2024, familial DNA from a hair in his truck matched Morgan Nick’s family, and fibers in the truck matched her Girl Scout shirt. He was named a suspect but can never be tried.
What was the DNA evidence?
A hair recovered from Lincks’ red truck was analyzed by Othram Labs and found to be a first-degree familial DNA match to Colleen Nick’s family; every family member was eliminated as having known Lincks or been in the truck. Separately, FBI fiber analysis matched fibers in the truck to Morgan’s green Girl Scout t-shirt.
How can I help?
Share this case file, and if you have any information, contact the Alma Police Department at (479) 632-3333, the Morgan Nick Foundation at 1-877-543-4673, or NCMEC at 1-800-843-5678.
Sources
- Official / law enforcement: Alma Police Department (Oct 1, 2024 press conference); FBI Little Rock (Nov 9, 2021); NCMEC (2024); Morgan Nick Foundation (https://morgannickfoundation.com/about/morgans-story/).
- News: Associated Press (2024); PEOPLE; KATV/4029tv (2023); KARK (2023).
- Reference: Wikipedia, “Disappearance of Morgan Nick” (retrieved Oct 2026).
- Media: Hulu, Still Missing Morgan (2023).
Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Last verified October 2026.