He Told Relative His Son Was Headed to Her Place — But Teen Never Arrived, and Now Dad Is Under Arrest

A Minnesota man has been arrested almost exactly two months after his 16-year-old son disappeared — and about a week after the teenager’s remains were found in a landfill. 

Jordan Dupree “Manny” Collins Jr. was last seen on May 8 in a Columbia Heights, Minn., neighborhood, the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement later that month. 

There were no phones or social media activity from Manny since he was last seen, the sheriff’s office said in their May 28 statement. 

On July 1, authorities announced that remains found over the weekend during a search of a landfill in nearby Elk River, Minn., were later identified as those of Manny.

On Monday, July 7, police arrested his father, Jordan Dupree Collins Sr., in connection with his death, the sheriff’s office said in an update. Charges against the father have not been announced.

Manny’s disappearance led to a widespread search effort by authorities, with the landfill search alone taking up nearly four weeks, according to police, PEOPLE previously reported.

Authorities believe the teen was killed around Mother’s Day, KSTP reported.

It was not immediately clear what led police to arrest the father. Manny’s great-grandmother told KSTP that right before Manny disappeared, around Mother’s Day, his father told her Manny was on his way to her home. But Manny never arrived. 

The great-grandmother, Mary Berry, told the outlet that around Mother’s Day, she called Collins Sr. to let him know Manny had not arrived at her place. She said that after that, he stopped taking her calls.

In one of several Facebook posts, Manny’s aunt addressed her brother.

“He was such a good kid,” Nautica Polo wrote. “He looked up to you and you did no wrong in his eyes.” 

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Soon after he disappeared, a GoFundMe was set up to assist Manny’s mother as she struggled to return to work while searching for her son.

Collins Sr. is expected in court on Wednesday, July 9, KSTP reported.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.