The father of a missing Twin Cities teenager has been charged with second-degree murder after the boy’s body was discovered in a Minnesota landfill, ending a harrowing weeks-long search.
Jordan Dupree Collins Sr., 38, of Columbia Heights, was charged Wednesday in Anoka County in connection with the death of his 16-year-old son, Jordan “Manny” Collins Jr. Court documents allege Collins Sr. killed his son and attempted to conceal the crime by discarding his remains in a dumpster behind their apartment complex.
According to the criminal complaint, Collins Jr. was living with his father when he stopped communicating with his family and girlfriend in early May. His mother, who had last heard from him on May 8 via text message, reported him missing to Columbia Heights Police on May 12.
Collins Sr. initially told both the boy’s mother and police that his son left their apartment on May 8 to visit his grandmother and girlfriend in St. Paul. However, investigators later learned Collins Jr. never arrived at either location. The teen’s girlfriend last saw him during a video call at approximately 2:30 a.m. on May 8.
She told authorities that he appeared normal and made no mention of plans to visit her that day. Surveillance video obtained on May 13 showed a garbage truck emptying a dumpster behind Collins Sr.’s apartment. Police traced the load to a landfill in Elk River, where they discovered the teen’s remains on June 28.
A subsequent search of the father’s apartment on May 15 revealed bloodstained items in garbage bags. DNA testing confirmed the blood matched Collins Jr. Additional blood was found on a bedroom wall, and investigators noted pieces of a mattress and carpet had been removed. Authorities also recovered several hunting-style knives.
Collins Sr. claimed the knives were used for butchering animals, and said he removed the mattress and carpet to clean his own blood, though no traces of his blood were found. During a June 20 interview, Collins Sr. changed his story, claiming his son left the apartment on May 10 instead of May 8.
He also said he attempted to contact his son, but phone records show only one call was made—on May 13, after he’d already spoken to police. An autopsy revealed the teen was decapitated with a knife. 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. was arrested Monday and appeared in court Wednesday. His bail was set at $3 million without conditions, and $2 million with. Prosecutors say he was preparing to flee Minnesota and may pursue an aggravated murder charge. Mary Berry, the victim’s grandmother, told WCCO, “He said Manny was coming to my house. But he never showed up. And then, no answers.”