Missing 16-year-old boy found dead in landfill, MN cops say. Dad in custody
A 16-year-old boy last seen with his dad was found dead following a weekslong search through a 4-foot-deep plot of a landfill, Minnesota deputies and local news outlets said.
Now, deputies have taken the 38-year-old father of Jordan “Manny” Collins Jr. into custody in connection with his son’s death, the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office said in a July 7 Facebook post.
He is held in Anoka County Jail, according to records, but deputies said he has not been formally charged. McClatchy News is not naming the father because he has not been charged.
A video shared with law enforcement indicated Manny’s body was placed in a dumpster, which was then picked up by a garbage truck and taken to Waste Management Landfill in Elk River, deputies said.
The search for Manny’s body, which was concentrated to a plot that is 200 feet by 200 feet by 4 feet, took four weeks, deputies said.
The search started in early June and continued until his body was found on June 30, the sheriff’s office said. He was last seen on May 8.
“Since that day, my life has been turned upside down,” Manny’s mother wrote in a GoFundMe.
Officials said the investigation into the teen’s death is ongoing.
This story was originally published July 8, 2025 at 10:25 AM with the headline "Missing 16-year-old boy found dead in landfill, MN cops say. Dad in custody."
