Collins

NEWTON COUNTY, ARK — After being missing for 18 days, the body of Garwin resident Nicholas Collins has been found. An Arkansas State Trooper with the Emergency Response Team found Collins on Tuesday in Newton County, Ark.

According to a press release by the Newton County Sheriff’s office, the body was located in a, “very steep, rugged and remote area of the Ozark National Forest, approximately 1,760 feet inside Newton County, but approximately 1.7 miles from the trailhead.” Arkansas Investigators determined that the body was that of Nicholas Collins, who had died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Evidence at the scene as well indicated that the death was a suicide.

The Arkansas press release went on to say, “Personnel on scene then began the arduous task of bringing Collins back to the command post. Nearly 40 personnel from at least 12 organizations were involved in just the recovery carry-out part of the mission, which took several hours.”

Nicholas Collins was a 22-year-old GMG graduate who had left his home on Dec. 19. A note was found stating he was “going away for a while.” It is thought that he was headed towards Gladbrook, less than 10 miles away. However, the license plate of Collins’s 2012 white Mini Cooper was caught on a license plate reader in Southern Missouri. It was thought that Collins was in or had recently been in the Ozarks or Table Rock region, nearly 500 miles away.

At 8:41 am, on New Year’s Day, a call was received by dispatch in Johnson County, Ark. about an abandoned white Mini Cooper. The Tama County Sheriff’s Department was able to confirm that the abandoned Mini Cooper belonged to Collins. The Mini Cooper was located at the Arbaugh trailhead on the Ozark Highlands Trail in the Ozark National Forest region of Johnson County, Ark., approximately 100 miles from Table Rock.

Search and rescue teams were deployed in the area, in both Johnson County and Newton County. Johnson County Sheriff Tom Hughes was in constant contact with the Tama County Sheriff’s Department and worked diligently to gather resources to help find Nicholas. Sheriff Hughes mentioned to the press that Klay Rowbotham, the Deputy Director of Emergency Management in Johnson County, had been leading the search.

Concerns for Cooper were amplified as well by the fact that the day he left, Dec. 19, his phone was shut off, and hadn’t had service since.

Roughly 1,700 “very rugged” acres in the vicinity of where Nicholas’ car was found were searched. The Arkansas press release stated that, “many ground searchers on foot, helicopters, various specialty K9s, drones, GPS tracking technology, and more,” were utilized in the search.

“Even though Newton County only played a small role in this one, it is just another example of many people from a lot of agencies and backgrounds coming together for one mission and working very hard, with no egos getting in the way, to see that mission through. In this case, a very difficult and even hazardous mission. I always like to say that we are all on the same team. Operations like this only further prove that,” Newton County Sheriff Glenn Wheeler said.

Tama County Sheriff Casey Schmidt stated his gratitude to all those involved in a press release. “We thank all the agencies and volunteers for their part in the search, including local teams in Arkansas, federal law enforcement, and our staff in Tama County,” he said.

Sheriff Wheeler expressed his condolences about the outcome of the search.

“I hate that this turned out like it did, but I am glad we are able to provide some answers to a family that has been without answers for what I can only imagine were a very long couple of weeks. Our prayers and condolences go out to them,” he said.

The investigation remains active with the Newton County Arkansas Sheriff’s Department.