The father of a Twin Cities teenager found dead in a landfill after a weekslong search has been charged in connection with his son's killing.

Jordan Dupree Collins Sr., 38, is charged with one count of second-degree murder, according to court documents filed Wednesday in Anoka County.

According to a criminal complaint, 16-year-old Jordan "Manny" Collins Jr. was living with his father in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, when his family and girlfriend lost contact with him. His mother reported him missing to the Columbia Heights Police Department on May 12, four days after she last heard from him when he reacted to a text message she sent.

The boy's mother said she talked to Collins Sr., who told her their son left the apartment on May 8 to visit his grandmother and girlfriend in St. Paul, Minnesota. Collins Sr. told law enforcement the same thing. Collins Jr. never made it to either home, the complaint states.

The teen's girlfriend said she last spoke to him via video call around 2:30 a.m. on May 8, and that he "did not seem upset and did not tell her he was planning to visit her," the complaint states.

On May 13, authorities obtained video showing a garbage truck emptying the dumpster behind the apartment building. They traced the contents to a landfill in Elk River, Minnesota, where Collins Jr.'s remains were found on June 28.  

On May 15, police searched Collins Sr.'s apartment, finding bloodstained items in garbage bags. DNA obtained from those items, as well as blood on the bedroom wall of the apartment, matched the boy's. Police also found "several butcher/hunting style knives," which Collins Sr. later said he used "to butcher goats and sheep," according to the complaint.

Investigators also found evidence that pieces of a mattress and carpet had been removed from the apartment. Collins Sr. later told authorities he removed them while cleaning up his own blood, but the complaint states none of the man's blood was found inside the apartment.

In an interview with police on June 20, Collins Sr. told police his son left his apartment on May 10 — two days later than he originally said, according to the complaint. He also said he tried to call his son "a couple of times" when he didn't hear from him, but phone records show he called his son's phone once on May 13, after he had spoken to police for the first time.

Authorities arrested the elder Collins on Monday, less than a week after his son's remains were found. He appeared in court Wednesday, where his bail was set at $3 million without conditions and $2 million with them. Prosecutors allege he was planning to leave Minnesota, and said they will pursue an aggravated charge.

According to the complaint, an autopsy of Collins Jr. found "evidence of decapitation by knife."

Mary Berry, the boy's grandmother, told WCCO she spoke with his father the day he disappeared. Collins Sr. told her his son was on his way to her house, but he never showed up. For days, she said, Collins Sr. would not give her an answer about where her grandson went.

Domestic Violence Resources: For anonymous, confidential help, people can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.

• Columbia Heights