Dozens gather to mourn Jordan "Manny" Collins Jr. days after remains found in landfill
Heartbreak filled the air in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, on Thursday — but so did solidarity.
Dozens of people stood in a circle surrounding a grieving mother, determined to both mourn and seek justice for her son, Jordan Dupree Collins, Jr., known by the nickname "Manny."
"I'm going to miss him a lot," said Collins' mother, Ashley Berry.
Collins vanished while visiting his father in Columbia Heights on May 8.
After nearly a month of searching the Waste Management Landfill in Elk River, authorities found the remains of Collins there on Saturday, Anoka County Sheriff Brad Wise said.
The search had shifted to the landfill on June 4 after authorities "were offered information that led to a video, and that video showed some evidence that would suggest the body might've made its way into a dumpster and into a garbage truck."
The remains came to the landfill from a dumpster in Columbia Heights, Wise said, and Collins likely died between May 8 and May 13.
Thursday evening, outside the apartment where Collins lived with his father, red and blue balloons swayed in the wind as the community vowed to seek justice alongside Berry.
"A million thank you to everybody, I wish I could send thank you cards to everybody," Berry said, holding back tears.
An autopsy has been completed, but Collins' cause of death remains undetermined, according to Columbia Heights Police Chief Matt Markham.
Investigators say they have a person of interest, but are still not identifying them.
Anyone with additional information about Collins' death is asked to contact the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
The FBI is assisting in the investigation.
