A 16-year-old from Columbia Heights whose body was discovered in a landfill was remembered Friday as a loving and family-oriented son.
His mother, Ashley Berry, spoke about Jordan “Manny” Collins Jr. in front of the Governor’s Residence in St. Paul.
Jordan “Manny” Collins Jr. (Courtesy of the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office)
“I know every mother wants to say this about their child, but he was great,” Berry said. “He had a very old soul. And I hate to even say ‘had.’”
Berry said her son liked to skateboard, play basketball and take photos. He fell asleep on FaceTime with his girlfriend every night and visited his grandmother every week to mow her lawn.
“He cared for everybody,” Berry said. “When I’m checking on him, he checks on me more.”
Berry filed a missing person report with the Columbia Heights Police Department on May 12. She told police that her son lived with his father in an apartment in Columbia Heights.
Video evidence led police to believe Collins’ body went from a dumpster in Columbia Heights to the Elk River Landfill. They began checking the landfill June 4, and the FBI brought in its Laboratory Evidence Response Team Unit and the Technical Hazardous Response Unit from Virginia to help in the investigation.
Berry said her heart sank when police started searching the landfill.
“They’d been out there for way too long, so I knew it was something,” she said.
After searching for nearly a month, law enforcement discovered Collins’ body June 28 in the Elk River landfill. Police also found blood stains in the apartment where Collins Jr. lived with his father.
‘The justice he deserves’
On Wednesday, the Anoka County attorney’s office charged Manny’s father, Jordan Dupree Collins Sr., 38, with second-degree murder with intent but not premeditated.
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Collins Sr. has been in custody since Monday, with bail set at $3 million unconditional or $2 million with conditions. Prosecutors intend to seek an aggravated sentence, according to court documents.
Berry thanked the community and law enforcement for their efforts to find her son.
“We wouldn’t have found him without everybody working together,” she said. “It’s gonna be a long process, but I pray Manny gets the justice that he deserves.”
Berry last communicated with her son May 8 over text message.
She said the last message she received from him was “Mom, I love you and I appreciate you. Thank you, and I’ll see you soon.”
She said she knew the text was truly from her son because he always said “I appreciate you.”
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