Dennis McCaslin - TIFS Exclusive
The family of a missing Pope County man says the ongoing lack of progress as well as pushback from local public officials involving recent social media comments, has them wondering about the direction of the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of their relative.
Shannon Lee Collins, who would now be 51 years of age, has been missing from his home in Pope County since March 12, 2021.
Collins's disappearance has been highlighted on Arkansas Never Forgotten, the Charley Project, and Namus as well as various other media and new sources in the years since he vanished.
The family has participated in the creation of a Facebook page 'Share Shannon's Story' and the basic information in the case is available through this YouTube link.
According to information from various published sources, Collins was last seen by his wife leaving his residence in Pottsville on the morning of his disappearance. His wife did not report the veteran missing at the time of his disappearance.
In November 2021, one of Collins's relatives, who lives 600 miles away in another state, contacted law enforcement officials. He told officials he had last heard from his brother in February.
The above-mentioned YouTube link addresses months of "lies and deceptions" by members of Collins's immediate family in Pope County, including claims Collins had been in touch with the family by calls and text.
All of the resources concerning the Cold Case say the circumstances of Collins disappearance are considered suspicious with suspected foul play.
Now, a member of the family has stepped forward and said they believe the evidence clearly shows what happened to Collins, but now believe that efforts have been stymied by the lack of impartiality by public officials due to their affiliations with specific local organizations.
That family member, who we spoke with on Friday morning said "we no longer believe that Shannon is still with us" referred us to a document that was shared on Shannon's Facebook page on May 28.
You can access that 58-page document by clicking the link below:
The same relative told Today in Fort Smith t a post on their page yesterday was meant to address some push back they have received from a "local organization" whose name keeps coming up in connection with the missing person case.
Under the Facebook heading of 'UPDATE SHOCKING NEWS', the administrator of the Facebook page said "we were notified in a phone call on 6/25, 2024 that certain individuals and organizations didn't seem to be too interested in ensuring everyone knows the truth about my brother's disappearance".
"And by not interested, we mean we were advised to ease off of bringing attention to certain local organizations when all we have done is tell the truth."
The source of that quote refused to reveal who had contacted him or the name of the organization he was referencing.
"I have been in contact with and reported the communication to 'ease off' to an official in the prosecuting attorney's office," said the source. "We will see what the results of that conversation are."
This is an ongoing and developing story and today in Fort Smith will bring you more information on the matter as it's released.
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