The Daily Retina
AN alleged drug dealer reportedly turned off his phone to avoid being caught with a construction executive’s body in his car, police documents reveal.
Derrick Perkins allegedly drove around the Baton Rouge area with Nathan Millard’s body in the vehicle for days before disposing of it in an abandoned lot, cops say.
Nathan Millard, 42, disappeared on February 22 in Baton Rouge[/caption]
Derrick Perkins has been arrested and faces charges related to Millard’s case[/caption]
Millard, 42, disappeared on February 22 after a night of drinking with a work client.
He was last seen alive on surveillance footage captured in the early morning hours of February 23 in the downtown Baton Rouge area.
His body was discovered wrapped in plastic and rolled in a carpet on March 6.
Perkins was arrested and faces charges related to Millard’s case but Louisiana cops have not accused him of being responsible for the dad’s death.
Perkins allegedly drove the father’s corpse around for two to four days “until the odor got too bad,” according to his arrest warrant.
The warrant also alleged that “several persons” claimed to have “smelled, observed, and/or were told” that Millard’s body was in Perkins’ 2004 blue Toyota Camry.
Cellphone records revealed that Perkins’ phone was placed on airplane mode on March 6 – the day Millard’s body was discovered.
The arrest warrant claimed this was likely done to prevent police from detecting his location.
Further investigation into data from Perkins’ phone showed the mobile device was in the area of Circle K on February 23, which is the last location Millard was seen alive via surveillance.
Cellphone records indicated that Perkins was in the area near the AM Mart and the Chevron/Kangaroo gas station, where detectives observed him using Millard’s debit card, the warrant claims.
“Cellphone records placed him at or near the 2000 block of Ontario Street where Nathan Millard’s body was eventually located on multiple occasions (almost daily) between 2.23.2023 and 3.6.2023 when Nathan Millard’s body was found,” investigators wrote.
‘SOMETHING TO MAKE HIM FEEL BETTER’
Millard disappeared after going out with a client who was there to survey a potential construction site with him the next day.
He was reportedly cut off for drinking too much and left while the client closed their tab.
Millard never showed up to their appointment the next morning.
Haunting surveillance footage shows Millard going to get cash at an ATM near a Greyhound bus station where he chatted with a security guard, Perkins’ arrest warrant states.
The guard asked Millard several times if he needed help and offered to get him a car or call the police.
The father, who was from Georgia, allegedly told the man that he was looking for “something to make him feel better” and “a girl to take back to his room,” the warrant states.
Later on in the night, Millard was seen on surveillance footage walking through the streets with an unnamed man who police tracked down and questioned.
The anonymous man allegedly told cops that he helped Millard find the ATM and introduced him to a prostitute and another man who flagged down a drug dealer known as “Stanka,” later identified as Perkins.
Perkins was allegedly taking Millard south of the city to “get high” but stopped at a Circle K gas station first where they ditched the anonymous men and woman.
This was the last time any of them saw the dad alive.
NO SIGNS OF TRAUMA
Several people reported to police that Millard allegedly died of an accidental overdose inside a home after that.
Perkins is accused of then wrapping up the body and putting it into his car.
Millard’s remains were discovered beside a highway on March 6 by someone who noticed the foul scent.
An official cause of death has yet to be confirmed by the coroner’s office.
Police said there were no signs of trauma on his body.
Perkins is now facing charges including unlawful disposal of remains, obstruction of justice, simple criminal damage to property, and failure to seek assistance.
He will remain in jail until a court date is set.
Source: The US Sun