Mother of missing Twin Cities teen, believed to be taken "against his will," pleads for his safe return
A worried Minnesota mother says she hasn't heard from her teenage son in weeks.
Jordan "Manny" Collins Jr., 16, vanished while visiting his father in Columbia Heights on May 8. Investigators think someone took him "against his will."
"This is out of the norm for him," Collins' mother, Ashley Berry, said.
Berry says she can't sleep or eat, and is worried about her only child.
"My mind is racing all over the place. I want to believe that my son is still here in the state and physically here, but it's hard as the days go by to think that," Berry said.
She says Collins has plans and rarely misses a day speaking to her, his grandmother or his girlfriend.
"He has a job interview for Planet Fitness. He would have checked on his grandma, me and his girlfriend. He's a lady's man and he loves his Mom," Berry said.
According to Berry, her son has taken on the role as head of the household.
"He feels like he must be the man and protect the rest of his family. You're 16 and I want you to be a kid as long as possible. That's not your job. But that's him. That's his personality," she said.
Berry says Collins did not like to worry her, so he always made sure to be positive about everything.
"Wednesday before he went missing, he said he was taking a walk to clear his head, and I'm trying to check on him, and I asked, 'Is there anything you want to talk about?' And he said, 'No, do you want to talk about anything? " Berry said.
Her concern is that Collins hasn't used a phone or social media since he disappeared. For now, she is holding on to hope because so many people are searching for him.
"Even his old friends he hasn't seen in months, they've called me, like, 'What do you need me to do?" Berry said.
She is asking for the public's help.
"If you see something, say something, " Berry said.
And praying for the safe return of her son.
"Just come home, just come home," she said.
Police say they do have a person of interest in this case, and they've collected forensic evidence.
Investigators are asking neighbors to check their yards or cameras for anything suspicious.
