COLLEGEDALE _ According to a press release from Collegedale police, after a two-day search for the body of Robert George Locke at the Birchwood Landfill, and with the assistance and advice of local and experienced federal partners, the decision has been made to conclude any further recovery efforts.

Rumors and speculation about this disturbing crime continue to spill across the news feed and social media platforms. False and misleading elements of this case continue to be shared as if they were the facts.

There is no evidence to support that there was ever any connection between Mr. Locke and the suspect, Kian Andrew Neal. According to Neal’s own statements he did not know and had never met Mr. Locke. All available information indicates that the victim had been chosen at random.

We strongly believe that the evidence, which has consistently corroborated the confession provided by the suspect after waiving his Miranda Rights, will show that not only was the murder of Mr. Locke planned and premeditated, but that Kian Andrew Neal brutally killed and disposed of the body.

While the Collegedale Police Department does not condone the crimes committed by Robert George Locke in the early 2000s, for which he was convicted and sent to prison, we also cannot condone an act of murder regardless of who the victim may be or what they may have done in the past. Our duty is to uphold the law impartially and to ensure that justice is applied equally to all people.

The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the murder of Mr. Locke remains an active investigation.

The attorney for Kian Andrew Neal entered a plea of Not Guilty this week when he appeared in front of the Collegedale Municipal Court. His next scheduled appearance has been set for July 1.