Nathan Millard - a Walton County father was found dead two weeks after he vanished while on a business trip to Baton Rouge.
Police said Millard's body was found in an abandoned lot on March 6. Police have since arrested a known drug dealer in the area on several charges including improper disposal of a body.
Now new details have emerged in the case after Millard's family says they received an anonymous phone call claiming that the tourist was possibly given "bad drugs" as part of a set-up and detailing an alleged scheme by a Baton Rouge drug dealer to relocate Millard's body so he could claim the reward for finding him.
Millard was Looking for Drugs 'To Make Him Feel Better' and 'A Girl to Take Back to His Room'
An arrest warrant for Derrick "Stanka" Perkins, the accused drug dealer arrested in the case, previously alleged that Millard overdosed and died at a property on Lorri Burgess Avenue hours after he was last seen alive.
Those documents cite witness accounts saying Millard was kicked out of several bars in downtown before he met up with Perkins on the night of Feb. 22. Millard, who had a history of addiction according to police documents, was later seen making withdrawals at an ATM at the Greyhound bus station on Florida Boulevard.
Police said a security guard at the bus station offered to call a ride for Millard, but he reportedly refused help and told the worker he was looking for "something to make him feel better" and "a girl to take back to his room." Millard then reportedly left the bus station with Perkins, a prostitute and a man identified only as "Clay."
Millard's Body Found Wrapped in a Rug, Covered in Plastic
Millard was found dead more than a week later, on March 6, wrapped in a rug and covered in plastic sheeting at a vacant lot near the corner of Scenic Highway and Chippewa Street. The body was reportedly found by a passerby who told police they stopped in the parking lot "by chance" and smelled an "overwhelming odor."
Days later, police would identify Perkins as a person of interest in the case, arresting him on unrelated charges before rebooking him this week on new counts for allegedly dumping Millard's body.
Perkins Tried to Relocate Millard's Body After Dumping Him for Reward
However, search warrants seeking the phone records of several people possibly linked to the case explained that Millard's wife had two bizarre phone calls in the days after Millard's body was recovered.
One of those calls happened March 15 when Millard's wife dialed a Baton Rouge-based number that had repeatedly tried to call Millard's phone — which was found on a sidewalk in downtown — after his disappearance. She said a female voice answered and only said "yea" before quickly hanging up.
A day later, Millard's wife received a call from a blocked number and answered the phone. The mystery caller, believed to have been a woman, reportedly claimed that Perkins and other unnamed conspirators picked up Millard with the intent of giving him "bad drugs" and robbing him. The caller went on to allege that Perkins initially dumped the body at a different location "near a railroad track and dumpster" and then had someone help him move the remains to the lot along Scenic Highway after learning that a reward was being offered.
Police were first able to link Perkins to the case after he tried using Millard's debit card at businesses along Highland Road within days of Millard's disappearance. Detectives have also said the car Perkins allegedly used to move the body was later found torched, not far from where Millard's remains were discovered.
Millard OD'd on Blue Magic Laced with Fentanyl
According to BRPD spokesperson L'Jean McKneely, Millard allegedly overdosed on a drug called "blue magic". "It was blue magic, but it had some form of fentanyl in it. So, we believe the fentanyl was administered while partaking in the drug activity. There is some mention of possibly giving some Narcan," said McKneely.
Popularized in the 1970′s and 80′s, blue magic is considered one of the purest forms of heroin, and when mixed with a chemical, it turns into a shade of blue.
