Drug Dealer Linked to Nathan Millard’s Death Arrested on New Charges, Accused of Dumping His Body
Baton Rouge police revealed shocking new details surrounding the death of Nathan Millard as a man linked to his disappearance has been booked on several new charges related to the dumping of the Georgia man's body.
It's a story that we've been following since late February when Millard was first reported missing after visiting Baton Rouge for a business trip. BR Proud has a timeline of key developments that have unfolded in a case that has left us with more questions than answers until today when police released a bombshell that helped to fill in some of the biggest missing pieces in the case.
Nathan Millard was reported missing after he was last seen attending an LSU basketball game on February 22 and it is believed that he was drinking and walking around in the downtown Baton Rouge area later that night into the early morning hours.
According to WBRZ, Millard was spotted by police on a surveillance camera in the early morning hours of Feb 23.
Millard was spotted on surveillance cameras in the early morning hours of Feb. 23, in and around the downtown area as well as the ATM at the Greyhound bus station on Florida Boulevard. Newly released police documents say Millard refused help from a security guard at the bus station, with him allegedly telling the worker he was looking for "something to make him feel better" and "a girl to take back to his room."
Newly released documents say that an "unidentified man" introduced Millard to a prostitute and another man who would then connect the Georgia man with "a known drug dealer" by the name of "Stanka" (real name Derrick Perkins) who would bring him to a "property where they could do drugs."
The story told by the man and the woman who introduced Millard to the drug dealer was corroborated by more surveillance footage at a local convenience store.
The man and woman later told police that Perkins and Millard took off in the car and left them behind after the four stopped at a Circle K on Nicholson Drive. Police corroborated their story by checking surveillance recordings, adding that this was the last time Millard was seen alive, at roughly 4:20 a.m. Feb. 23.
According to multiple people who were questioned by police, Millard suffered an accidental drug overdose at a house not far from Highland road. Police say that Perkins wrapped his body before putting it in the trunk of his blue Toyota sedan, leaving it there as he drove around for "up to four days until the odor got too bad."
Derrick Perkins Arrest Warr... by Bria Gremillion
Millard's body was ultimately found on March 6, wrapped up in a rug in an empty lot off Scenic Highway in Baton Rouge. According to investigative documents, police believe that Perkins is the person who dumped the Georgia man's body.
Millard's body was found rolled in a rug, with no signs of violence, according to a preliminary autopsy report. Surveillance cameras also caught Perkins' vehicle driving past the lot where the body was dumped roughly 24 hours before it was discovered by a passerby. Police also noted that Perkins put his phone in airplane mode — which cuts off the device's access to the cell network — the same day that Millard's body was found in an apparent effort to hide his location from law enforcement.
Although law enforcement has yet to suggest they believe Perkings killed Millard, he was booked on a slew of new charges on Monday.
Perkins was booked Monday for unlawful disposal of remains, obstruction of justice, simple criminal damage to property and failure to seek assistance. He was first arrested last week on charges unrelated to Millard's death, including counts for illegally using the missing man's debit card. A BRPD spokesman said the car that Perkins had been driving was found torched last week. Despite the car being burned, police said a K9 was still able to detect the scent of "human decomposition" in the trunk.
An investigation is still ongoing and Millard's official cause of death is still unknown as authorities await a toxicology report from the coroner's office.
In the meantime, you can see the full story for the latest updates here via WBRZ.