Officials end Birchwood landfill search for evidence in the death of Robert Locke

Kian Andrew Neal

UPDATE (6/19/26): The Collegedale Police Department (CPD) says they have decided to end the recovery efforts for Robert Locke.

According to the CPD, they say there is no evidence to support that there was ever any connection between Locke and the suspect, Kian Andrew Neal.

CPD says according to Neal’s own statements he did not know and had never met Locke.

They say 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.”

– Collegedale Police Department says.

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

The attorney for Kian Andrew Neal entered a plea of Not Guilty.

His next scheduled appearance has been set for July 1, 2026.

“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.”

– Collegedale Police Department says.

Collegedale Police Department via Facebook

UPDATE (6/17/26): According to the Collegedale Police Department, officials are searching the Birchwood landfill for potential evidence in the death of 56-year-old Robert Locke.

This comes as 18-year-old Kian Neal was arrested and charged with: Criminal Homicide, Abuse of a Corpse, Tampering with Evidence, and Especially Aggravated Burglary.

UPDATE: An affidavit shows Collegedale police have been building a murder case for weeks.

Last week, they charged Kian Neal with the murder of Robert Locke.

Police say Neal told a friend that the victim was a rapist.

Locke is on the sex offender registry for a child molestation case in 2003.

Investigators say they traced DNA evidence from the victim to Neal’s car, a pillow in the back seat, sawhorses in the back seat and a knife.

Neal faces charges of homicide, burglary, abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence and death under suspicious circumstances.

He was arrested on June 12, 2026.

COLLEGEDALE, Tenn. (WDEF) – On Saturday, the Collegedale Police Department arrested a subject in connection with the homicide of 56-year-old Robert George Locke.

According to Collegedale Police, 56-year-old Robert George Locke was reported missing in late May 2026.

They say on May 24, Locke was reported missing after family members stated they had not seen or heard from him since May 21, 2026.

His last known location was his home in Collegedale.