Officials searching Birchwood landfill for evidence in the death of Robert Locke

Kian Andrew Neal

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.