Teen arrested in Collegedale disappearance of Robert George Locke, police say

What began as a missing-person search for Robert George Locke has now moved into a homicide case. Collegedale police arrested 18-year-old Kian Andrew Neal of Apison on June 12 and charged him in connection with Locke’s death, turning a late-May disappearance into a criminal investigation with suspicious circumstances at its center.

Locke, 56, was last seen on Thursday, May 21, 2026, at 3527 Camp Road in Collegedale. His family reported him missing on May 24 after they had not seen or heard from him since that day, and police soon asked the public for help locating him. At the time, investigators described Locke as 5 feet, 8 inches tall, about 170 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.

The search widened during the week of May 28, when agencies from Hamilton County, Rhea County and Bradley County joined a coordinated effort to find him. That multi-agency response marked a turning point in the case, as investigators continued to piece together Locke’s movements after he was last seen at his Camp Road home.

By June 12, police said the investigation had advanced far enough to arrest Neal and charge him with criminal homicide, especially aggravated burglary, abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence and death under suspicious, unusual or unnatural circumstances. Neal was being held in the Hamilton County Jail on bonds totaling $1.2 million.

Collegedale Police Chief Jack Sapp expressed condolences to Locke’s family and said the department remained committed to pursuing the truth. Investigators are still asking anyone with information to come forward, keeping the case active as they work through what happened after Locke vanished from 3527 Camp Road and why the missing-person search is now being treated as a death investigation.