Police: Millard “accidentally overdosed” in a home, suspect drove around for days with body in trunk

BATON ROUGE — The man police named a person of interest in the Nathan Millard case over a week ago has now been charged with disposing Millard’s body.

Derrick Perkins, 45, was arrested Monday March 13 in Baton Rouge. He was arrested and charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, access device fraud and as a fugitive. He was already behind bars on those charges on a $14,000 bond and a hold.

One day after UWK’s special One Night in Baton Rouge report into the Millard case, Perkins has now been charged in connection to the Millard case.

On Monday, March 20th, BRPD charged Perkins with unlawful disposal of remains, obstruction of justice, simple criminal damage to property and failure to seek assistance.

Baton Rouge Police reached out to the public in helping find Perkins two Fridays ago after they had been searching for him for several days to no avail.

New info from BRPD

The latest information from Perkins’ arresting documents say the security guard at the Greyhound Bus Station in Baton Rouge made “several attempts and pleas to help Millard get a ride back to his hotel, he told the employee he was “looking for something to make him feel better”, as well as “looking for a girl to take back to his room,” according to documents.

The homeless man who was questioned in the case told BRPD on Feb. 28th that he “introduced Nathan Millard to a black female prostitute and a black male while located in the 1000 block of Florida St. under the Interstate.”

At some point in the night, Millard met Perkins, known as “Stanka.”

Perkins drove to the Circle K located at 3135 Nicholson Dr., Baton Rouge, La. 70802 to get gas and two cups of ice with Millard, a white woman believed to be a prostitute and another man and woman. The man, woman and Millard got out of the vehicle and went inside the store. After a few minutes, Millard then exited the store and appeared to get back into the vehicle, with the other man and woman still being inside the store. “Stanka” then left the convenience store with the other two still inside the store without getting gas. Those two left in the store were stranded on foot without a ride.

The last time that Millard was seen alive was on Thursday, Feb. 23rd between 4:17am – 4:24am via surveillance camera on Nicholson Dr.

The newest information from police is that Millard “had accidentally overdosed in the house located at 508 E. Washington St./Lorri Burgess Ave. Perkins then allegedly wrapped the body of Nathan Millard in “plastic” wrapping and rode around the Baton Rouge area with the deceased body of Nathan Millard in the trunk of the blue 2004 Toyota Camry for two to four days until the odor got too bad, then Perkins dumped and/or disposed of the body in the 2000 block of Ontario St. at Lobelia St. behind the abandoned and/or vacant Rhodes Funeral Home before it was found/located on Monday March 6, 2023.”

Officials not only have phone records placing Perkins at the scene where Millard’s body was dumped almost daily between Feb. 23rd and March 6th, but they also have surveillance video from March 5th around 12:50am in the blue Toyota Camry on Ontario Street past the location where Nathan Millard’s body was found one day later.

That blue Camry, which was reported stolen on Feb. 6th, is what was found burned near where Millard’s body was found thanks to a cadaver dog hitting on the trunk of the vehicle. Detectives were able to track down the original owner of the blue Camry. He told detectives that he exchanged the car “with Perkins for crack cocaine.” That person told police Perkins was “supposed to return the vehicle back to him within four hours.” Instead, the Camry was “altered from its original light blue color with a white front bumper, and a bumper sticker on the left side of rear bumper. The alterations to the vehicle included spray painting to the front bumper from white to a royal blue color, the hood and front quarter panels from light blue to the same royal blue color. Additionally, the rear bumper was altered from its original condition of having a white bumper sticker but the bumper sticker was removed and spray painted a grey color. Additionally, the vehicle license plate was changed several times attempting to elude police before the vehicle was burned on Monday 3.13.2023.”

Arrest documents show that after police reviewed the surveillance footage from multiple locations that on Feb. 22 at 10:17 p.m. Millard was seen leaving Happy’s Irish Pub on foot and walking northbound on N. 3rd St. He continued eastbound on Florida St. until he arrived at the Greyhound bus station.

While there, police say Millard contacted an employee and engaged in conversation, while also using the ATM and withdrawing cash money. A bus station employee attempted to offer Millard help and/or use his phone to call a ride for him, but he said he lost his phone prior to arriving at the bus station and refused any help.

Access device fraud

In an affidavit obtained by UWK, police say that Perkins used Millard’s debit card at the Kangaroo Express on Highland Rd. This is near the Wienerschnitzel and LSU’s campus.

Police say Perkins is seen on surveillance video “making multiple purchases” at the store “throughout the day”. The purchases match Millard’s bank statements, according to the arrest documents.

Perkins also allegedly made purchases a few blocks away at the AM Mart liquor store on Highland Rd., according to the arrest record.

Unauthorized use of a motor vehicle

Police allege that the car Perkins was seen in at the convenience store on Highland Rd. is the same car that was reported stolen on February 3.

The victim says he was helping a friend move on E. Buchanan St. when the car was stolen.

Police say that same car, a blue 2004 Toyota Camry, matches the car Perkins was seen in at the convenience store on February 23.

“The black male entered the store and/or used the missing subject’s debit card at the gas pumps,” police say. “(He) was later positively identified” as Perkins by a confidential informant, the documents show.

Police say license plate readers throughout Baton Rouge show that someone switched the license plate on the car sometime at the end of February or beginning of March.

“The scans showed that the front bumper had been spray painted a different shade of blue. The scans showed the specific dents in the passenger’s side doors as well as the bumper sticker on the bottom of the driver’s side rear bumper (that the victim identified).”

UWK has also learned Perkins’ vehicle was found torched close to where Millard’s body was recovered. Sources confirm a cadaver dog was able to lead officers to Perkins’ car, specifically the trunk, despite it being burnt.

It’s unclear if Perkins will face any additional charges related to Millard’s disappearance.

Millard death investigation

Millard, 42, disappeared February 22 during what was supposed to be a quick 24-hour work trip. Millard was reportedly in town to meet with a client at a construction site. 

His body was found around 3 a.m. on March 6 after someone called saying there was a bad smell off of Scenic Hwy. near Chippewa St. in Baton Rouge.

When officials responded to the 2900 block of Scenic Hwy., they found Millard’s body wrapped up in a rug and plastic. Sources say the body was badly decomposing.

WATCH NOW: INTERVIEW WITH MAN WHO FOUND NATHAN MILLARD

An autopsy by the East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner’s Office reveals there was no internal or external trauma to the body. The cause and manner of death will have to wait on the final results of a toxicology report.

Millard’s wife, Amber, has requested the Louisiana State Police to take over the investigation from the Baton Rouge Police Dept. She spoke one-on-one with Unfiltered with Kiran on who her husband was and how she feels about BRPD’s response to her husband’s disappearance and death investigations.

WATCH NOW: INTERVIEW WITH MILLARD’S WIFE

Download the Unfiltered with Kiran app from the Apple App Store and Google Play to stay updated on any new developments.

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