Pierre Collins Was Accused Of Abusing His Other Kids
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – As Pierre Collins awaits his next day in court for the murder of his 10-year-old son, we're getting a clearer picture of the trouble inside the family home.
Collins is accused of killing his son, Barway, for insurance money and then dumping his bound body in the Mississippi river on March 18.
Now, a search of Hennepin County child protection records shows that Collins had been investigated for the abuse of three of his other children, a full two years before Barway went missing.
Two weeks before Barway's body was discovered, his father, Pierre Collins, swore that he never harmed any of his children.
On March 25, he told WCCO, "There was no evidence to prove that I did anything to our children."
Hennepin County child protection case summary records show otherwise.
Rex Holzemer, the Assistant Hennepin County Administrator of Human Services, confirms that Pierre Collins was investigated a full two years before Barway disappeared.
"The allegations at that point were of one instance of sexual abuse of one of the children and one instance of physical abuse of one of the children," Holzemer.
On February 8, 2013, his then wife claimed that Collins had inappropriately touched and kissed a daughter and physically abused the couple's son.
Six months later, a third charge was made against Collins for physically and sexually abusing the couple's 1-year-old son. The county investigated and later substantiated all three of the claims.
The mother of the four children was granted full custody and later filed for divorce. Because she is not the biological mother of Pierre Collins' son, Barway, she was not given custody of him.
Collins later remarried and had another child with his new wife. There are no records of further abuses until the day Barway's body was discovered.
Afterward, the county received another report claiming Collins had abused a child. This report was filed by his current wife on April 13, 2015, and alleges he endangered and threatened sexual abuse of the couple's 1-year-old child.
All of the cases against Collins were referred to the Hennepin County Attorney for review but didn't have sufficient evidence to warrant criminal charges.
"We had no reason to be involved further at that point in time," Holzemer said. "We didn't have any involvement further until the alleged murder of Barway by his father."