Justice and Closure for Dakota Hollis

Our nightmare began on Sunday when I started asking people if they had heard from my son Dakota Hollis, age 19. As I began hearing what each had been told by the same person over and over I knew he couldn't be there, we didn't have friends there and he wouldn't have left his dogs all alone. I got on the road 2 hours away, my stepdad beat me there and found him in his home deceased.

Dakota was a truly loving person, full of laughter. He loves his sisters who were actually his nieces that we had been raising to infancy. Dakota loved to be outdoors. He was known as scuba Steve after an incident of him falling to water while duck hunting. He broke more than he fixed but at least he always tried, he never gave up. He was the person that always made you smile. Dakota absolutely loved children, although when we first got Emily he asked if we could give her back so there was more money for his gaming. Growing up, it was always Kennedie, Kadie and Kota, where you found one you found the others with each telling on the other. It was a 3 ring circus with him and his cousins but it was full of fun and laughter. My brothers, Roy and Jody, along with his grandfather Tommy and Aunt Stephanie taught him to hunt. And we all tried to teach him how to fish but it never failed he caught limb brim. Throughout his childhood and short adulthood we did all we could to keep the memories of his father alive, he had passed away in August 2008 due to a heat stroke. Dakota looks a lot like him and was his only child. There are so many memories and stories that would have you laughing until you cried including the time he caught the grounds of an apartment complex on fire.

I love and miss my son so much, he was my baby boy. This is every parents worst nightmare. He struggled with his mental health, he sought help every time things got to him too much. We struggled with his addiction. He had been doing good, even his probation officer said all was fine last week. Psychosis, schizophrenia- they're real. I watched Dakota struggle with it in the same ways his father his struggled. His fight with that part of his mental health began early 2023.

We have been fighting for justice and answers, without anything being done. Someone had been inside the home before my stepdad found him as all of his writing were gone. We even had the police come out the following day as someone had been inside the home again moving things around and leaving a single item. We still don't have any answers and now have to seek a third party for an autopsy and toxicology report. This wasn't his M.O. Each and every friend and family member is struggling to understand but absolutely nothing is adding up. Not for me, his step father, his step grandfather, aunts, uncles, cousins or even his closest friends. Friends and family had been calling, some had beat on his door. The last time I spoke to him was Thursday, all was fine not a single hint of being depressed, he was looking forward to moving close to where we currently live. The story is the same with each friend, absolutely nothing was wrong last week. He was last seen walking back to his house Friday afternoon.

We are asking for help to cover his funeral costs and third party autopsy and toxicology. We are trying to get this investigated due to what we've been told by witnesses. We have not even been provided a date for his death yet. He will be laid to rest at Crossroads Cemetery in Crossett, AR beside his father.

Even if you are unable to donate, I thank each and every person for taking the time to read this. I will upload more photos later this evening. The date included is not fully set yet and will be updated if need be.

Dakota Ray MacRoy Hollis 11/22/2004 - 7/19/2024

Update: I have spoken to Medders in Crossett regarding the funeral services and where he will be laid to rest. I just got off the phone with Frazers Funeral Home in Warren, the state crime lab denied the toxicology and autopsy. We have to outsource. I waited for costs and was told $4200 to $4500 upfront, $3800 of that is for the autopsy and toxicology the other is for transporting him. Please share and help us get this raised as Dr. Peretti will be back in the office on Friday, we would like to have him there by then.

We are being denied a fair investigation, not even his phone has left the police station yet and a suicide note planted sometime overnight after the home had been searched is supposed to be okay. None of this is right and absolutely nothing is adding up right. It's been 72 hours and we want some answers. We will accept the final determination but until then we do feel in our hearts there was indeed foul play.

7/26 update: There is a bake sale in Monticello today and tomorrow. But we are losing time for the toxicology and autopsy. I have prayed repeatedly throughout these days, I beg for answers, I have laughed and cried (way more crying than anything else). We all want to know. Now I have to go to cricket for his call and text log as we've been told a text was sent on Saturday from his phone. After speaking to Medders and Frazers again yesterday we obtained a date 7/19/2024

July 29th update:

Between donations and bake sale, Dakota was sent for toxicology although we couldn't afford an autopsy. We only need around $3,000 more for his burial. We truly appreciate everyone that has donated on GoFundMe, CashApp, in person and at the bake sales. We only have a couple more days to then taking funds to the funeral home.

Thank you to everyone involved and that has listened to me rant and rave, cry and made me laugh and smile. I know the grieving process is complicated, that's what my senior term paper was about. But even knowing these things, I dream about him and wake up crying. Dakota was definitely one of a kind. If you have ever seen the memes he posted or spent time with him you would understand. He is truly missed by all that knew him. Trying to explain the burial process to an inquisitive 5 yr old is a bit difficult especially since we've told her to look to the heavens regarding the previous deaths in the family but somehow we will help her understand.

A story about Dakota: One night while I was trying to get Gracie to sleep a couple years ago he came to tell me goodnight and head back to his room that was separate from the main home. All of the sudden he came back running inside with his shirt off and black paint on his face and upper body. I asked him what I the world happened. Dakota said he had taken his BB gun and shot the spray paint can he thought was empty and it had blown paint all over him and blacked out the scope on the BB gun. All I could do was take pictures and laugh until I cried while trying to find the alcohol to help him clean his body. I even asked him where his common sense was when he shot the can and all he could say was "it was empty". There was never a dull moment with him unless he was playing video games, all other times were a total hoot.

For the time being, I will update as I can and share a little more of our life each time.