'We're a little nervous': Ashley Elkins search leads police to Macomb County landfill

Police comb landfill for signs of missing Ashley Elkins

Authorities spent hours searching a northern Macomb County landfill on Monday as they look for Ashley Elkins, a missing mother who was last heard from while doing errands on Jan. 2.

MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - Authorities returned to a Macomb County landfill Tuesday as they continue to search for 30-year-old Ashley Elkins.

Investigators spent about six hours at Pine Tree Acres on Monday. They dug through trash, with a special focus on a six acre area of the landfill as they looked for any sign of the missing Warren woman.

"I know that they're searching for the body, and so we're a little nervous about that," Elkins' uncle, Maurice Morton, said. "Hoping that whatever they do find, they find it sooner rather than later."

What happened to Ashley Elkins

What we know:

Ashley Elkins, a mother of two, was last heard from on Jan. 2 as she ran errands. She messaged her family members that she was heading back from a beauty supply store. No one has heard from her in more than a week, something that is out of character for her.

"She loves her family, her kids. She would never just disappear for this many days," her sister Alexis Elkins said.

Her family then started searching for her before police got involved last week.

Those family members have been suspicious of her ex-boyfriend, De'Andre Booker, since she disappeared. According to her family, her phone last pinged near her ex's Roseville apartment.

"Her mother has said numerous times, ‘He threw her out with the trash,’" Morton said. "That's disheartening."

On Jan. 7, police found her car in the area of 13 Mile and Little Mack in Roseville, just a few miles away from the apartment. That same night, her ex's apartment was searched. He was arrested the next day.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Elkins' boys.

What evidence has been found in the Ashley Elkins case?

Police have canvassed several area businesses for video and utilized digital forensics to help determine where Elkins could be.

Police also said they seized a trash dumpster from the apartments as part of the investigation.

Suspect charged in Ashley Elkins case

Last week, Elkins' ex-boyfriend De'Andre Booker was arrested and charged with lying to police in the case.

Booker, 32, allegedly fled to Flint, where he searched for the fastest routes to Ohio. He's accused of planning to leave the state and the prosecutor said last week that his research also included what to do while on the run, as well as how to beat a polygraph test, and if blood is traceable.

Additionally, he allegedly looked up how to delete his Google search history.

The prosecution argued that these searches suggest that Booker would flee if released on bond. His bond was set at $250,000 cash/surety on Thursday.

Who is De'Andre Booker?

According to information presented in court, Booker is currently unemployed.

Booker previously served in the United States Army but was removed from the military with a less than honorable discharge after going AWOL in 2017. This happened after he was charged the year before with several crimes while serving, including larceny and possessing fake identification documents.

What's next:

Booker is due back in court for a probable cause conference on Jan. 22 before a preliminary exam on Jan. 29.

In the meantime, police continue to search for Elkins.

According to her family, they believe she is dead.

The Source: Information from this story was gathered from police, court, and Ashley Elkins' family.

Crime and Public Safety Macomb County