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Published on January 14, 2025
Search at Macomb County Landfill Intensifies for Missing Warren Mother, Ex-Boyfriend Charged with Lying to PoliceSource: Google Street View

Authorities are urgently searching a landfill in Macomb County, Michigan, as the investigation into the disappearance of Ashley Elkins, a 30-year-old mother of two from Warren, intensifies. Elkins has been missing since January 2, prompting a significant law enforcement response. According to CBS News Detroit, new evidence has led investigators to the Pine Tree Acres Landfill in Lenox Township. About a dozen agencies, including one from Ohio with cadaver dogs, are involved in the search effort.

The Roseville Police Department confirms the landfill is the focus of their search, and approximately 40 to 50 officers were deployed on-site yesterday afternoon. Waste Management cooperated by moving up to 80,000 tons of trash to facilitate the search, as reported by ClickOnDetroit. The investigation brought law enforcement from Warren, Shelby Township, and Chesterfield Townships, along with Macomb County investigators, to assist in the onerous task ahead.

Roseville Police Chief Mitch Berlin was quoted by various outlets expressing the direction of the investigation. "We traced (our evidence) from Roseville all the way here, and then worked with engineers and Waste Management surveyors to pinpoint an approximate six, seven-acre parcel where evidence would be located," Berlin said in a statement detailed by PEOPLE. Aerial footage from Drone 4 confirmed officers, dressed in bright-colored suits, concentrating efforts in specific search areas with rakes, shovels, and bulldozers.

The disappearance of Elkins eerily coincides with suspicious activities from her ex-boyfriend, DeAndre Howard Booker, who was arrested and has been charged with lying to a police officer. Officials believe a "crime of violence" occurred at Booker's apartment, leading to an even more focused investigation into his involvement. The authorities already recovered Elkins' vehicle and a dumpster, offering more substantial leads in the case. While Monika Elkins, the mother of the missing woman, seeks answers during this harrowing time, a GoFundMe page has been set up to support Elkins' two young sons, who are seven and ten years old.

Booker is set to be arraigned on Thursday as investigators continue to unravel the circumstances surrounding Elkins' disappearance and presumed death. The search resumed today at the landfill, reflecting an inexhaustible commitment from all entities involved to find answers to this grave matter.