LENOX TWP. (WWJ) — Search efforts will resume Thursday at a Macomb County landfill as police continue to look for Ashley Elkins, a missing Warren mother of two who hasn’t been seen in two weeks.
Elkins was last seen on Thursday, Jan. 2 when she left her home to run errands. Authorities suspect foul play and her ex-boyfriend, 32-year-old Deandre Booker, was arrested last week and charged with lying to police.
Roseville police and about a dozen other local police agencies began searching the Pine Tree Acres Landfill Monday morning. After a third day of searching Wednesday, Roseville Police Chief Mitch Berlin told reporters crews have found some items of interest within a 6.5-acre parcel of the landfill they’ve been focused on since the beginning of the search.
“We’ve got some objects we’re taking back for processing. We’re not sure if they’re related to the case or not, so we’ve got to do some more work on that,” Berlin said late Wednesday afternoon. With all the resources out here, we haven’t gotten back to check those and process them completely.”
Berlin said crews will return to the landfill Thursday morning to resume what has been a laborious search process.
“The trash is very dense, it's compacted, so, pushing it is very difficult and, walking on it once the bulldozers go over, it's very hard,” Berlin said. “Most of the officers have been here all three days and most of those will be back tomorrow. So, obviously they're getting beat up and tired.”
Berlin said crews have to remove only a couple of inches of trash at a time so they don't miss any possible evidence, contributing to the prolonged length of the search.
Berlin noted some of the crew members have fallen over the rough terrain during the search.
“But you know, they're dedicated; not one complaint. You know those guys would do this for free,” Berlin said.
Police officials previously said the investigation found Elkins may have been at an apartment within the Hampton Court Apartments in Roseville, where Booker lives. Last Tuesday, authorities "determined that there was a strong possibility of foul play involved in this incident," leading to a search of Booker's apartment.
That’s the same day police recovered Elkins' in the area of 13 Mile and Little Mack, according to police. Authorities also seized a trash dumpster from her ex-boyfriend's apartment complex.
Last week attorney Maurice Morton, Elkins’ uncle, told reporters the family believes Elkins was murdered, likely at Booker’s home.