Trial begins over charges in death of Warren mother Ashley Elkins

A jury has been seated and opening arguments have begun in the murder trial over the death of Ashley Elkins of Warren, Michigan. 

The accused is her ex-boyfriend, DeAndre Booker, 33. Elkins, 30, a mother of two, was last seen leaving her home on Jan. 2, 2025, and reported missing the following day. 

Her body has never been found. 

The trial is taking place in Macomb County 16th Circuit Court in Mt. Clemens. Jury selection began on Tuesday and continued on Thursday. 

Booker is charged with first-degree premeditated murder, tampering with evidence, disinterment or mutilation of a dead body, concealing the death of an individual. He was separately charged with lying to a police officer. The district court bound him over for trial after a lengthy preliminary examination in August 2025.  

Investigators say a trash bin from the Hampton Court Apartments led them to use the GPS from garbage trucks serving the area. That information ultimately led them to the Pine Tree Acres Landfill in Lenox Township. 

The landfill search effort started the following week, with dozens of officers on the scene. The search was called off a week later.