September 25, 2025 • 11 mins
In this episode of Hunting 4 Answers: When Ashley Elkins didn’t return home one January morning in 2025, her family feared the worst. Hours later, strange texts arrived from her phone, her gray Chevy Malibu was found abandoned miles from her last known location, and a substantial amount of blood was discovered in her ex-boyfriend’s apartment. Despite extensive searches—including a massive operation at a county landfill—Ashley has never been found. If you have any information about Ashley Elkins’ disappearance or the events of January 2, 2025, please contact the Warren Police Department at 586-574-4700 or submit a tip anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1‑800‑422‑TIPS.
This is the story of Ashley Elkins.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hunting for Answers is a production of The Black Effect
Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. Welcome to Hunting for Answers, a
true crime podcast. I'm your host Hunter, and today we're
highlighting a case that began on a January morning in
twenty twenty five, when a thirty year old mother of
(00:20):
two sons left her Warren, Michigan home, wearing a black
coat with fur around the hood. She told her family
she was running errands and that she would be home soon. However,
she never made it back. Within hours, strange text messages
(00:40):
would derive from her phone, her car would be found
abandoned miles away, and in an ex boyfriend's apartment bathroom,
investigators would discover what they described as a substantial amount
of blood. Despite extensive search, including a massive operation at
(01:02):
a county landfill, she has never been found. This is
the story of Ashley Elkins. Ashley Elkins was thirty years
old in the winter of twenty twenty five. She lived
in Warren, Michigan, a working class city just north of Detroit.
(01:26):
She is described as a black woman, standing five foot
two to five foot three and weighing around one hundred
and fifty pounds. She was a hairstylist who worked out
of her home, and her two sons, aged ten and seven,
were her world. Ashley was always in touch with her family,
(01:47):
her sisters, her friends. Alexis, her older sister, would use
the Fine My iPhone app to check where she was,
something the sisters always did for safety. She was known
among loved ones as a very cheerful person, someone who
cared deeply for her kids and her family. Her life
(02:11):
appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary work, family, kids, errands,
and nothing about her behavior suggested that she would just
vanish without a trace. But on January second, twenty twenty five,
that's exactly what happened. January second started like any other
(02:36):
Thursday morning in Warren. At approximately eight thirty am, Ashley
left her home wearing a long black coat with fur
trim around the hood and black leggings. She was driving
her gray twenty ten Chevy Malibu. Her mother arrived at
Ashley's house about ten minutes later, just missing her daughter.
(03:01):
At nine oh six am, she sent Ashley a text
message about a dream that she'd had would happen next
would become the foundation of a disturbing pattern throughout that day.
Ashley's family received what they described as weird texts from
her phone. In one of the messages, Ashley claimed she
(03:25):
was going to the beauty supply store. In another, she
told a family member she was on her way home
from running errands, but she never arrived. As the hours
passed with no word from Ashley, her family grew increasingly concerned.
This wasn't like her. She didn't just disappear without explanation,
(03:49):
especially not when she had her children to think about.
By January third, Ashley's family officially reported her missing to
the Warren Police Department. Investigators immediately began chasing her movements.
From the previous day. Cell phone data placed her last
(04:11):
known location at an apartment complex in the twenty thousand,
nine hundred block of Pinehurst Street in Roseville, that address
belonging to her ex boyfriend DeAndre Howard Booker. On January seventh,
authorities recovered Ashley's Chevy Malibu in the area of thirteen
(04:35):
Mile and Little Mac in Roseville, about three to four
miles from Booker's home at the Hampton Court Apartments. The
car's discovery deepened the mystery if Ashley had been running errands.
The location of her vehicle didn't align with where she
was expected to be. Investigators intensified focus on Booker given
(05:01):
that his apartment was her last known location. On January eighth,
five days after Ashley was reported missing, DeAndre Booker was arrested.
He was initially charged with lying to police during the investigation.
The next day, January ninth, Booker was arraigned on that charge.
(05:26):
A judge set his bond at two hundred and fifty
thousand dollars cash or surety. Later that month, on January thirty, first,
prosecutors formally charged Booker with first degree premeditated murder, campering
with evidence, disinterment or mutilation of a dead body, and
(05:49):
concealing the death of an individual. At that arraignment, his
bond was denied. Inside Booker's apartment, bathroom crime scene technicians
found a substantial amount of blood. According to testimony, they
searched the drains, the kitchen, the bathroom sink, and the tub.
(06:13):
In the bathtub drain, they recovered three items, a clump
of hair, a silver hoop earring, and a suspected bullet fragment.
While police identified what those items appeared to be, they
testified that at that point they could not determine whether
they belonged to Ashley Elkins. Outside the apartment, investigators seized
(06:39):
a dumpster from the Hampton Court Complex. Witnesses reported seeing
blood inside of it. Prosecutors also presented evidence that a
shopping cart had been used to transport something into that dumpster.
The evidence was disturbing, but Ashley's body remained missing. Investigators
(07:03):
had a critical question where was she. On January thirteenth,
twenty twenty five, authorities began a search at the Pine
Tree Acres landfill in Lennox Township, Macomb County. For seven
days through January nineteenth, teams using heavy equipment, volunteers, and
(07:30):
specialized crews combed a six to seven acre parcel of
the waste site, searching for any trace of Ashley. Despite
these efforts, the search was called off without finding her body.
Even without recovering Ashley's body, prosecutors believed they have substantial
(07:51):
evidence to move forward. Blood and bleach found and Booker's
apartment items recovered from the bathroom drain, the seized dumpster,
and other police testimony all suggest foul play. Preliminary examination
hearings began on August six, twenty twenty five, continuing on
(08:14):
August eighth and August fifteen. During those proceedings, testimony confirmed
that a substantial amount of blood was found in his bathroom,
along with bleach. Walls appeared wiped or smoothed as if
they were cleaned, and items in the bathroom drain, the
clump of hair, the earring, and the suspected bullet fragment
(08:39):
were all recovered. Authorities have not confirmed whether those items
belonged to Ashley Elkins. As the legal proceedings continued, Ashley's
family was left to grapple with an impossible reality. Their daughter,
their sister, the mother of two young boys, was gone.
(09:04):
Someone had been charged with her murder, yet her remains
had never been recovered. While specific details of her relationship
with DeAndre Booker are limited, it is known that they
were ex boyfriend and ex girlfriend. On the morning she disappeared,
she was last known to be at his apartment in Roseville, Michigan.
(09:30):
With Ashley Elkins's case being classified as a no body homicide,
prosecutors must build their case on circumstantial evidence, witness testimony
and forensic analysis, the blood evidence, the cell phone data,
the lies told to police, and the timing of the
disappearance all combined to form a compelling narrative. While securing
(09:56):
a conviction without a body is challenging, it is possible
if the evidence is strong enough. Today, Ashley's two sons
are growing up without their mother and without answers as
to why someone who was once so close to her
now stands accused of taking her life. They were just
(10:20):
seven and ten when she first went missing. If you
have any information about Ashley Elkins's disappearance or the events
of January two, twenty twenty five, please contact the Warren
Police Department or submit tips anonymously through crime Stoppers. You
(10:40):
can find their contact information and description below. Ashley Elkins
deserves justice, her family deserves answers, and they deserve closure.
As we close out this episode, remember sharing Ashley's story
helps spread awareness and but help lead to the closure
(11:01):
that her family is seeking. Don't forget to click the
follow button to stay updated on Ashley's case and others
like it. Be sure to subscribe to Hunting for Answers
on YouTube and follow us on Instagram and TikTok for
more true crime content and case updates. Also, if you're
watching us on YouTube, share your thoughts on this case
(11:23):
and the comments below. Thank you so much for joining
us on another episode Until next time. Hunting for Answers
(11:44):
is a production of the Black Effect Podcast Network. For
more podcasts from the Black Effect Podcast Network, visit the
iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your
favorite shows.
Hunting for Answers is a production of The Black Effect
Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. Welcome to Hunting for Answers, a
true crime podcast. I'm your host Hunter, and today we're
highlighting a case that began on a January morning in
twenty twenty five, when a thirty year old mother of
(00:20):
two sons left her Warren, Michigan home, wearing a black
coat with fur around the hood. She told her family
she was running errands and that she would be home soon. However,
she never made it back. Within hours, strange text messages
(00:40):
would derive from her phone, her car would be found
abandoned miles away, and in an ex boyfriend's apartment bathroom,
investigators would discover what they described as a substantial amount
of blood. Despite extensive search, including a massive operation at
(01:02):
a county landfill, she has never been found. This is
the story of Ashley Elkins. Ashley Elkins was thirty years
old in the winter of twenty twenty five. She lived
in Warren, Michigan, a working class city just north of Detroit.
(01:26):
She is described as a black woman, standing five foot
two to five foot three and weighing around one hundred
and fifty pounds. She was a hairstylist who worked out
of her home, and her two sons, aged ten and seven,
were her world. Ashley was always in touch with her family,
(01:47):
her sisters, her friends. Alexis, her older sister, would use
the Fine My iPhone app to check where she was,
something the sisters always did for safety. She was known
among loved ones as a very cheerful person, someone who
cared deeply for her kids and her family. Her life
(02:11):
appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary work, family, kids, errands,
and nothing about her behavior suggested that she would just
vanish without a trace. But on January second, twenty twenty five,
that's exactly what happened. January second started like any other
(02:36):
Thursday morning in Warren. At approximately eight thirty am, Ashley
left her home wearing a long black coat with fur
trim around the hood and black leggings. She was driving
her gray twenty ten Chevy Malibu. Her mother arrived at
Ashley's house about ten minutes later, just missing her daughter.
(03:01):
At nine oh six am, she sent Ashley a text
message about a dream that she'd had would happen next
would become the foundation of a disturbing pattern throughout that day.
Ashley's family received what they described as weird texts from
her phone. In one of the messages, Ashley claimed she
(03:25):
was going to the beauty supply store. In another, she
told a family member she was on her way home
from running errands, but she never arrived. As the hours
passed with no word from Ashley, her family grew increasingly concerned.
This wasn't like her. She didn't just disappear without explanation,
(03:49):
especially not when she had her children to think about.
By January third, Ashley's family officially reported her missing to
the Warren Police Department. Investigators immediately began chasing her movements.
From the previous day. Cell phone data placed her last
(04:11):
known location at an apartment complex in the twenty thousand,
nine hundred block of Pinehurst Street in Roseville, that address
belonging to her ex boyfriend DeAndre Howard Booker. On January seventh,
authorities recovered Ashley's Chevy Malibu in the area of thirteen
(04:35):
Mile and Little Mac in Roseville, about three to four
miles from Booker's home at the Hampton Court Apartments. The
car's discovery deepened the mystery if Ashley had been running errands.
The location of her vehicle didn't align with where she
was expected to be. Investigators intensified focus on Booker given
(05:01):
that his apartment was her last known location. On January eighth,
five days after Ashley was reported missing, DeAndre Booker was arrested.
He was initially charged with lying to police during the investigation.
The next day, January ninth, Booker was arraigned on that charge.
(05:26):
A judge set his bond at two hundred and fifty
thousand dollars cash or surety. Later that month, on January thirty, first,
prosecutors formally charged Booker with first degree premeditated murder, campering
with evidence, disinterment or mutilation of a dead body, and
(05:49):
concealing the death of an individual. At that arraignment, his
bond was denied. Inside Booker's apartment, bathroom crime scene technicians
found a substantial amount of blood. According to testimony, they
searched the drains, the kitchen, the bathroom sink, and the tub.
(06:13):
In the bathtub drain, they recovered three items, a clump
of hair, a silver hoop earring, and a suspected bullet fragment.
While police identified what those items appeared to be, they
testified that at that point they could not determine whether
they belonged to Ashley Elkins. Outside the apartment, investigators seized
(06:39):
a dumpster from the Hampton Court Complex. Witnesses reported seeing
blood inside of it. Prosecutors also presented evidence that a
shopping cart had been used to transport something into that dumpster.
The evidence was disturbing, but Ashley's body remained missing. Investigators
(07:03):
had a critical question where was she. On January thirteenth,
twenty twenty five, authorities began a search at the Pine
Tree Acres landfill in Lennox Township, Macomb County. For seven
days through January nineteenth, teams using heavy equipment, volunteers, and
(07:30):
specialized crews combed a six to seven acre parcel of
the waste site, searching for any trace of Ashley. Despite
these efforts, the search was called off without finding her body.
Even without recovering Ashley's body, prosecutors believed they have substantial
(07:51):
evidence to move forward. Blood and bleach found and Booker's
apartment items recovered from the bathroom drain, the seized dumpster,
and other police testimony all suggest foul play. Preliminary examination
hearings began on August six, twenty twenty five, continuing on
(08:14):
August eighth and August fifteen. During those proceedings, testimony confirmed
that a substantial amount of blood was found in his bathroom,
along with bleach. Walls appeared wiped or smoothed as if
they were cleaned, and items in the bathroom drain, the
clump of hair, the earring, and the suspected bullet fragment
(08:39):
were all recovered. Authorities have not confirmed whether those items
belonged to Ashley Elkins. As the legal proceedings continued, Ashley's
family was left to grapple with an impossible reality. Their daughter,
their sister, the mother of two young boys, was gone.
(09:04):
Someone had been charged with her murder, yet her remains
had never been recovered. While specific details of her relationship
with DeAndre Booker are limited, it is known that they
were ex boyfriend and ex girlfriend. On the morning she disappeared,
she was last known to be at his apartment in Roseville, Michigan.
(09:30):
With Ashley Elkins's case being classified as a no body homicide,
prosecutors must build their case on circumstantial evidence, witness testimony
and forensic analysis, the blood evidence, the cell phone data,
the lies told to police, and the timing of the
disappearance all combined to form a compelling narrative. While securing
(09:56):
a conviction without a body is challenging, it is possible
if the evidence is strong enough. Today, Ashley's two sons
are growing up without their mother and without answers as
to why someone who was once so close to her
now stands accused of taking her life. They were just
(10:20):
seven and ten when she first went missing. If you
have any information about Ashley Elkins's disappearance or the events
of January two, twenty twenty five, please contact the Warren
Police Department or submit tips anonymously through crime Stoppers. You
(10:40):
can find their contact information and description below. Ashley Elkins
deserves justice, her family deserves answers, and they deserve closure.
As we close out this episode, remember sharing Ashley's story
helps spread awareness and but help lead to the closure
(11:01):
that her family is seeking. Don't forget to click the
follow button to stay updated on Ashley's case and others
like it. Be sure to subscribe to Hunting for Answers
on YouTube and follow us on Instagram and TikTok for
more true crime content and case updates. Also, if you're
watching us on YouTube, share your thoughts on this case
(11:23):
and the comments below. Thank you so much for joining
us on another episode Until next time. Hunting for Answers
(11:44):
is a production of the Black Effect Podcast Network. For
more podcasts from the Black Effect Podcast Network, visit the
iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your
favorite shows.
Host
Hunter Gilmore
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