Police looking for missing Michigan mother-of-two Ashley Elkins are searching through a landfill for evidence in relation to her disappearance, Fox 2 Detroit reports, citing police sources.

Elkins, 30, of Warren, was last seen on Jan. 2 and disappeared while running errands and had messaged her family members that she was heading back from a beauty supply store. 

Her ex-boyfriend boyfriend, Deandre Howard Booker, 32, was arrested after fleeing to Flint and has been charged with lying to police during a violent crime investigation which carries a four-year penalty, according to the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office.

HUMAN REMAINS FOUND ON HUSBAND’S PROPERTY IN SEARCH FOR MICHIGAN WOMAN MISSING SINCE 2021

Searchers in yellow suits spent more than six hours scouring the Pine Tree Acres Landfill in Lenox Township landfill near 29 Mile in northern Macomb County on Monday, the Detroit News reports. Roseville Police Chief Mitch Berlin said officials concentrated their search on about six to seven acres within the landfill, per the publication.

He said the search was moving in the right direction and was confident they would find the evidence they are looking for. 

Elkins family members say her disappearance is out of character and no one has heard from her since Jan. 2. They said her phone last pinged near her ex’s Roseville apartment, per Fox 2.

Last Tuesday, Jan. 7, police found her car in the area of 13 Mile and Little Mack in Roseville, less than four miles away from her apartment. That same night, her ex’s apartment was searched and he was arrested the next day.

Police 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.

Elkins and Booker broke up in September after dating for about a year, Elkins’ mother told reporters, according to the Macomb Daily.

Deandre Howard Booker, 32, was arrested after fleeing to Flint and has been charged with lying to police during their investigation into Elkins’ disappearance. (Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office)

‘WILL TO SURVIVE’ HELPED MISSING 89-YEAR-OLD HIKER THROUGH 10-DAY ORDEAL IN IDAHO WILDERNESS

Maurice Morton, an attorney who is Elkins’ aunt, told Fox 2 that the family suspect Booker had something to do with her disappearance and that police have reason to believe where her remains are. 

Booker was arraigned in Roseville District Court on Jan. 9 and the judge set bond at $250,000.00 cash/surety only.

Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido said in a statement that Booker repeatedly lied to police officers from Jan. 4 through Jan. 7 and willfully provided false and misleading information in the investigation into the disappearance of Elkins.

“Our hearts go out to the family of the missing woman during this difficult time,” Lucido said. “Providing false information to law enforcement in a case like this not only hinders the investigation but adds further pain and uncertainty for the loved ones searching for answers. We remain committed to seeking justice and ensuring that every effort is made to bring resolution to this case.”

During Booker’s arraignment, his attorney said that his client was unemployed and asked for a reasonable bond 

Prosecutors said Boooker searched for the fastest routes to Ohio and he’s accused of planning to leave the state. Prosecutors also said that his research also included what to do while on the run, how to beat a polygraph test, how to delete his Google search history and if blood is traceable.

The Pine Tree Acres Landfill site, pictured in 2019, was searched by investigators on Monday.  (Google Maps)

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

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, Fox 2 Detroit reported, citing court documents. It happened after he was charged the year before with several crimes during service, including larceny and possessing fake identification documents.

A probable cause hearing is scheduled for Jan. 22 via Zoom and a preliminary exam is scheduled for Jan. 29.

Another new-to-market restaurant chain is grabbing a slice of Short Pump. 

Emmy Squared Pizza, known for its Detroit-style pizza, is preparing to open at 2225 Old Brick Road in the recently vacated Burger Bach space in West Broad Village. 

The growing pizzeria brand’s geographic roots span various regions of the country. While it serves Detroit-style pizza, which is baked in a rectangular pan and is topped with cheese up to the edges for a crispy crust, Emmy Squared first opened in New York City in 2016 and is now headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee.

Emmy Squared Pizza serves Detroit-style pizza. (Courtesy Emmy Squared social media)

The company did respond to multiple requests seeking comment for this story. It recently applied for an ABC license for 2225 Old Brick Road and posted multiple job listings for a new Glen Allen location. 

The Short Pump location looks to be part of a broader growth plan for the company. Emmy Squared has over 30 locations open or in the works throughout the country, including one in Charlottesville, and late last year it announced new C-suite leadership to “position the brand for its next phase of growth and innovation,” according to a news release. 

Burger Bach closed in West Broad Village last summer after more than a decade in business, and in the fall it closed its Midlothian location. Its Carytown location, which is owned by a different group, remains open. 

The building in West Broad Village to which Emmy Squared is headed is owned by Shamin Hotels and is anchored by Shamin’s Aloft Hotel.

Thalhimer’s Jim Ashby and Colliers’ Peter Vick and Harrison Hall handled Emmy Squared’s lease.

The bulk of West Broad Village’s commercial space was sold in 2022 to Florida-based CTO Realty Growth. Since then, the mixed-use center has seen a bit of restaurant churn. Ford’s Garage recently opened in the old MPM Tiki Bar, which came available after MPM relocated to the former Halligan space within West Broad Village.

Last year the former Kona Grill building was filled by Brazilian steakhouse Fogo de Chão, and West Broad Village also lost a longtime restaurant tenant in Carrabba’s, whose old home remains vacant. 

MILWAUKEE — For years, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, agents have worked out of an office in Downtown Milwaukee. 

That will change in the near future as the Department of Homeland Security plans to move its office on Knapp and Broadway to Lake Park Drive, just off Interstate 41 on Milwaukee’s northwest side. 

Documents obtained by TMJ4 state that the government office would be used to process non-detained report-ins and detainees for transport to holding facilities.

Wednesday afternoon, city and county leaders, along with community members, gathered outside the new ICE office.

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Fernanda Jimenez, a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient, is dedicated to advocating for immigration reform alongside her organization, Comite Sin Fronteras. 

“What we’ve been working mostly on is making sure that we protect our immigrant community but also fight for a pathway to citizenship,” she said.

Currently, a significant concern for Jimenez and her group is the planned relocation to a new processing facility on Milwaukee’s northwest side.

This issue dominated their discussions on Wednesday, as Jimenez understands the implications of such a move.

Brought to the U.S. as a child, Jimenez is undocumented but protected from deportation by federal policy (DACA). Despite her protections, she remains anxious for friends and family who do not share the same status.

Watch: Advocates sound alarm over ICE office relocation in Milwaukee

Advocates sound alarm over ICE office relocation in Milwaukee

“Even though it’s not considered a detention center, it’s just a place where they’re going to process people. It gives them the ability, they’re closer to the highway, and they’re able to take them to a detention center. That gives them more expansion to be able to process anybody,” she explained.

The proposed facility has ignited fear for some within Milwaukee’s Latino community, according to fellow DACA recipient Mario Rubio and Cesar Hernandez, who lives on Milwaukee’s south side.

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“Some people, with this happening, are afraid to work. So you’re losing out on income. You’re losing out on groceries. You know, you’re slowly putting yourself in this corner where it just becomes more lonely,” Rubio said.

Mike Beiermeister

In response, an ICE spokesperson told TMJ4 that no ICE detention facilities are planned for the location in question.

“I call BS,” said Cesar Hernandez, a Milwaukee resident. “I think that it’s a line they’re feeding to the media as well to try to keep some of the outrage or some of the outcry and response and organizing to a minimum, but I think we know better.”

Mike Beiermeister

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He shared his concerns over the facility in question.

“I was disgusted. It didn’t surprise me that DHS didn’t so much as reach out to the local elected officials as an act of good faith, or at least work in collaboration with the local elected officials that they would have to be working with if they plan to implement those facilities,” he said.

As discussions continue, it remains unclear when the Department of Homeland Security plans to move into the new building.

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