Jury selection continues in trial over Ashley Elkins’ disappearance

Jury selection began on November 10 in the trial of Deandre Booker, 33, who is charged with first-degree murder and other felonies in the disappearance of Ashley Elkins. Selection was set to resume on November 12 in Macomb County Circuit Court. Elkins, a mother of two, went missing on January 2, 2025; her body has not been found.

Prosecutors allege Booker killed Elkins at his Roseville apartment and disposed of her body. Investigators say her phone’s last known location was the apartment. DNA testing linked blood found in the bathroom to Elkins. Other evidence gathered during the investigation includes an earring, a bullet fragment and hair, as well as surveillance video showing someone pushing a shopping cart toward a dumpster at the apartment complex.

Earlier court proceedings included searches from Booker’s phone related to killing, tracking phones and what happens to garbage after pickup. Booker was also charged with lying to police, tampering with evidence, mutilating or disinterring a body, and concealing a death. He is being held without bond. A forensic evaluation found him competent to stand trial, and a judge adopted that determination in June 2026.

Trial attorney Todd Flood described the case as built on circumstantial evidence and said prosecutors would need to establish that Elkins died by homicide before presenting statements attributed to Booker. Flood said a medical examiner is expected to testify. He estimated the trial could last one or two weeks after jury selection is complete.