Is Heather Elvis Dead Or Alive?

Heather Elvis vanished exactly 11 months ago, leaving behind very little evidence of what may have happened to her.

Detectives in Horry County, South Carolina believe that Sidney and Tammy Moorer — a married couple — are behind the kidnapping and murder of the young woman. Even though the authorities suspect Heather was murdered, and have jailed their suspects, no evidence has ever been publicized against them and no body has ever been located. Meanwhile, the missing woman’s loved ones hold onto hope that she’ll one day return home. WMBF News (an NBC affiliate) shared a special news report about the case as its one year anniversary lies just around the corner.

A lot of animosity surrounds Heather’s case regarding whether or not the Moorers are guilty of abducting and killing her. With there being a gag order, it’s impossible to know what evidence — if any — exists against them. Terry and Debbi Elvis have acknowledged that many people are angry at them for the arrests of Tammy and Sidney Moorer, which is likely over the lack of publicized evidence combined with disdain for Terry’s behavior on social media over the past 11 months. While he denies ever directly inciting violence against Tammy and Sidney on social media, he has indeed used the FindHeatherElvis Facebook page to vent his anger over the course of his daughter’s disappearance. Some of his venting has indeed included veiled calls for vigilante justice — not just toward the suspects, but people on the internet who angered him on social media. At one point the Facebook page became a toxic environment where members of the community made threats to kidnap the Moorers’ children in order to “make them talk.” Not long before Tammy and Sidney Moorer were arrested and charged, they both complained of being shot at randomly as well as receiving threats from the community. When they were eventually arrested their entire family was essentially barricaded in one room for their safety.

Sidney Moorer has never spoken publicly about the allegations against him, but his wife Tammy agreed to contribute to the one and only media report covering her side of the story. She has always maintained her innocence, claiming that she’d never even met Heather Elvis and that she was aware that her husband had only had a brief sexual fling with her. Tammy alleged that Heather likely ran away from home, and that she had done so in the past. This claim is something that actually complements comments that Elvis had made publicly on her Twitter account.

There’s nothing for me in this town I need to go somewhere new

— ?Moonchild? (@HeatherElvis) September 4, 2013

She had even expressed a preferred destination at one point over the course of many months — all the while she was pursuing Tammy Moorer’s husband Sydney.


One way ticket to Thailand – 746 $

— ?Moonchild? (@HeatherElvis) May 15, 2013

Do these tweets and a lack of body mean that Heather is missing voluntarily? It’s impossible to say one way or the other, but people are divided over this case. On one hand, Horry County authorities declare that they have enough evidence to believe that the Moorers abducted and killed Elvis, but on the other hand there is no evidence being publicized against them. The Myrtle Beach community wants to support Terry and Debbi Elvis, who are apparently in deep mourning over the apparent loss of their daughter. However, where there is a lack of evidence, there is also doubt — and reasonable doubt is all that is needed to clear someone of murder in a court of law.

The hashtags #HeatherElvis and #FindHeatherElvis on Twitter and Facebook are pathways to discussions that show the growing doubt over whether or not the Moorers are the right suspects, or if there even are suspects in this case at all. That doubt is only enhanced by the arrests of those who are close to the search for the missing woman. WBTW News reported on the arrests of Bill Barrett and Garrett Starnes back in January, revealing that the men allegedly interfered with the investigation and falsified or fabricated evidence against Sidney and Tammy Moorer. Bill Barrett is reportedly a close friend of Terry Elvis.

This case is 11-months-old and it is shrouded in mystery, speculation and anger from many sides: The members of the Myrtle Beach community who want their missing girl brought home, the parents who may have lost their oldest daughter and the loved ones of the suspects who believe they are being framed for something they did not do. By this time next month, when the case turns one-year-old, will anything change?

[Photo credit: NBC News]