The Disappearance of Heather Elvis

20-year-old Tilted Kilt hostess, Heather Elvis, disappeared during the early morning hours of December 18, 2013 at Peachtree Landing in Socastee, SC.  She had driven there around 3:17 am to allegedly a meet her 38-year-old ex-boyfriend, Sidney Moorer, whom she had been having an affair with throughout the summer.

According to a friend whom she had spoken with on the phone earlier that night, Sidney had called Heather and said he was leaving his wife.  After a verified 4 minute long phone call from Heather to Sidney’s cell phone, Heather gets in her vehicle and goes to the landing.  A husband and father of three, Sidney, admits to the affair with Heather but adamantly denies meeting or planning to meet with Heather that night.  Though Heather’s vehicle is found parked at the landing, she is never seen or heard from again.

Following intense public scrutiny of their social media postings, Sidney and his wife, Tammy, were arrested and held for the murder of Heather Elvis for sixteen months, at which point, the murder charges were abruptly dropped.

Between the odd handling of the investigation, a gag order on the trial, the expanse of social media information available regarding the relationship of the victim to the purported suspects, and sometimes extreme community interest in the disappearance, the case has become an intricate and, at times, complicated mess of possibilities.  However, for many people, the circumstantial evidence all points back to the Moorer couple.

And yet, all of the big questions still remain. What happened that night?  And, more importantly, where is Heather Elvis?

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An Odd Love Triangle

Scrolling through Heather Elvis’s Twitter feed, it is apparent that she had an affinity for good music and a quick, if not brutal, sense of humor.  She posted Lana del Rey and Gin Wigmore lyrics, shared photos of organic cleanse juices and Sonic milkshakes alike, and made no apologies for the boredom and dissatisfaction she sometimes felt for her hometown.  Sometimes self-deprecating, sometimes crass and full of unadulterated confidence, Heather’s Twitter musings are as entertaining as they are honest.

Heather was not particularly subtle with her attraction to Moorer.  After her disappearance, intense criticism was thrust upon her for some of her colorful tweets about “the guy who builds things at [her] job.”  However, as brash as some of her comments and language may seem in retrospect, they are punctuated with other posts detailing the affinities of an outspoken, yet typical, 20-year-old girl.

A 2011 graduate of St. James High School, Heather is described by friends and family as being kind, caring, adventurous, and independent.  She planned to pursue cosmetology, and had a deep affinity for helping people.  Her tagline on Twitter is “all scarlet begonias and a touch of the blues.”

Heather met Sidney Moorer through her work, and their affair seemed to have occurred in, or just after, summer. Heather’s roommate, Bri Warrelmann, stated that:

“Over a series of weeks it was [Heather] being like, ‘Bri, Sidney did this and we hung out here,’ and every time he would come in she would almost run away. ‘Sidney’s here’ kind of thing.”

According to a local news report, Sidney was a Myrtle Beach native who owned his own business called Palmetto Maintenance which provided maintenance and repair services on industrial equipment at restaurants in the area. Sidney lived with Tammy and their three kids on property owned by Tammy’s family.  By some accounts, he was  described as the complicit partner in the relationship, and Tammy “called the shots.”

Sidney’s Facebook cover photo at the time just after Heather’s disappearance was a picture of his lower stomach tattooed with TAMMY in Old English font just below his bellybutton (and just above his multi-colored boxers).  He had a holstered gun on his right hip in the photo.

It was also obvious throughout their respective Facebook pages that Sidney and Tammy both have a deep, and somewhat odd, affinity for Walt Disney, Disney World, and all things Disney.

Sidney had photos scattered around on his Facebook from their family vacation to Disney World during the weeks before Heather went missing.

From Sidney Moorer’s Facebook

Though their overall Facebook personas at the time of Heather’s disappearance were a bit bizarre, with prominent pictures of guns alongside almost-poetic diatribes on Walt Disney, neither Sidney nor Tammy overtly presented themselves like cold-blooded murderers that could, allegedly, go on to kill a young girl only a couple weeks later.

Tammy Moorer, a Horry County native, reportedly worked “[helping] plan Disney trips and excursions” and  “had a website dedicated to [helping] folks plan trips to Disney.”  In a “Disney Cruise Trip Report”* from October 2012, Tammy wonders “how many great people [she] was missing out on because [she] cut out [her] witty reports.”  Tammy describes herself as a photographer and a huge Disney fan.  She goes on to provide information on every single member of their family, including their pet rabbits and duck.  The extremely detailed post is an amalgamation of humble brags, gushing memories, pictures of their vacation, and intense familial pride.  The ‘report’ is well-written and easy to understand.  Though the entire post reads as odd and somewhat pretentious, Tammy seems to be intelligent, detail-oriented, and Type-A, but also quirky.

*This “report” is not directly linked in this post, due to information and pictures of minor children being included in it, but was available on the internet as of June 2016.

Tammy Moorer’s Cruise Report (The text above is her own caption.)

According to Bri Warrelmann, Heather’s roommate and best friend, when the affair was discovered by Tammy “it blew up like a bomb almost.”  She said that “Tammy was livid, texting Heather, sending Heather pictures of her and Sidney having sex. … Tammy and her phone calls, ‘You’re going to stop talking to my husband or else.’ It wasn’t ‘or else I am going to do this’ — it was ‘Or else!’ So it wasn’t like Tammy had specifically said a threat, necessarily — it was, ‘Leave my family alone.'”

Bri also described a phone call between Tammy, Sidney, and Heather, where “they ended things on the phone,” so that Tammy could verify that the relationship was completely over.  Heather told Bri that, “Sidney made comments…[saying] ‘You were nothing to me, you were just someone who spread your legs.'”  And that Sidney then proceeded to “basically [tear] Heather apart as a human being, and who she was as a person and [make] her feel horrible about herself.”

It is also reported, by media and the prosecutor, that Tammy “put her husband on lockdown, even going so far as to handcuff him to their bed at night while she slept so he could not sneak out.”

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THE TIMELINE

The days leading up to, the night of, and the years after Heather’s disappearance are as mysterious and interesting, as they are tragic.  The social media presence and rumors surrounding the people involved in Heather’s life, and possibly her disappearance, present a complex and unflinching narrative of an illicit, yet brief, liaison that somehow went horribly awry.

Heather texts her father “Just learned to drive a stick, I’m a Pro!” along with the above picture on the night of December 17.

September – October, 2013

Heather Elvis and Sidney Moorer have an extramarital affair for around six weeks, according to this interview with Sidney Moorer.

[According to prosecutors, the affair “blossomed in June 2013” and only ended in October 2013 “when it was discovered by Tammy Moorer.”]

November 1 and 3, 2013

Tammy sends Heather threatening texts which are detailed below.

December 17, 2013 

Heather goes on a first date with a man, who will later be interviewed, polygraphed, and determined to not be a suspect in her disappearance.  Her date teaches her how to drive a manual vehicle and she texts her father a picture.  She is dropped off back at her condo later that night.

According to her best friend and roommate, Bri Warrelmann, this was Heather’s “first official date since after her relationship with Sidney had ended” and Heather was excited.

December 18, 2013  

Heather makes some late night/early morning phone calls.  The following timeline for her early morning disappearance was presented by prosecutors and is detailed here:

The bolded, red text is new information from the June 2016 kidnapping trial of Sidney Moorer, particularly as presented by prosecution witness, Aaron Edens, an intelligence analyst from California who analyzed the GPS movements from Heather’s cell phone.  The trial was ultimately declared a mistrial with jurors unable to come to a decision, and the charge is anticipated to be tried again.  Pronouns and verbiage have also been revised, as it is unclear if, or when, Heather was actually in possession of her phone throughout the entire night.  A post discussing the new timeline and evidence, as well as the implications from the kidnapping trial, will be posted soon.

• 1:12 AM- Sidney purchases a pregnancy test from a Walmart.
• 1:35-1:40 AM- Sidney calls Heather from a pay phone. Call duration is 4:53 minutes. There is video of Sidney making the call and he now admits to making the call, but says it was just to tell Heather to leave him alone.
• 1:44-1:46 AM- Heather calls her best friend and roommate, Bri, who is away visiting family in another state at the time. According to Bri, Heather was upset and told her:
  

  “[Sidney] said he left his wife, he missed me and wanted to see me.”

  The call lasts 2:20 minutes.

• 2:29 AM- Heather’s phone attempts to call the pay phone but there is no answer.
• Around 2:42am-2:56am- Heather’s phone is at Longbeard’s Bar and Restaurant in Carolina Forest. 
• 2:57 AM- Heads to Augusta Plantation Drive, and then turns around.
• 3:01 AM- Returns to Longbeard’s in Carolina Forest.
• 3:02-3:15 AM- Heather’s phone remains at Longbeard’s.
• 3:16 AM- Heather’s cell phone attempts to call Sidney’s cell phone for the first time immediately as she is leaving Longbeard’s, but there is no answer.
• 3:16-3:19 AM- Heather’s phone heads back to her apartment.
• 3:19-3:24 AM- Heather’s phone remains at her residence.
• 3:17-3:21 AM- Heather again attempts to call Sidney’s cell phone and it is answered. The call duration is 4 minutes and 15 seconds. Heather’s phone is still at her home at this point, and Sidney’s phone is at the Moorer residence. Prosecution heavily implied that it could have TM talking to Heather here, and as Sidney has now admitted to the pay phone call (as the ‘stop calling’ call), it no longer seems that he is claiming this particular conversation with Heather.

 

Peachtree Landing

• 3:25-3:37 AM- Heather’s phone moves from her residence to Peachtree Boat Landing.
• 3:36 AM- A private video surveillance camera captures a dark colored Ford F-150 coming from the direction of the Moorer home and heading towards the boat landing. This camera is 1.7 miles from the Moorer’s residence.
• 3:38 AM- Heather’s phone attempts to call Sidney’s phone but there is no answer. Heather’s phone is now at the boat landing. Calls are attempted from Heather’s phone to Sidney’s phone again at 3:39 and 3:39:46.
• 3:39 AM- A business video surveillance, located a mile from the first camera and closer to Peachtree Landing, captures the same vehicle still proceeding in the direction of the boat landing.
• 3:41 AM- Heather attempts to call Sidney again.
• 3:42 AM- Heather’s cell phone data/activity ends at this point.
• 3:45 AM- The same business video surveillance camera captures the truck coming from the direction of the boat landing and heading back towards the Moorer residence. The camera is approximately 1.2 miles from the landing.
• 3:46 AM- The private residence video surveillance captures the vehicle headed from the boat landing towards the Moorer residence.

December 19, 2013 

Heather’s car is found abandoned (and parked sideways) at Peachtree Boat Landing in Socastee.  According to local news media, the car was locked, and Heather’s keys, cell phone, and purse were not inside.

December 20, 2013

Peachtree Boat Landing is searched.

December 27, 2013

Volunteer searchers gather to search for Heather Elvis at Peachtree Landing.

January 3-5, 2014

CUE Center holds different searches for Heather Elvis.

January 28, 2014

Two men are arrested for interfering in the Heather Elvis case– charges seem to stem from social media posts, searches, and interviews conducted separately from the investigation. Charges are later dropped.

February 21-22, 2014

Tammy and Sidney Moorer are taken into custody, their home is searched, and they are each charged with the following:

• Obstruction of Justice
• Two counts of Indecent Exposure (for the illicit texts to Heather)
• Kidnapping in the disappearance of Heather Elvis

February 24, 2014

Horry County Police Chief Saundra Rhodes announces Sidney and Tammy Moorer are now also charged with the murder of Heather Elvis.

February 28, 2014

Divers search the boat landing in Heather Elvis case.

March 17, 2014: 

Judge denies bond request for both Sidney and Tammy Moorer.

March 21, 2014:

A gag order is issued regarding the trial.

June 3, 2014:

Tammy and Sidney Moorer are charged with Medicaid fraud (allegedly misrepresenting their income for benefits) in an unrelated case.

November 25, 2014:

A Circuit Court judge refuses to order the release of search warrants in the case of Heather Elvis.

Aerial View of the Moorer-Caison Property

January 17, 2015

A portion of Highway 814, which the Moorer residence is located off of, is closed as part of the Heather Elvis investigation.

January 30, 2015

Bond is set at $100,000 for Sidney and Tammy Moorer.  Tammy posts bond and is released that evening.

February 2, 2015

Sidney Moorer posts bond and is released from jail.

Sidney Moorer Leaving Jail

 

March 25, 2015

The Heather Elvis murder trial  is pushed back and the Moorers remain out on bond.

August 25, 2015

Sidney and Tammy Moorer receive permission to move to Florida in search of work to support their family. They cite that they face hiring discrimination in the Myrtle Beach area due to their involvement in the case.

December 16, 2015

The family of Heather Elvis starts an online petition to remove the judge from the case who granted the Moorers bond.

March 10, 2016

After over two years of searching for Heather, and eleven months in jail for the Moorers, the murder charges are dropped against Sidney and Tammy Moorer.

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Social Media Fuels a Fire

 

On November 1, 2013 (about a month before Heather’s disappearance), 41-year-old mother of three, Tammy Moorer, allegedly sent the following text to Heather Elvis:

“someone’s about to get their a– beat down.. your b— is about to take his last breath… You can tell me where you are right now or I will find out another way… that way wont have a great turn out for you… I am giving you one last chance to answer before we meet in person.. only one”

Later, Tammy persisted with the following:

“I’ve been having Sidney followed since Jan. 2012.. it’s best you call back and speak to me, save yourself. Hey …… you ready to meet the MRS?”

Heather dispassionately responded to Mrs. Moorer:

“I think you are a little obsessed with me. I’m nobody you need to worry about anymore.”

On November 3, Tammy again attempts to elicit a response from Heather:

“by the way dad no longer owns a phone.”

In true cringeworthy fashion, it appears as though Tammy is referencing Sidney Moorer, as dad in this text.

Again, Heather sends an apathetic response:

“.” 

One of the most infamous pieces of social media in the case was a private message Tammy Moorer sent to a Facebook friend detailing some of her and Sidney’s issues after his affair, and disappearance.  The below message is the first thing many people had heard of the case, and there was an immediate, active, and vocal backlash for Tammy’s harsh words towards Heather.

Tammy’s use of adjectives to describe Sidney (stupid) vs Heather (psycho,  whore, crazy parents, twisted person, hoe), and her raucous dislike for the missing 20-year-old seemed to fuel the suspicion of both the public and the police that either Tammy or Sidney, or both of them, had something to do with the disappearance.

At the point of this private message’s publication, which was within weeks of Heather’s disappearance, the Moorer’s Facebooks were both still active and public, fueling the community of Myrtle Beach’s curiosity, and subsequent disapproval, to continue further into all aspects of their lives.

The investigation progressed in the public arena, tapered only by a gag order on the trial.  Criminal complaints of harassment have been filed by both the Elvis and Moorer families.

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Evidence

Though the abundance of the above-mentioned social media information presents an intriguing ancillary narrative regarding Heather’s disappearance, there are also some hard-to-dismiss connections between the Moorers and Heather on the night of December 18, 2013.

• THE CELL RECORDS
  • Cell phone records undeniably show at least one verifiable and answered phone call between the personal cell phones of Heather and Sidney that night.  This 4 minute and 15 second long call is even acknowledged by Sidney Moorer.
    • According to Sidney, he only answered one call and spoke to Heather once telling her to stop calling him.
    • According to her roommate and friend, Heather said that Sidney had called earlier from a pay phone to tell her that he was leaving his wife. The verified call between Heather and Sidney takes place after Heather talks to her friend.
  • Heather immediately left for Peachtree Landing after this phone call.
  • Heather also calls Sidney’s phone after this point.
  • According to the timeline and the verified call evidence, Sidney is, currently, the last known person to speak to Heather before her disappearance.

 

• THE TRUCK
  • A black Ford F-150 was recorded by two separate surveillance cameras allegedly travelling from the Moorer residence to Peachtree Landing, and then speeding back from Peachtree Landing  towards the Moorer residence.
  • Sidney Moorer owned a black Ford F-150 truck at the time of Heather’s disappearance.
  • The original prosecutor in the murder case, Donna Elder, reportedly stated that “As part of their investigation, police sought video surveillance along the route from the [Moorer] home… A private home and a business had video of the roadway. Those videos showed a pickup truck going down the road to the boat landing, then returning the same route a short time later… The video taken from the house, which is 1.7 miles from the Moorer’s home, showed a pickup truck going to the boat landing at 3:36a.m. Dec. 18… At the business, which is a mile from the first camera and closer to the landing, the vehicle passes at 3:39 a.m.  At 3:45 a.m., the business video shows the truck traveling back toward the Moorer home. Less than a minute later the truck speeds by the house [surveillance] toward the Moorer home.”
  • The same article claimed that Elder also declared “the video surveillance of the vehicle was sent to the FBI in Quantico, Va., and to the S.C. Highway Patrol’s Multi-Disciplinary Accident Investigation Team with a request to identify the vehicle… The agencies sent reports that the truck was a dark 2013 or 2014 Ford F-150, with silver toolbox in the bed, a moon roof, silver rims and high-end bulbs in the headlights.”
  • Tammy Moorer’s attorney argued, that “every test was done to the vehicle and… no forensic evidence was found.”
  • Sidney Moorer claims that he doesn’t “know that the day and time is right on the video that they’re using in court,” and has been extremely vocal regarding what he deems a mishandled case.

Sidney Moorer’s Truck

Though there may be further circumstantial evidence, nothing of irrefutable substance, and no direct evidence of murder has yet been released.

 

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QUESTIONS

To date, Heather Elvis’s body has never been found. There has been no known contact from or sightings of Heather since December 18, 2013.

Social media and blog sites are still fueled by speculation surrounding the investigation. Heather’s father, Terry Elvis, has also been the focus of intense conjecture though absolutely no legitimate evidence has been presented to suggest his involvement whatsoever.

Sidney Moorer posted a rambling statement on his Facebook following the murder charges being dropped, blaming the victim’s family, and saying (among many other things) that:

“Heather was not a ‘relationship.’ Heather was not a girlfriend. Heather was not a fling. Heather was not a mistress. Heather was a girl that chased me at work and traded oral sex for pumpkin spiced lattes.”

Screenshots of his full statement are posted below:

It’s important to note that if the Moorers were truly not involved in the disappearance of Heather Elvis, then two innocent (albeit uncouth) parents were jailed for 11 months for a murder, without a body and on the basis of circumstantial evidence.

To date, its also still unclear what evidence was more damning for the Moorers- the cell phone records and recording of a truck, or their lackluster and unrefined social media presence.

Heather has also been routinely villainized, and slut shamed, for her social media postings and job at The Tilted Kilt. There has been an abundance of guilt placed on the victim for being the other woman, when Sidney is the one who had the prior commitment to his family and wife (who has also admitted to having had a boyfriend).

In a recent press conference, Heather’s younger sister, Morgan Elvis, made the point that:

“It’s become that [Heather is] no longer a person. She’s now a face on a poster. She is a name that people just say in mourning, or say in pity. And, I hate that. Nobody has faith anymore that there’s going to be a conclusion.”

And though innumerable, asinine facts are known about the Facebook and Twitter pages of Heather, Sidney, and Tammy, it appears that over two years later, we are no closer to knowing what transpired between 3:41 and 3:45 on the morning of December 18, 2013.

We are no closer to knowing what happened to Heather.

Sidney Moorer is currently standing trial for the charge of kidnapping Heather Elvis.  More anecdotal evidence has emerged from witnesses called to testify at this trial, including that Heather had mysterious injuries, had gained weight, and taken an inconclusive pregnancy test before her disappearance.

Investigators are asking anyone with any information regarding Heather Elvis’s disappearance to call the Horry County Police Department at (843) 915-8477.