Testimony continues in trial of man accused of kidnapping, killing 80-year-old Horry County woman

FLORENCE, S.C. (WMBF) - The federal trial against a man accused of kidnapping and killing an 80-year-old Horry County woman continued Thursday.

Several witnesses testified in the case of Dominque Brand, who was accused of killing 80-year-old Mary Ann Elvington last year after kidnapping her from her Nichols home in March 2021.

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Elvington’s body was found laying face down behind an abandoned grocery store in Marion County.

Among those to testify was Dr. Nick Batalas, a forensic pathologist at the Medical University of South Carolina who performed Elvington’s autopsy. He noted that she died from a single gunshot wound to the head that could only be caused from a short distance.

Prosecutors also said the same type of bullet shell from a .22-caliber rifle was found in Elvington’s home after her body was found.

A special FBI agent said he obtained Google searches believed to be made by Brand for “22 long rifle” made the same day police recovered a stolen gun from Brand matching that description.

The special agent also detailed call locations from Brand over a three-day span around the time of Elvington’s death. The phone was also tracked to be near Elvington’s home the day before her family reported her missing, as well as the day her body was found.

Federal documents shown in court also linked Brand to several break-ins at Little Bethel Baptist Church in the Mullins area, where authorities said a van was stolen and found in the woods next to Elvington’s home.

The trial is set to continue Monday.

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