Murder charges against Tammy and Sidney Moorer dropped; kidnapping charges could go to trial in June

HORRY COUNTY, SC (WMBF) – Murder charges against Sidney and Tammy Moorer, the two people charged in connection with the December 2013 disappearance of Heather Elvis, were dismissed Thursday, according to court records.

Documents from the 15th Circuit Solicitor's Office submitted Thursday confirm that murder charges against Sidney and Tammy Moorer have been dismissed. Charges for indecent exposure have also been dropped, according to court documents.

Charges of kidnapping in the Elvis case are still pending against both Moorers, according to court records. Sidney Moorer's obstruction of justice charge is still pending, but Tammy Moorer's obstruction of justice was dismissed Thursday, according to court documents.

Sidney Moorer's attornery, Kirk Truslow, said a pretrial conference for both the Moorers on the kidnapping charge, as well as Sidney Moorer's obstruction of justice charge, is set for June 13.

A tentative trial date for both on the kidnapping counts is June 20, according to Truslow.

Solicitor Jimmy Richardson said because other charges still remain, he believes he is still under a gag order and is seeking permission from the judge to send out a press release and speak on the case.

"I would say that, no, we were not necessarily expecting to receive the notice of these dismissals today," said Greg McCollum, attorney for Tammy Moorer, when asked to comment on Thursday's development.

Local criminal defense attorney Jonny McCoy has followed along with the case the past two years and said Thursday's development really shouldn't be surprising.

"There was no body, there was no evidence whatsoever that was coming out in the media that could lead somebody to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that this is absolutely the people that did this," McCoy said.

Heather Elvis was first reported missing on Dec. 18, 2013.

The Moorers were taken into custody at their Horry County home in February 2014, and were charged with kidnapping and murder in connection with the disappearance of Elvis, who was 20 years old when she went missing.

The trial was originally scheduled to take place in May 2015, but was delayed indefinitely in March 2015.

In an unrelated case, charges against the Moorers for allegedly misrepresenting their income to qualify for substantial Medicaid benefits for their family are still pending, according to court records.

Both Moorers have been charged with obtaining signature or property under false pretenses and false statement for application for Medicaid assistance, according to arrest warrants.

They are accused of concealing or failing to disclose to Medicaid the true household and financial status between January 2007 and March 2013, which caused the Moorers to receive Medicaid benefits they were not entitled to receive.

"The value of these benefits were over $10,000," investigators previously said.

Related Stories:

Families on both sides of Heather Elvis case react to charges being dropped

Timeline of events in the Heather Elvis case

Heather Elvis murder trial delayed

Both Heather Elvis murder suspects released after bond hearing

Related Documents:

Notice of Dismissal for Sidney Moorer:

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