The children of missing mother Ashley Elkins are having a difficult time processing why they haven’t seen their mom in more than three weeks, according to family members.

Elkins’ two sons, ages 7 and 10, don’t understand what may have happened to her since she left her Warren residence on Jan. 2 and never returned.

“The youngest one, he’s autistic and he still asks of her,” Monika Elkins, the boys’ grandmother and Ashley’s mother, told reporters Saturday before the start of a candlelight vigil for her daughter.

“Like if the phone rings, (he’ll say) ‘is that my mom?’ Or if someone is at the door, ‘is that my mom?’ He doesn’t understand (what happened) yet.”

Monika Elkins’ comments came as 200 to 300 people gathered Saturday evening at the Hampton Court Apartments on Pinehurst Street, near Frazho Road and Gratiot Avenue, for a candlelight vigil to honor her daughter’s memory.

Ashley Elkins, 30, of Warren, has been missing for about three weeks and is presumed to be dead, according to police and family members. The vigil’s location is the former residence of her ex-boyfriend, DeAndre Booker, who is considered the prime suspect in her disappearance, police and prosecutors said.

Vigil-goers endured freezing temperatures as they carried green and purple balloons, lit candles in the wind, and wore buttons with Elkins’ image as they stood in a parking lot of the apartment complex.

Taylor Redmond, 26, described the scene as “surreal” because Elkins’ body has not been found. She said she hopes the remains will soon be located “so we can get the closure than normal people get.”

“We love you, Ashley,” Redmond said. “All these people turned up for you because we care about you. We love you and we will not stop until we find where you are. Never, never, never, never.”

Booker, 32, of Roseville, was arrested in Flint on Jan. 8. He was charged the following day with lying to a police officer investigating the woman’s disappearance.

Booker is being held on a $250,000 bond in the Macomb County Jail.

Earlier this month, authorities searched his apartment after learning Elkins’ cellphone pinged at that location. Police have said there is a “strong possibility” foul play is involved in this case and that it most likely occurred at the Hampton Court Apartments. Significant evidence, including forensics, was recovered at the apartment complex, according to authorities.

Booker’s lawyer asked for a probable cause hearing to be adjourned last week after receiving more information surrounding the case from the prosecutor’s office. Judge Joseph Bodeker in 39th District Court denied a request to lower Booker’s bond, saying he considered the defendant to be a flight risk should he be allowed out of jail.

When police searched Booker’s apartment they also seized a trash dumpster from the complex. Investigators haven’t said exactly why they confiscated it.

However, they said the trash inside of it was eventually emptied into the Pine Tree Acres landfill on 29 Mile Road in Lenox Township.

Officers from dozens of law enforcement agencies spent last week combing through a section of the landfill searching for evidence. Some items were found that are undergoing additional analysis, but Elkins’ remains were not. The investigation into Elkins’ disappearance remains ongoing, Roseville police said.

On Saturday, Monika Elkins begged the suspect to “please tell us, let us know. Whatever happened, it happened. Just give us closure.”

“The thing is, we still don’t have her body,” she said. “I can’t get no rest until I actually lay her to rest.”

Maurice Morton, Ashley’s uncle who is acting as a family spokesman, thanked the Roseville Police Department for all they have done so far, as well as local elected officials and public for their support over the past three weeks.

Morton, an attorney, proposed creating an Ashley Alert for missing women who may be the victim of domestic violence, similar to Amber Alerts being activated when a child is missing.

“We need to make sure this is not normalized and we need to make sure we recognize it for what it is — it’s evil, it’s wrong,” he said. “We need to make sure the police are on it immediately, the community is responding immediately, the media is reporting on it immediately.”

The family has established a GoFundMe account to address future expenses for the children. The site, gofundme.com/f/come-up-with-the-title., has taken in about $12,340 as of Sunday afternoon.