Tammy Moorer’s projected release date is May 9, 2043, according to the South Carolina Department of Corrections. She is serving two concurrent 30-year sentences for the kidnapping and conspiracy to kidnap Heather Elvis, and because South Carolina classifies kidnapping as a “no parole offense,” she must serve at least 85% of that time before any form of early release is available.
Why the Date Falls in 2043
The 2043 projection reflects time served since Moorer first entered state custody, which began before her October 2018 sentencing because she was held during the investigation and trial. SCDC recalculates projected release dates periodically. Disciplinary infractions that forfeit credits, changes to credit-earning status, or a court order modifying the sentence can move the date. Anyone tracking her status can check the current projection through the SCDC’s public inmate search.
The 85% No-Parole Rule
South Carolina law defines kidnapping as a violent crime and a no-parole offense, meaning a felony punishable by 20 or more years.1South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Title 24 Chapter 13 – Section 24-13-1002South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Title 16 Chapter 1 – Section 16-1-60 Under the state’s truth-in-sentencing framework, someone convicted of a no-parole offense cannot receive early release, discharge, or community supervision until she has served at least 85% of the actual prison term. That 85% floor is calculated without counting earned work credits, education credits, or good conduct credits.3South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 24-13-150 – Early Release, Discharge, and Community Supervision
For a 30-year sentence, 85% works out to 25.5 years of actual calendar time behind bars. No credit shortcut can drop the number below that.
Inmates serving no-parole offenses can still earn credits, but at a sharply reduced pace. Good conduct credits accrue at three days per month, compared with 20 days per month for lesser sentences.4South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Title 24 Chapter 13 – Section 24-13-210 Earned work and education credits are capped at six per month and 72 per year combined.5South Carolina Department of Corrections. OP-21.07 Earned Work Credits Stacked together, those credits only reduce time above the 85% threshold; they cannot pull the release date below it.
The South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services handles release reviews once an inmate meets the time-served requirement. For Moorer, that review is still years away.
The Sentence Behind the Date
A jury convicted Moorer of kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping in October 2018. The judge imposed 30 years on each count. The two terms run concurrently, so her total prison obligation is 30 years rather than 60. Thirty years is the maximum penalty allowed under South Carolina’s kidnapping statute, which makes unlawfully seizing or carrying away another person a felony punishable by up to 30 years.6South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 16-3-910 – Kidnapping
Both Tammy and Sidney Moorer were originally charged with murder as well, but prosecutors dropped those charges. Heather Elvis’s body has never been found.
Could Appeals Move the Release Date?
So far, no. The South Carolina Supreme Court denied certiorari on October 3, 2024, refusing to review Moorer’s appeal and leaving the lower appeals court ruling in place. That closed her direct appeal options in the state courts.
In October 2025, Moorer filed a motion for a new trial, arguing that her defense attorneys failed to meet with her adequately and that key witnesses were excluded whose testimony could have helped her case. That motion remains pending. Heather Elvis’s family has publicly said it expects the Attorney General’s office to oppose the request. If the motion is denied, her remaining options narrow to post-conviction relief petitions and federal habeas corpus claims. Unless one of those succeeds, the 2043 projection stands.
Where She Is Held
Moorer is housed at the Camille Griffin Graham Correctional Institution in Columbia, South Carolina, the state’s primary facility for female offenders.7South Carolina Department of Corrections. Institutions
What About Sidney Moorer?
Tammy’s husband, Sidney Moorer, was convicted separately for his role in the kidnapping and is also serving 30 years. His projected release date is March 31, 2044, roughly 11 months after Tammy’s. He has filed for post-conviction relief on grounds similar to hers, and that motion is also pending.