SC Trainer Vanished After Gym; Body Now Found

Missing Trainer Identified After Search

A body found in Lexington County, South Carolina, has been identified as Elena Katherine Moore, a 39-year-old personal trainer who went missing on June 11. The Lexington County Coroner’s Office confirmed the identification on June 19, according to NBC News.

Moore was last seen leaving a Planet Fitness gym in Lexington on the evening of June 11. Her body was found on June 17 near Old Cherokee Road, not far from the gym, authorities said.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, known as SLED, is leading the death investigation. Local police asked the state agency to take over the case after the body was located.

The Timeline Before She Disappeared

According to police, Moore signed in at the Planet Fitness around 6:40 p.m. on June 11. Surveillance footage showed her walking away from the gym and later through the parking lot of a nearby Publix at about 9:17 p.m., headed in the direction of Old Cherokee Road.

Moore worked as a personal trainer at Wolf’s Fitness Center in Lexington, police said. She was reported missing the day after she was last seen.

Lexington Police Chief Terrence Green said media coverage of the case generated a tip that helped lead searchers to the location where the body was found.

What the Autopsy Found

An autopsy was conducted on June 21 at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. According to NBC News, the Lexington County coroner said the examination found no evidence of traumatic injury.

The coroner’s office said the examination identified no bruising, lacerations, or other external injuries. Additional studies of Moore’s medical history and toxicology testing are still required before a cause and manner of death can be determined.

As a result, the central question in the case remains formally unresolved. Authorities have not classified the death, and Lexington police previously declined to say whether foul play was suspected.

Accounts From Friends

Moore’s disappearance drew wider attention after friends described unusual behavior in the weeks beforehand. A close friend, Sondra Campbell, told Fox News Digital that Moore said she was “scared for her life” during their last in-person conversation on May 31.

Friends also said Moore had stopped her regular social media activity about a month before she vanished, which they described as out of character. Another friend, Lauren Beasley, told Fox News Digital that their last conversation about a month earlier included nothing unusual or personal.

These accounts remain witness statements rather than confirmed findings. Investigators have not tied them to a cause of death, and the autopsy did not identify external injury.

Earlier Reports of Confusion

Reporting cited by NBC News described an earlier incident captured on a doorbell camera on June 4, about a week before Moore disappeared. Neighbors said she appeared disoriented near an apartment after a food delivery.

One resident, Sarah Burleson, told an NBC affiliate that Moore was later seen looking through packages outside another neighbor’s home and, when asked what she was doing, replied that she had no idea. Burleson said the apparent confusion worried her.

Authorities have not connected these accounts to a cause of death. They remain part of the timeline witnesses described rather than confirmed investigative findings.

Where the Investigation Stands

SLED continues to lead the death investigation. The coroner’s office indicated that further information would follow the completion of toxicology and medical-history studies.

A reward had been offered earlier for information about Moore’s whereabouts during the search, according to reporting on the case. Investigators have asked anyone with relevant information to contact SLED directly.

For now, the case remains open, with the cause and manner of Moore’s death undetermined pending additional testing. No classification of the death had been announced at the time of the most recent reporting.

References: South Carolina Woman Was Found Dead Leaving Gym No Apparent Traumatic Rcna351133 - NBC News | Body Found South Carolina Missing Woman Elena Moore Authorities Say Rcna350940 - NBC News | Body Found South Carolina Missing Fitness Trainer Told Friend Scared Life - Fox News