Search continues – Elena Katherine Moore, 39, was last seen leaving Planet Fitness in Lexington, South Carolina, on Thursday, June 11, walking toward a wooded area. Police say extensive searches found no trace, and authorities are still investigating, with a private agency offer
For the third day after Elena Katherine Moore went missing, the search moved yard by yard behind a Planet Fitness in Lexington—until police stopped short of calling it a recovery effort.
Moore, 39, was last seen leaving Planet Fitness on Thursday, June 11. Lexington police say she walked toward a wooded area, and local emergency authorities searched the areas behind the gym and a nearby Lowe’s Home Improvement. Lexington is about 15 miles west of Columbia, South Carolina.
Police later told the public in a June 15 news release that they found no trace of her during that search. “This was not a recovery operation, but rather a precise effort to rule out one less place Ms. Moore could be,” the department said. The search involved multiple agencies, including the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the Department of Natural Resources.
Moore is described as 5-feet, 7-inches tall and 120 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. Authorities say she was wearing an olive green zip-up hoodie and black athletic pants, and they also do not believe she has a vehicle with her.
As investigators press forward, the details they can’t confirm are the ones raising the most urgency. Police told local media on June 16 that Moore had a phone with her at one point. but they are not sure whether she still has it. Lexington police spokesperson Missy Silcox said investigators are attempting to track the device. adding that cell phone carriers can take time to respond to search warrants.
Moore frequently visited the same Planet Fitness, police said.
Her husband reported her missing the morning of June 12—the day after she was last seen. During an early stage of the investigation, officers used a drone to conduct a preliminary search of the area.
On June 15, police said they did not suspect foul play in her disappearance and that they do not believe Moore is in imminent danger.
The community has also been asked to slow down rumors. Police said reports circulated in the area that Moore had been found were false.
A private investigation agency, Duke’s Investigations & Consulting, has stepped in with a financial incentive. The business is offering a $1. 500 reward for information leading to Moore’s whereabouts. and it asked locals to check their security cameras for any footage that could help investigators narrow where she went.
Moore’s background is known to those following her case. She works as a personal trainer at Wolf’s Fitness Center, according to her Facebook page, and she previously worked at CVS as a pharmacy technician.
Investigators are still working to determine what happened after she left the gym. With no confirmed trace found behind Planet Fitness and at the nearby Lowe’s location. the search continues as authorities try to piece together Moore’s last known steps and whether her phone can lead them to the next one.
Elena Katherine Moore Lexington SC missing woman Planet Fitness search continues South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Department of Natural Resources Duke’s Investigations & Consulting $1 500 reward