Mystery Deepens: The d3ath of a young South Carolina personal trainer found after leaving the gym has become even more puzzling following the release of the aut0psy results
The mysterious death of a South Carolina personal trainer who vanished after leaving her gym has deepened after an autopsy could not determine how she died.
Elena Moore, 39, disappeared after she checked in at the Planet Fitness in Lexington, about 20 minutes outside of Columbia, on June 11.
Her body was discovered almost a week later on June 17 after officials received a tip that she was spotted walking toward the woods near Lakeside Middle School, just a little over one mile from her last known whereabouts, the Lexington Police Department said.
Moore was found wearing an olive-green zip-up hoodie with black athletic pants, the same clothes she was wearing on the gym surveillance footage the day of her disappearance.
Footage showed her talking to the gym’s front desk staff, then she was last seen walking toward the wooded area behind the nearby Lowe’s Home Improvement Store.
Moore’s autopsy, which was conducted on Saturday, did not identify an immediate cause of death, according to the Lexington County Coroner’s Office.
‘Examination of the body revealed no evidence of traumatic injury, including no bruising, lacerations, gunshot wounds, stab wounds, blunt force trauma, strangulation, or other external injuries,’ the coroner said.
‘As a result, the cause of death remains pending at this time. Additional evaluation is required, including histological studies, review of medical records, and toxicology testing.’
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The cause of death for South Carolina personal trainer Elena Moore, 39, is under investigation after an autopsy did not determine how she died
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Moore was found wearing an olive-green zip-up hoodie with black athletic pants, the same clothes she was wearing on the day of her disappearance
The coroner’s office said it will not release any further information about Moore until all pending studies have been completed and the pathologist has determined the cause and manner of death.
It remains unclear what Moore may have been doing in the wooded area where the body was found.
The Lexington Police Department told the Daily Mail the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) has taken over the investigation into Moore’s death.
On June 4, a week before her disappearance, Moore was caught by a doorbell camera about half a mile from the gym, appearing confused as she tried to enter a stranger’s home.
The footage, first obtained by NewsNation, showed a DoorDash driver delivering food at the door before Moore, wearing black clothes and oversized sunglasses, who picked up the order and handed it to the couple living there.
Moore can be seen briefly interacting with a DoorDash driver, then appears to be muttering to herself as the door opens and the order is collected.
Moore briefly seemed to try to walk into the home before the door was shut in her face, leaving her outside in the hallway.
Resident John Moore, of no relation, said the missing woman ‘seemed really confused and disoriented about where she was or whatever she was doing.’
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Moore posted a series of cryptic messages on social media before her body was discovered underneath a bridge
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Moore disappeared after she checked in at the Planet Fitness in Lexington, about 20 minutes outside of Columbia, on June 11
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Moore was reported missing by her husband, Brannon Slice, on June 12 and her body was discovered by law enforcement five days later
Sarah Burleson, John Moore’s wife, told NewsNation that she later saw the missing woman going through a neighbor’s packages.
Moore allegedly told Burleson that she did not know what she was doing.
The personal trainer was an active social media user, but abruptly stopped posting around a month before she disappeared.
On a second Instagram account, however, Moore shared emotional messages, including a recount of how someone let her ‘destroy’ herself to keep ‘us’ alive,’ messages seen by TMZ revealed.
In the post, Moore said that she felt ‘exhausting hatred’ from the ordeal and added: ‘I never wanted to look at someone I once loved with disgust and resentment.’
The heart-wrenching message detailed how a person ‘watched me love you with everything I had,’ only to ‘hurt me anyway.’
‘…you turned love into something painful, something heavy, something I now have to heal from every single day,’ the message continued.
‘I hate what you did to me. I hate the memories that won’t leave me alone, and more than anything, I hate that a part of me still mourns the person I thought you were.’
Moore was reported missing by her husband, Brannon Slice, on June 12, and her body was discovered by law enforcement five days later.
The Daily Mail contacted the Lexington County Coroner’s Office and SLED for comment.
