SLED joins probe as body matching missing South Carolina personal trainer's description found
South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), which serves as the state’s major crimes unit, joined an investigation in South Carolina on Wednesday, after authorities said they discovered a body in a wooded area where a missing woman was last seen nearly one week ago.
The discovery came following a six-day search for Elena Katherine Moore, 39, a personal trainer who officials said disappeared Thursday evening after leaving a Planet Fitness gym in Lexington.
The Lexington Police Department (LPD) said the body has not yet been formally identified but "fits the clothing description of our missing person."
The case has since been classified as an active death investigation, prompting SLED to assist in determining the cause of death and confirming the identity.
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According to LPD Chief Terrence Green, authorities located the body Wednesday after receiving a citizen tip that led investigators to conduct a targeted search.
"At approximately 2:48 p.m. we found an unidentified body that fits the clothing description of our missing person. We are still waiting on the coroner to identify her."
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The body was reportedly wearing a "similar green outfit" consistent with what Moore was seen wearing on surveillance footage the night before she disappeared.
Officials said they are still awaiting formal identification from the coroner.
The Lexington County Coroner’s Office said an autopsy will be scheduled in the coming days and that the process is expected to take some time.
"In reference to the body found in Lexington in the area of Old Cherokee Road and Northlake Drive. Coroner Margaret Fisher can confirm the body of a female matching the clothing description of the missing person, Elena K. Moore has been found," the office said in a statement.
"No positive identification has been made as of this time. We will await positive identification before any further information is released. No cause of death has been determined"
When asked if foul play was suspected, the police said, "Again, it's an active investigation and we are having SLED investigate that."
Moore was first reported missing last Friday, prompting a large-scale search that included multiple agencies and the deployment of a drone.
She was last seen Thursday night in surveillance footage walking through the Publix parking lot at 100 Old Cherokee Road.
In the video, she is seen wearing an olive-green zip-up hoodie and black athletic pants, the same outfit she was reportedly wearing when she left Planet Fitness.
Authorities said that in the days leading up to her disappearance, Moore exhibited behavior that was out of character, including a sudden absence and an abrupt change in social media presence, according to ABC News.