The search for a missing personal trainer in South Carolina took a tragic turn after authorities located a body matching the description of Elena Katherine Moore, a 39-year-old, whose disappearance prompted an extensive investigation by the Lexington Police Department and other agencies.

Officials said Moore was last seen on Thursday, June 11, after leaving a Planet Fitness in Lexington. Surveillance footage showed her walking away from the gym and toward a nearby wooded area. Her husband reported her missing the following day after relatives and friends were unable to contact her.

The Lexington Police Department deployed K-9 units and drones during a grueling six-day search before a community tip redirected investigators to a wooded tract near Old Cherokee Road. Chief Terrence Green confirmed that search teams discovered the deceased female at approximately 2:48 p.m., noting that the clothing matched the olive-green zip-up hoodie and black pants Moore wore the day she disappeared. Authorities subsequently requested the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, known as SLED, to take over the death investigation.

“SLED was requested by the Lexington Police Department and the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department to conduct a death investigation after a deceased individual was found this afternoon during a search for a missing woman.”

— SLED (South Carolina Law Enforcement Division), Fitsnews

Sondra Campbell, identified as Moore’s best friend, said in a digital broadcast that her final interaction with Moore pointed to an underlying crisis. She told me she was scared for her life,” Campbell said to reporter Brian Entin, adding that Moore claimed she was dealing with crazy sh*t just before her communication ceased abruptly.

“She was scared for her life. She actually said those words to me.”

— Sondra Campbell, best friend of Elena Moore, Foxnews

She also claimed:

“My friend would not be alone walking at nighttime. She just wouldn’t be, it’s not her.”

— Sondra Campbell, best friend of Elena Moore, Foxnews

Officials noted that Moore, an employee at Wolf’s Fitness Center, had no vehicle in her possession and it remains unclear if she had her cellular phone. While some public records do indicate that Moore had been briefly released from a mental health facility before going missing, Campbell publicly disputed that her friend was experiencing a psychological breakdown, pointing instead to external threats and an existing heart condition.

 

The South Carolina case exposes a paradox often seen in high-profile missing persons investigations. To her clients and social media followers, Moore had an image of being in absolute control and structural discipline. Yet behind that public veneer, the private reality was defined by isolation and vulnerability as she allegedly navigated an unseen threat.

State investigators have not declared the case a homicide. The Lexington County Coroner’s office is conducting an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

Disclaimer: The Inquisitr individually couldn’t confirm facts and are reporting based on the information available.