A body with features matching that of a missing fitness instructor has been located in South Carolina, just days after she confessed to her best friend that she was worried about her own death. The discovery brings a dark outcome to the mystery.
The person, believed to be 39-year-old Elena Katherine Moore, was found dead Wednesday afternoon in the city of Lexington. She had been missing since June 11, when she was last seen leaving a Planet Fitness gym, also in Lexington.
Although formal identification has not yet been confirmed, the Lexington Police Department reported that the clothing on the body is identical to that described in the missing person’s report.
Sondra Campbell, who was one of Moore’s best friends, shared with Fox News Digital that she noticed something “very different” the last time she saw Elena, on May 31.
“She was scared to death. She actually said those words to me,” said Campbell, highlighting the depth of their friendship spanning more than a decade and their mutual trust. Moore’s apprehension, expressed so directly, makes the discovery of the body even more disturbing, highlighting a possible premonition or recognition of imminent danger.
When Campbell wanted to know why he was worried, Moore indicated that they needed to talk privately.
“I can’t talk to you right now. There are a lot of people around. She said something like, ‘But we need to talk alone,'” Campbell recalled of Moore’s request.
Campbell revealed that she missed a call from Moore on June 4, and since then, her attempts to reach her by phone and text have been in vain. She also emphasized that it was not like Moore to walk alone at night.
“Elena was such a good person and I think we’re all still trying to understand what happened, but my friend would never walk alone at night. She just wouldn’t do that, it’s not like her,” Campbell said.
Since police located the body, the South Carolina Division of Law Enforcement has assumed responsibility for investigating and determining the cause of death.
According to Laredo Police (LPD) Chief Terrence Green, authorities found the body on Wednesday after a tip that directed investigators to a new search area.
“At approximately 2:48 p.m., we found an unidentified body that matched the description of the missing person’s clothing. We are still awaiting the coroner’s report to identify her,” Green detailed.
The body located was wearing a “green outfit similar” to what Moore was wearing in security footage before he disappeared, Green added.
Elena Katherine Moore checked in to the Planet Fitness gym, located on Whiteford Way, at around 6:40pm on Thursday, June 11. She was later seen walking away from the location toward a wooded area behind a nearby Lowe’s Home Improvement store, authorities said.
Official identification will be released by the responsible coroner, as standard procedure.
Moore was last seen in the parking lot of the Publix supermarket, located at 100 Old Cherokee Road in Lexington, on the evening of June 11.
Before her disappearance, Elena’s social media remained inactive for about a month, which, according to Lauren Beasley, another friend of Moore’s, was quite unusual.
“She’s very active on social media, so the fact that she’s been silent for the last month is atypical,” Beasley commented on Elena’s period of online inactivity.