Body found in South Carolina identified as missing trainer Elena Moore
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The body found in South Carolina’s Lexington County earlier this week has been positively identified as that of missing fitness instructor Elena Katherine Moore, authorities announced Friday.
The Lexington County Coroner’s Office said the body of a white woman found June 17 near Old Cherokee Road and Northlake Drive was that of Moore, 39, who disappeared June 11 after leaving the Planet Fitness gym in Lexington.
An autopsy will not be performed by the Lexington County Medical Examiner’s Office. Instead, Moore’s body is being transported to the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston, where a forensic autopsy is scheduled for Saturday.
Additional information regarding Moore’s cause and manner of death is expected to be released on Monday, June 22, according to the coroner’s office.
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According to the Lexington Police Department, 39-year-old Elena Katherine Moore disappeared after leaving the Planet Fitness gym in Lexington, South Carolina, on Thursday, June 11, 2026. (Lexington Police Department)
Officials cautioned that determining the final cause and manner of death is an extensive process that could take several days or weeks. Authorities said no further information about the investigation would be released until then.
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The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) is conducting the investigation and all inquiries regarding the case have been referred to the agency.
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The identification came two days after authorities found a body in a wooded area near Old Cherokee Road and Northlake Drive following a tip that led investigators to a new search spot.
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The Lexington Police Department was searching for Elena Moore in Lexington, South Carolina. (Lexington Police Department)
Lexington Police Chief Terrence Green said at the time that the body matched the clothing description of Moore, who was last seen after leaving Planet Fitness on Whiteford Way on the evening of June 11.
“The body found was wearing a green outfit similar to the outfit Moore was wearing on security cameras before she disappeared,” Green said.
Moore’s disappearance attracted widespread attention after friends described her behavior in the weeks before her disappearance as unusual.
SCENE PHOTOS: Where Elena’s body was found
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Close friend Sondra Campbell said in an interview with Fox News Digital that Moore told her during their last face-to-face meeting on May 31 that he was “scared for his life.”
“He was afraid for his life. He actually said those words to me,” Campbell told Fox News Digital.
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Moore is described as a white female, 6 feet tall and weighing approximately 120 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. (Lexington Police Department)
Campbell said Moore indicated he wanted to discuss the matter privately but had never had the opportunity.
Moore was last seen walking in the Publix parking lot at 100 Old Cherokee Road after leaving Planet Fitness. Friends also said he had been unusually inactive on social media for about a month before his disappearance.
VIDEO: The scene where Elena’s body was found
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The Lexington County Coroner’s Office expressed its condolences to Moore’s family and encouraged anyone with information regarding the investigation to contact SLED directly.
Fox News Digital’s Adam Sabes and Bonny Chu contributed to this report.
