South Carolina personal trainer goes missing, last spotted walking toward wooded area
A South Carolina woman vanished last week after she was last seen leaving a Planet Fitness gym and walking toward a nearby wooded area, authorities said.
Elena Katherine Moore, 39, has not been seen since she left the gym in Lexington, a suburb west of Columbia, on Thursday evening, according to the Lexington Police Department.
Authorities said Moore signed in at the Planet Fitness around 6:40 p.m. and was later seen walking away from the facility toward a wooded area behind a nearby Lowe's Home Improvement store. She was reported missing the following day.
Moore works as a personal trainer and her sudden absence is "very out of character," police told ABC News.
Investigators on Friday deployed a drone and conducted a preliminary search of the area where Moore was last seen, but found no sign of her.
On Monday, Lexington police joined multiple local and state agencies in a more extensive search of wooded areas behind the Lowe's store and Planet Fitness. The operation included assistance from the Lexington County Sheriff's Department, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, Department of Natural Resources and other emergency response agencies.
Police emphasized that the search was not a recovery effort but a methodical attempt to eliminate one possible location where Moore could be.
"No trace of Ms. Moore was found during the operation," Lexington Police Chief Terrence Green said in an update.
Moore is described as a White female standing 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing about 120 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing an olive-green zip-up hoodie and black athletic pants. Investigators said they are uncertain whether she has her cellphone.
Authorities asked anyone with information about Moore's whereabouts to contact detectives at 803-358-7271 or Midlands Crimestoppers.
