Aiman Tariq – Regional News Editor
Lexington, SC –

According to Lexington police, investigators found a body Wednesday afternoon during the search for Elena Katherine Moore, a 39-year-old South Carolina personal trainer who had not been heard from since leaving a Planet Fitness nearly a week earlier.

Police said the body matched the clothing description of Moore, who was last seen wearing an olive-green zip-up hoodie and black athletic pants. Authorities were still awaiting formal identification from the coroner when the discovery was first announced.

That distinction matters. Police did not initially say the body had been positively identified as Moore, and officials did not immediately release a cause or manner of death.

What they did say is that the search had moved from a missing-person case into a death investigation, with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division asked to assist.

Last Seen Leaving a Lexington Gym

Moore was last seen on Thursday, June 11, after visiting the Planet Fitness at 560 Whiteford Way in Lexington, according to police.

Authorities said she signed in at the gym around 6:40 p.m. Surveillance footage later showed her walking away from the area and toward a wooded section behind a nearby Lowe’s Home Improvement store.

That was the last confirmed point of contact publicly described by investigators.

Moore was reported missing the following day. Police described her disappearance as unusual, and those close to her said it was out of character for her to vanish without communication.

She was known locally as a personal trainer and was also connected to Wolf’s Fitness Center in Lexington, according to reporting based on police statements.

A Search That Expanded Over Several Days

The search for Moore involved multiple agencies and covered wooded areas near the shopping corridor where she was last seen.

According to the Lexington Police Department, officers searched the wooded area behind the Lowe’s and Planet Fitness with assistance from Lexington County deputies, fire services, EMS, communications staff, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and the Department of Natural Resources.

Police said an earlier search of that area did not find any trace of Moore.

That does not necessarily mean the body was there the entire time. It means only that police publicly reported no discovery during that earlier operation.

The investigation later shifted after authorities received a tip. Police Chief Terrence Green said search teams went to an area near North Lake Road and Old Cherokee Road, where a body was found shortly before 3 p.m.

The location is near the area where Moore had last been seen.

Body Found After Tip to Police

Chief Green said during a briefing that the body “fit the clothing description” of the missing person.

That phrase is careful, and it should be treated carefully. It means investigators saw enough similarity to connect the discovery to the missing-person case, but it did not replace the coroner’s formal identification process.

Police said the Lexington County Coroner’s Office would handle identification. SLED was asked to conduct or assist with the death investigation.

The department also thanked media outlets and the public for sharing information, saying tips had helped investigators throughout the case.

In missing-person investigations, tips can be useful but also difficult to sort. Police often receive large volumes of information after a case gains attention, and not every tip proves relevant. In this case, officials indicated that a tip helped direct searchers to the area where the body was found.

Questions Around Moore’s Final Days

Moore’s disappearance drew additional attention because of reports about her behavior in the days before she vanished.

According to reporting from several outlets, security footage from about a week earlier showed Moore outside an apartment complex in an unusual interaction involving food deliveries and packages. People who spoke with reporters described her as appearing confused or disoriented.

Those reports are part of the public record now, but they should be handled with caution.

Unusual behavior can mean many things. It can reflect stress, confusion, a medical issue, a personal crisis, or something else entirely. It does not, by itself, explain what happened later.

That is why investigators will likely need more than surveillance clips and secondhand impressions. They will need medical findings, phone records, witness interviews, location data, and a clearer timeline.

What Police Have and Have Not Said

Police have confirmed the basics: Moore was missing, she was last seen leaving the gym area, search crews later found a body matching her clothing description, and SLED was brought into the investigation.

Officials have not publicly laid out a full theory of what happened.

They have not publicly released a final cause or manner of death in the earliest updates. They also have not publicly said the case is a homicide.

That is important because high-profile missing-person cases often move faster online than they do in official channels.

Family members, friends, neighbors, and strangers may all have theories. Some may be sincere. Some may be based on partial information. But investigators generally move more slowly because each claim has to be checked against evidence.

Husband Not Named as Person of Interest in Early Reports

Moore’s husband, Brannon Slice, reported her missing, according to police and media reports.

As of early reporting in the case, police had not identified him as a person of interest.

That does not close the investigation, and it does not answer every question about Moore’s final days. It simply means officials had not publicly placed him in that category at the time those statements were made.

This is another place where newsroom language matters.

It is one thing to report that family members and friends have questions. It is another thing to imply suspicion without a law enforcement basis. In a case like this, where emotions are high and public attention is growing, that line matters.

Autopsy Leaves Some Questions Open

Later reporting indicated that an autopsy did not immediately settle the question of how Moore died.

According to statements reported by media outlets, the coroner’s office found no obvious traumatic injuries and said additional testing would be needed, including toxicology, medical record review, and further studies.

That does not mean there is no explanation. It means the explanation was not immediately visible from the initial examination.

Death investigations often take time when there are no clear external injuries. Toxicology results, medical history, tissue analysis, and other records can become central to determining what happened.

For the public, that means there may be a gap between the discovery of the body and any reliable conclusion about cause and manner of death.

Why This Case Drew So Much Attention

Moore’s case spread quickly because it had several elements that tend to draw public concern: a missing woman, a fitness professional, surveillance footage, a walk toward a wooded area, and reports of unusual behavior before the disappearance.

Those facts make the case unsettling. They do not make it solved.

That is why careful reporting has to separate what is known from what is being inferred.

• Known: Moore was last seen after leaving a gym.
• Known: police searched wooded areas nearby.
• Known: a body matching her clothing description was later found.
• Known: SLED was asked to assist.
• Unknown, at least in early public reporting: the final cause and manner of death.

That difference is the difference between reporting and speculation.

Active Investigation Continues

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division’s involvement means the case is being handled with state-level assistance.

SLED is often asked to assist local agencies in death investigations, officer-involved cases, and other matters that require additional resources or independence.

In this case, local police have continued to ask anyone with information to contact detectives or Midlands Crimestoppers.

That request suggests investigators are still building the timeline and looking for additional details about Moore’s movements, condition, contacts, and location before she disappeared.

The search phase may have changed, but the investigation has not ended.

What Comes Next

The next meaningful update is likely to come from the coroner, police, or SLED.

That could include formal identification, toxicology findings, cause and manner of death, or additional details about the timeline. It could also include no immediate answers if testing remains pending.

That is often frustrating for families and communities. But in death investigations, especially ones without obvious external injuries, speed is not the same as accuracy.

For now, the public record remains incomplete.

The Bottom Line

A body matching the clothing description of missing Lexington personal trainer Elena Katherine Moore was found during a search Wednesday, according to police.

Moore had last been seen nearly a week earlier after leaving a Planet Fitness in Lexington and walking toward a wooded area near a nearby Lowe’s.

Authorities asked the coroner to make a formal identification and brought in the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division for the death investigation.

Reports about Moore’s behavior before her disappearance have added public concern, but they do not yet explain what happened.

The responsible version of the story is straightforward: police found a body during the search, the case remains under investigation, and key questions remain unanswered.

Until the coroner and investigators release more, the cause and manner of death should not be assumed.