LEXINGTON, S.C. — A newly released report from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is providing a clearer timeline of the days leading up to Elena Katherine Moore’s disappearance and death, more than two months after the 39-year-old was found dead in Lexington County.
The report, obtained by WIS and published Aug. 14, adds details about Moore’s movements on June 4 and June 11, as well as the search that ultimately led investigators to her body.
Moore was first reported missing June 4 after neighbors captured her on doorbell cameras appearing confused around an apartment complex. According to the SLED report, her husband, Brannon Slice, contacted authorities that day. Police later located Moore safe at Wolf’s Fitness on Augusta Road.
The case took a more serious turn the following week.
Moore’s final known movements
On June 11, Moore was released from an unspecified facility during the afternoon, according to the SLED report. A cab driver later took her to a CVS on Sunset Boulevard at her request. That was the last time the driver reported seeing her.
Moore then went to the Planet Fitness on Whiteford Way in Lexington, where she signed in that evening. Police later determined she walked away from the gym toward a wooded area behind a nearby Lowe’s.
Surveillance footage also placed Moore in the parking lot of the Publix on Old Cherokee Road later that night, around 9:30 p.m., according to the SLED report.
Her husband reported her missing to the Lexington Police Department on the morning of June 12.
Search efforts expanded
Authorities began searching for Moore as the investigation developed. According to the newly released report, police used drones equipped with heat-sensing infrared and zoom cameras to search wooded areas around Lowe’s, Publix and the FBI building.
The search expanded on June 15, when a larger law enforcement presence moved into the area near Lowe’s.
At that stage, Lexington police said they did not suspect foul play and did not believe Moore was in imminent danger, according to WIS.
Two days later, a multi-agency search team found a body near Old Cherokee Road and North Lake Drive. An officer detected the odor of decomposition and located the remains under a bridge, according to the SLED report.
The body was formally identified as Moore by the Lexington County Coroner’s Office on June 19.
Autopsy did not determine a cause of death
A forensic autopsy was performed June 20 at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.
The preliminary findings did not identify an immediate cause of death. The examination also found no evidence of traumatic injury, including bruising, lacerations, gunshot wounds, stab wounds, blunt-force trauma or strangulation.
Additional testing was required, including tissue studies, a review of medical records and toxicology testing.
Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher later explained that a pending cause of death does not mean the investigation has stopped. In a July interview with WIS, Fisher said cases without an obvious cause can require extensive medical and forensic review and that investigators do not rush the process.
As of the latest public reporting located for this article, authorities have not announced a final cause or manner of Moore’s death. WIS reported Aug. 14 that the missing-person case had been closed, while the death investigation remained ongoing.
Community remembers Moore
The investigation has continued to draw attention in Lexington, where Moore was known as a personal trainer and fitness enthusiast.
A community vigil was held in July to remember her, and a memorial was placed near the area where her body was discovered. Friends and community members gathered as questions surrounding her final days remained unanswered.
An obituary published in July described Moore as an active outdoor enthusiast who became a certified personal trainer in 2020. It also said she is survived by her husband, family members and friends. A memorial service was held July 20 in Lexington.
For now, the SLED report has filled in several previously unclear parts of Moore’s timeline, but it has not answered the central question surrounding her death.
Authorities have not publicly released a final determination of how Moore died, and the investigation remains subject to the completion of the remaining forensic and medical work.
