Authorities said Wednesday that a body matching the description of missing Elena Katherine Moore, 39, has been found. Photo courtesy Lexington Police Department/Facebook
Authorities in South Carolina said they have found a body in the search for a 39-year-old woman who was reported missing late last week.
Elena Katherine Moore, 39, was reported missing Friday. She was last seen Thursday evening, walking toward a wooded area after leaving a Planet Fitness in Lexington, S.C., located just outside of Columbia.
Chief Terrence Green of the Lexington Police Department announced during a press conference Wednesday that the unidentified body was discovered at about 2:48 p.m. EDT following a tip received from the public.
A statement from the police department said the tip stated Moore was seen Thursday in the area of North Lake Drive and Old Cherokee Road. Green added during the press conference that the sighting occurred between 4 and 6 p.m.
A search of the area was launched at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, resulting in the discovery of the body a little more than an hour later.
Green said the unidentified body “fits the clothing description of our missing person.” According to authorities, Moore was last seen wearing an olive-green zip-up hoodie with black athletic pants.
“We are still waiting on the coroner to identify her,” Green said.
Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher confirmed in a separate statement that the body of a woman matching Moore’s clothing description was found, but that no positive identification has yet been made.
“We will await positive identification before any further information is released,” the coroner’s office said.
“No cause of death has been determined.”
An autopsy will be scheduled in the coming days, according to the office, which said that the “process will take time.”
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division has been asked to investigate the death.
Green added in the brief press conference that he was limited to what he could comment on and did not state if foul play was suspected.
He said Moore’s vehicle was with her husband and that authorities did not know how she got to the Planet Fitness.
