Heartbreaking Past: The tragic story of coach Elena Moore’s childhood after being adopted from Russia at age 7 is emerging alongside the haunting mysteries surrounding her death
DETAILS about the upbringing of a personal trainer who was found dead nearly a week after she vanished from a Planet Fitness in South Carolina have been revealed.
Elena Moore, 39, was found underneath a concrete bridge on June 17, six days after she was was seen leaving a gym and heading toward a wooded area.
Moore was seen checking into a Planet Fitness in Lexington, South Carolina around 6:40pm on June 11.
Hours later, she was spotted on a surveillance camera walking across a nearby parking lot of a Publix at 9:17pm.
Moore was last seen heading toward a wooded area behind a Lowe’s, and a massive search effort was launched after her husband, Brannon Slice, reported her missing on June 12.
Her body was found in a wooded area roughly a half a mile from the Publix, but a cause of death has yet to be determined.
The autopsy results revealed Moore had no signs of a traumatic injury, such as no blunt force trauma, bruising, stab wounds, gunshot wounds, strangulation, lacerations or other external injuries.
“Additional evaluation is required, including histological studies, review of medical records, and toxicology testing,” Lexington County Coroner’s Office said.
An obituary has since been shared online for Moore, revealing details of her life, including how she spent her early childhood in an orphanage in Russia.
Moore was adopted by Richard and Jean Moore when she was seven and a half years old.
When she moved to San Antonio Texas, the only English words she knew at the time were “Mickey Mouse.”
Her family does not know much about her early years, but knows she was the only young girl in the orphanage with long hair as the other kids had short or shaved hair because of frequent head lice outbreaks.
The obituary said Moore’s caretaker would take her home and wash and braid her hair every night.
“Jean Moore often said she believed God had given her a remarkable dream, and when she asked about a little girl with long hair, she knew Elena was meant to become part of the Moore family,” the family said.
The Moores adopted two other children from Russia, and although she was the third adopted child in the family, Moore was the oldest of four adopted siblings.
“Despite the challenges of learning a new language and adapting to a new culture, Elena made friends easily and embraced the opportunities her new life provided with gratitude,” the obituary said.
“Elena was blessed with natural beauty, athleticism, and grace.”
Moore competed in gymnastics and swimming and learned how to play the flute.
She moved around several times throughout her childhood, living in Texas, Germany, Georgia and Arizona.
At 18, she decided to stay in the South “where she had built the life she loved.”
The obituary revealed Moore met her husband in 2013, and her family said “Together, they built a life filled with love, adventure, and companionship.”
Moore became a certified personal trainer in 2020, getting the opportunity to help others become stronger and healthier, her family said.
Moore was also a lover of the outdoors and enjoyed hiking, fishing, mountain biking, kayaking, surfing and more.
After Moore’s body was found, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the largest crime unit in the state, said they were assisting in the investigation.
Moore’s friends raised questions about her disappearance, saying her behavior was “out of character.”
“I think my friend was struggling for her life. I think she was literally afraid for her life, Sondra Rachelle Campbell, a close friend of Moore’s, told NewsNation.
Campbell shut down rumors that her friend was struggling with her mental health, and claimed there were “issues” in Moore’s marriage and that the couple “were trying to separate.”
Investigators said in June that they didn’t suspect foul play in Moore’s death and said Slice was “not a person of interest at the current moment.”
Moore appeared to be acting confused just a week before she disappeared in Ring camera video obtained by The U.S. Sun.
The personal trainer was allegedly pretending to be a DoorDash delivery driver at an apartment complex.
Sarah Burleson, the resident, said Moore appeared “confused” and tried entering her apartment.
Moore was seen on the video interacting with a DoorDash delivery woman dropping off a food order.
Moore took the plastic to-go bag and waited a moment before delivering the food to Burleson’s partner.
“Something seemed very off,” Burleson said. “For the past week we thought it was a crazy DoorDash experience.”
The U.S. Sun has reached out to the Lexington County Coroner’s Office for more information on Moore’s case.
