Coroner Rules Elena Moore Died From Heart Condition in South Carolina

A South Carolina coroner has determined that Elena Katherine Moore, a 39-year-old Lexington County woman found dead after disappearing in June, died from natural causes related to a heart condition. Coroner Margaret Fisher announced the findings on October 9, 2026, identifying cardiac dysrhythmia with premature ventricular contractions as the cause of death and ruling out evidence of homicide.

According to Fisher, a forensic autopsy conducted at the Medical University of South Carolina found no traumatic injuries. Investigators found no evidence of broken bones, strangulation or sexual assault, while toxicology testing detected alcohol but no other substances.

Fisher said the investigation also examined Moore's medical history and movements after her release from an inpatient mental health facility. She confirmed that Moore's husband, Brannon Slice, was never considered a suspect or person of interest in the investigation.

Addressing the absence of evidence supporting a homicide, Fisher said, "We never saw anything that would indicate homicide. Nothing. We were able to follow her path.

We were able to pull her medical history, her mental history. We knew that this was not a homicide."

Fisher also described Slice's efforts to obtain assistance for his wife during her mental health crisis. According to the coroner, he had repeatedly tried to secure help before Moore disappeared.

"The only person that really tried to help this girl to get her help through the system is her husband. He reached out. He tried many times to get her help," Fisher said.

Medical records reviewed during the investigation documented an irregular heartbeat dating back to when Moore was 14. More recent records included cardiac arrhythmia, sinus tachycardia and hypertension, according to Fisher.

Moore was involuntarily committed to an undisclosed mental health facility on June 5 after experiencing what Fisher described as a severe psychiatric crisis. She remained there until June 11, when the facility discharged her and arranged a taxi instead of accepting Slice's offer to pick her up.

Fisher questioned the decision to release Moore despite the facility's awareness of her medical and psychiatric conditions.

"This whole situation would be different if somebody at that mental health facility ... they all saw her medical, her mental crisis. But yet she was released," Fisher said.

After leaving the facility, Moore traveled by taxi to a CVS Pharmacy on Sunset Boulevard in Lexington, where she had previously worked. Fisher said Moore told a manager that the driver was stalking her and trying to hurt her. The manager contacted Lexington police, but officers arrived after Moore and the driver had left the immediate area.

According to an incident report cited by Fox News Digital, Slice told investigators that Moore had checked into a Planet Fitness at 6:38 p.m. that evening. Surveillance footage later placed her walking through a Publix parking lot on Old Cherokee Road.

Moore was reported missing on June 12 and found dead on June 17 near Old Cherokee Road and Northlake Drive. Earlier surveillance footage from the area had shown her behaving in a confused manner, including handling deliveries and examining packages at an apartment complex.

Fisher said Moore's toxicology results showed a blood-alcohol level of .089. She cautioned that extreme heat around the time of her disappearance could also have influenced the finding, alongside alcohol consumption.

Investigators also reviewed information indicating that Moore had not received her prescribed heart medication while hospitalized. Fisher said the facility maintained that it had administered the medication, but the drug was not detected in Moore's toxicology results.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division closed its missing-persons case involving Moore. However, the available reports did not establish whether the agency had also formally closed its separate investigation into the circumstances of her death.