Found Deceased CA - Erin Valenti, 33, from Utah, en-route from Palo Alto to San Jose, 7 Oct 2019

[Steelslady]

This reminds me of several other cases. I'm trying to think of one that ended well. I'd really like to believe LE have a reason for saying they think she's voluntarily missing.

Unfortunately... I've seen too many "voluntarily missing" people end up murdered. So, I will wait for LE to give us a reason why they believe that before I hope it is true.

It is just WEIRD enough that I'm hoping she's just disoriented somewhere....

She was talking to her husband and was confused. What would cause her confusion? Medical issue- sinus infection, low blood sugar, did she take something and it made her drowsy like an allergy pill? Still, her car should have been found somewhere by now, with her in it, if there was any medical emergency.

I really get concerned when LE thinks someone is missing voluntarily- many times, by the time they take it serious, it's too late for the victim. Kelsey, MacKenzie- to name two women who's cases were deemed voluntarily missing in the beginning, in spite of family's pleas that they wouldn't normally not be in touch or show up for work or blow off their exams.

I want to believe she is hanging out with friends having a good ole time for herself, but um, if she is, she's going to have a hefty rental bill for her car, and not to mention, some places are strict and if you don't return the car back, they just might not let you rent from them again. This doesn't sound typical of her, at least from what I can see- being irresponsible. Now, if you said that she brought the rental back and was seen on video fine and dandy, I might entertain the idea that a friend could have been waiting outside for her to drive her where ever.

She's not using her bank accounts. So unless someone handed her a hefty wad of cash, she probably doesn't have much money on her, she hasn't purchased gas or food. I know friends are generous, but eventually you have to pay your own way somehow- you can't live off of your friends forever.

So far, it doesn't appear that she's gone to any hospitals or walk in's, right?

I hope they find her rental car soon. What is up with the rental agency not having a GPS tracker on it? In this day and age?

 

[Seattle1]

Utah tech CEO goes missing in California

Oct 11, 2019

SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah tech CEO went missing Monday night in California, officials confirmed.

Erin Valenti, of Salt Lake City, was last seen Monday afternoon in Palo Alto, California, ...

[...]

She was en route from Palo Alto to San Jose, but she never returned her rental car and missed her flight home to Utah.

The last time she talked to her husband on the phone was Monday night, and her phone pinged to San Jose, he said.

Her phone has been turned off since Monday, according to her husband.

Valenti is the founder and CEO of Tinker Ventures and was due to return for the Women Tech Awards Wednesday evening where she was to receive an award for Entrepreneurial Excellence, said Sara Jones, co-founder of the Women Tech Council, of which Valenti is a member.

[...]

Police are treating her case as a "voluntary missing persons case," and there isn't an active search by law enforcement, according to San Jose Police Sgt. Enrique Garcia.

According to preliminary investigations, there does not seem to be any evidence of foul play, but police are not releasing any more information at this time, Garcia said.

[...]

Those with any information regarding her whereabouts should call the San Jose Police Department at 408-277-4141.

ETA:

More questions for Timeline:

Date/time of outbound departure SLC to SJC

Date/time/location of car rental pick up

Conference location/dates attended.

EV reportedly last seen in Palo Alto on Monday -- what time and where?

Reports cite EV talked to husband while traveling in her car. What time was this call and where was her location?

What was date/time of EV's return flight to SLC?

(EV was expected in SLC by Weds night for Award Show).

Husband reports last call with EV was Monday night. Is this same call that came from her car allegedly near SJC airport?

16 min (14.7 mi) via US-101 S

 

[indicolite22]

Would she have known that the car had no GPS tracker on it?

Quite a few hours had passed from the afternoon when she left Palo Alto until 1am when her phone stopped pinging in San Jose. I hope the police followed her phone to find where she stopped during that time. She would not have been driving around for that long. Was she stationary when the phone went dead?

 

[MJPeony]

Utah tech CEO goes missing in California

Oct 11, 2019

SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah tech CEO went missing Monday night in California, officials confirmed.

Erin Valenti, of Salt Lake City, was last seen Monday afternoon in Palo Alto, California, ...

[...]

She was en route from Palo Alto to San Jose, but she never returned her rental car and missed her flight home to Utah.

The last time she talked to her husband on the phone was Monday night, and her phone pinged to San Jose, he said.

Her phone has been turned off since Monday, according to her husband.

Valenti is the founder and CEO of Tinker Ventures and was due to return for the Women Tech Awards Wednesday evening where she was to receive an award for Entrepreneurial Excellence, said Sara Jones, co-founder of the Women Tech Council, of which Valenti is a member.

[...]

Police are treating her case as a "voluntary missing persons case," and there isn't an active search by law enforcement, according to San Jose Police Sgt. Enrique Garcia.

According to preliminary investigations, there does not seem to be any evidence of foul play, but police are not releasing any more information at this time, Garcia said.

[...]

Those with any information regarding her whereabouts should call the San Jose Police Department at 408-277-4141.

ETA:

More questions for Timeline:

Date/time of outbound departure SLC to SJC

Date/time/location of car rental pick up

Conference location/dates attended.

Reports cite EV talked to husband while traveling in her car. What time was this call and what was her location at that time?

What was date/time of EV's return flight to SLC?

(EV was expected in SLC by Weds night for Award Show).

Husband reports last call with EV was Monday night. Is this same call that came from her car allegedly near SJC airport?

16 min (14.7 mi) via US-101 S

The timeline is really important.

It's driving me nuts- what time was her scheduled flight back to Salt Lake?? People really need a time-frame to be working with so they can narrow down what they might remember.

Another question for the timeline is what time was she last seen by a friend/colleague and where?

I'm not on facebook or I'd ask the husband these questions on the Help Find page. I feel for him- LE is not helping him search so he's having to navigate all of these details on his own and I doubt he has a roadmap to follow in terms of what info he needs to get out there.

MOO.

 

[indicolite22]

The timeline is really important.

It's driving me nuts- what time was her scheduled flight back to Salt Lake?? People really need a time-frame to be working with so they can narrow down what they might remember.

Another question for the timeline is what time was she last seen by a friend/colleague and where?

I'm not on facebook or I'd ask the husband these questions on the Help Find page. I feel for him- LE is not helping him search so he's having to navigate all of these details on his own and I doubt he has a roadmap to follow in terms of what info he needs to get out there.

MOO.

A description of her clothing was given, but no surveillance images have been mentioned, so I presume that she was last seen by her friends in Palo Alto.

Her husband spoke to her Monday night and her phone was tracked to San Jose, so at least she got there.

Again, unless her phone had been turned off or location info disabled, the police would know her phone's location during the missing hours before 1am Monday. The info could be telling.

 

[indicolite22]

Her husband revealed more info on the Help Find Erin Valenti page.

Apparently her flight was at 6:40pm and she was last seen at 3:15-3:30pm in Palo Alto. She was speaking on the phone with her husband, her mother and a friend throughout the evening, sounding very manic. She has no history of mental health issues, substance abuse, arrests or hospitalizations.

 

[Seattle1]

Another question for the timeline is what time was she last seen by a friend/colleague and where?

I'm not on facebook or I'd ask the husband these questions on the Help Find page. I feel for him- LE is not helping him search so he's having to navigate all of these details on his own and I doubt he has a roadmap to follow in terms of what info he needs to get out there.

^^SBM

Based on prior experience, I have confidence in Utah's KSL msm news report posted above providing the following:

EV last seen in Palo Alto, CA on Monday afternoon.

Last call with husband was Monday night.

Went missing Monday night.

Phone turned off since Monday.

EV was expected in SLC by Weds evening for Tech Women's Council Award.

Husband says EV has never disappeared like this before, but in another report states she was confused, disjointed, disoriented, and not acting herself during their last conversation.

San Jose Police Sgt. Enrique Garcia reports there is no active search for EV, but they are not releasing any more information at this time. States no evidence of foul play, classified as missing voluntarily.

We also need to know exactly when husband/family filed a missing person report with LE. This will give us some idea of any subpoena's in process for EV's phone and social media accounts.

IMO, LE have information they are confident in, that's not been shared with public. Important to note it's not the public information officer (PIO) from San Jose Police Dept that is commenting about this missing woman investigation, but the San Jose Police Sgt..

Also - did EV talk with other family before or after husband contact, and do they share his opinion on how EV sounded on the phone?

ETA: Add comment from husband confirming EV manic convo with mom:

Harrison Weinstein xxxxxxxxx she was talking to me, her mom, and friend on phone all afternoon/evening. It was textbook mania. Very out of character and no mental health history, no substance history, no arrests or hospitalizations, etc

 

[afitzy]

On the other hand, if EV is in fact voluntarily taking a break, by her own choice, reporting the vehicle as stolen could result in criminal charges against her, that could only add to what may already be a stressful situation for this young woman.

I think they have better options here.

MOO

Do we know if LE has issued a BOLO for the missing persons rental car?

 

[MJPeony]

^

We also need to know exactly when husband/family filed a missing person report with LE. This will give us some idea of any subpoena's in process for EV's phone and social media accounts.

SBM

Husband says missing persons report was filed on Tuesday
Help Find Erin Valenti

 

[indicolite22]

Also - did EV talk with other family before or after husband contact, and do they share his opinion on how EV sounded on the phone?

Yes. According to the husband, she was talking to him, her mother and a friend "all afternoon/evening".

Help Find Erin Valenti

I wonder when the communication with her stopped? Was she still with the car at that point? There's a chance that she ran out of gas earlier and that her phone battery died by 1AM.

 

[afitzy]

Some local press:
Utah tech CEO goes missing on way to San Jose airport

 

[Seattle1]

Help Find Erin Valenti

Harrison Weinstein xxxxxx - Angela she had been at alpha conference in Monterey last week, then was visiting friends and colleagues around sf/Palo Alto over the weekend.

Last seen at 2500 block of sand hill rd around 315-330pm on Monday.

640pm flight from San Jose and was driving towards airport but didn’t make it.

Was on phone and acting odd - not making sense, couldn’t get a word on, very manic, bizarre content.

Phone pinged to south San Jose Area until around midnight then phone off, battery likely died and has been off since. Said that car was low on gas, but no charges on cards and she rarely uses cash.

• 58m 10/12/19 PST

Harrison Weinstein xxxxxxxx trying to Add more...see reply to Bridget Jones. On Monday she had late checkout (2pm) from the nest hotel in Palo Alto.

• 59m

Harrison Weinstein xxxxxxxxx she was talking to me, her mom, and friend on phone all afternoon/evening. It was textbook mania. Very out of character and no mental health history, no substance history, no arrests or hospitalizations, etc.

• 59m

Harrison Weinstein No saved location info on google, working on getting into Apple, but that’s been a struggle. We have username and password, but no trusted device - worked with support to begin recovery process

• 58m

Harrison Weinstein Yes, we started a welfare check Monday night and that is where a lot of the gps tracking is from. Upgraded to missing person on Tuesday

• 58m

Harrison Weinstein xxxxxxxx yes, we have people calling list of hospitals regularly to ask for her and Jane doe with her description

• 54m

 

[afitzy]

Utah tech CEO goes missing in Bay Area

 

[afitzy]

Ongoing power issues in the area too:
PG&E power outage: Who has been restored, who's still out

 

[afitzy]

California police call disappearance of Utah tech company CEO ‘voluntary missing person case’

 

[afitzy]

Erin Valenti (@erinmvalenti) | Twitter
Tinker Ventures (@tinkerventures) | Twitter

 

[afitzy]

Harrison Weinstein Nushie Khanoom no fitness trackers and no info saved on google. Working on getting into iCloud for any data that might be there. We do think that the car was low on gas so probably not too far from where last pinged. If on main streets it would be picked up by now. Need to search remote areas nearby and continue in surrounding residential areas

 

[Seattle1]

Yes. According to the husband, she was talking to him, her mother and a friend "all afternoon/evening".

Help Find Erin Valenti

I wonder when the communication with her stopped? Was she still with the car at that point? There's a chance that she ran out of gas earlier and that her phone battery died by 1AM.

Per HFEV page, husband cites phone went off around midnight and has been off since. Assumes that her phone battery depleted.

Phone pinged to south San Jose Area until around midnight then phone off, battery likely died and has been off since. Said that car was low on gas, but no charges on cards and she rarely uses cash.

• 58m 10/12/19 PST

 

[afitzy]

Erin was reported to be driving a 2020 Nissan Murano and her husband reports that she was low on gas heading back to the San Jose, CA airport. Per C&D the Murano would have 20mpg city/28 mpg highway.

Per the Help Find Erin Valenti FB Page, she was last tracked in San Jose, CA, near Almaden Expressway and Camden Ave off of 280 and last seen in Palo Alto, CA both on Monday night/afternoon.

Google Maps

Note water areas north of last known location.

Google Maps

2020 Nissan Murano Review, Pricing, and Specs

Fuel Economy and Real-World MPG
The EPA estimates the Murano will earn 20 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway. The addition of all-wheel drive also doesn't diminish either rating. In our real-world testing, the Murano fell short of its highway fuel-economy estimate—27 mpg—but still managed to post one of the best results of the rivals we sampled.

 

[Vail]

The whole thing about this being voluntary vs. foul play. This woman is the CEO of a business where reputation and character are pretty important. I doubt she would be so irresponsible as to turn off her phone and go dark without letting someone know. It would be embarrassing to have this kind of scenario blast all over the news and social media, IMO.

Social, tech exec? she has been a ceo of the co shes with now for what 13 years and has a following of 270 on her IG account. I know a few ceo's of their own companies and they sure aren't what they portray on SM.

To be as respectful and delicate as I can, Erin is not a CEO and her company has done very little authentic client work (her company is registered as an LLC, listed as a freelancer on job sites, and has a fake app as her spotlight case study - I can expand more later if it becomes relevant). The conference/meetup she was attending is a women's networking group that awards its own members. It is not an industry recognized thing like, say, the actual Women in IT awards that happened in San Francisco on Oct 9th. Is is possible she decided to go to that at the last minute? I think a truthful picture of Erin is important here because the media will latch on to whatever buzzword sounds great in headlines (without doing any research or fact checking as usual) and it obfuscates the realities enough to make her disappearance seem more ominous than may be.
So far it looks like voluntary missing or possible suicide to me - she should definitely be listed as endangered with a bolo for the vehicle imo. I definitely don't suspect foul play - there is just nothing to point to that as LE has said. I am very surprised if LE is not searching for the vehicle or evidence of a wreck (I am confident they have/are). There is no way a rental car from a CA airport these days does not have GPS tracking. Unsure why family is being told that.
I am very sad for her husband and hope they can track her down alive.