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

[PommyMommy]

Good morning, everyone.

You can rent cars with a navigation system, but many times it is optional and reserved for higher (or the highest) trim. The alternative is either using your phone directly by turning it on and having it read out and show directions, or (if the car supports it) using Apple Carplay/Android Auto by plugging your phone into one of the USB jacks in the car, which effectively projects the screen from your phone into the car's LCD screen. I'm a techie and I prefer using my phone because it gives me up-to-date traffic information, I can plug addresses that I am driving to beforehand, etc.

Under this scenario, the phone could run out of juice if she was using the phone directly for navigation instead of having a car with a navigation system or using Carplay/Auto.

All that being said, I'm also a bit surprised she didn't just use Uber/Lyft. I work for a large tech company and many times this is what we do when traveling. It's easier than renting a car, you don't have to worry about finding parking, etc.

Also you'd be surprised how many people are not prepared with electronic devices, by not having a portable charger/power bank with them.

And, good morning to you.

I summarized some of her husband's comments below which you may or may not find helpful. MOO

Help Find Erin Valenti

Help Find Erin Valenti

There is no saved location information on google. Her husband said they are working on getting into Apple, but it’s been a struggle. They have her username and password, but no trusted device and have worked with support to begin the recovery process.

EV was talking to her husband, her mom, and a friend on phone all afternoon/evening. Her husband said it was textbook mania. Very out of character and no mental health history, no substance history, no arrests or hospitalizations, etc.

They started a welfare check Monday night and that is where a lot of the gps tracking is from. Her case was upgraded to a missing person on Tuesday.

They have people calling a list of hospitals regularly to ask for her and any Jane doe’s that match her description.

She did not have a fitness tracker and they are working on getting into iCloud for any data that might be there.

His opinion is that if the vehicle was on a main street it would be picked up by now and they need to search remote areas nearby and continue in surrounding residential areas. He says the car was low on gas and is probably not too far from where her phone last pinged.

On Monday she had late checkout (2pm) from the Nest Hotel in Palo Alto.

The rental car agency was Hertz.

 

[PaulR]

I have a different impression of the missing person than you do. After looking at her linkedin, she has a stellar academic record and appears to be well connected in the
start-up world, and was likely making the rounds to pitch her latest idea for funding. The "fake app" you refer to appears to be a prototype , that she no doubt uses to demonstrate the art of the possible. I have great admiration for the guts and grit of these entrepreneurs; many great companies have emerged from these type of startup ventures.

My thoughts as someone in tech:
- Georgetown is good. No MBA though, that is unusual.
- Summit Partners is well known in the VC world.
- Experience at actual tech companies developing products, not so good. Obligatory first startup, Skycrane, which doesn't appear to be around anymore but that is not unusual. Overstock is kind of a joke. There are lots of companies that do what Tinker does.

Everyone should read LinkedIn profiles as resumes, meaning you should expect puffery.

 

[Seattle1]

I haven't read every media link so I may have missed it, but did she actually tell her husband or family members that she was actually in San Jose, or are we all just assuming she was because her phone pinged there?

I went through her husbands last postings on the Official HFEV page (posts upthread) and it appears EV was last "seen" in Palo Alto, CA Monday afternoon.

She allegedly left Palo Alto (PA) about 3:30p for 6:30p flight to SLC. She was allegedly driving near airport --according to her phone data (per husband) but I've not seen the time this occurred reported.

Distance PA to SJC airport is only about 14 miles.

Residents with knowledge of the area cite that her phone was not last pinging near vicinity of airport (or route to airport via PA) but near a neighborhood shopping mall.

Husband reports her phone last pinged around midnight, and phone died -- he thinks phone battery was naturally powering down and EV did not turn off the phone.

Although husband cites talking to EV on Monday night, it's not clear who she talked to last as she was also said to talk with her mother and friends -- all reporting she seemed "manic." Husband states EV appeared "texbook manic."

 

[PaulR]

And, good morning to you.

I summarized some of her husband's comments below which you may or may not find helpful. MOO

Help Find Erin Valenti

Help Find Erin Valenti

There is no saved location information on google. Her husband said they are working on getting into Apple, but it’s been a struggle. They have her username and password, but no trusted device and have worked with support to begin the recovery process.

They started a welfare check Monday night and that is where a lot of the gps tracking is from. Her case was upgraded to a missing person on Tuesday.

They have people calling a list of hospitals regularly to ask for her and any Jane doe’s that match her description.

She did not have a fitness tracker and they are working on getting into iCloud for any data that might be there.

His opinion is that if the vehicle was on a main street it would be picked up by now and they need to search remote areas nearby and continue in surrounding residential areas.

The rental car agency was Hertz.

OK. Having just rented a car from Hertz - you can get built-in navigation, but it's optional and you have to pay extra. I just used my phone to navigate. At least on the model of Nissan I rented.

Sounds like she had an iPhone. Presumably she set it up with their version of 2FA meaning someone would have to have the phone in their possession in order to log into the iCloud account. If she's unable/unwilling/etc. to do that, then login will fail, meaning they have to escalate to Apple. Apple is strong on privacy, and access to the iCloud account means access to a lot of things - phone activity, emails if she used her icloud account, etc. There's a lot of focus on privacy nowadays with various laws like GDPR and the California equivalent and companies have to tread carefully, yes, even in missing persons cases. Something like this probably requires escalation. After all, this could be voluntary, we still don't know yet.

All fitness trackers can do (I think I mentioned this in the Mollie Tibbetts case) is force the phone to use the GPS functionality and push that location to their servers. They generally do not do this if you are driving since they can detect that by the time of movement.

 

[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

Bumping husbands post at around 1 AM --10/12/19 pm PST

 

[Kittybunny]

Been following this case and it is indeed very concerning. Although at first I suspected foul play immediately, but the new timeline of her being on the phone with husband and family AFTER she was supposed to be at the airport and catch her flight makes me hesitate on coming to that immediate conclusion. I still believe it's possible, but if what her family said about her state of mind is true, an accident, ran out of gas and started walking, and endangered missing are all possibilities too. And of course, in her confused state of mind could have also met with foul play.

I too find it hard to believe that the car doesn't have a GPS tracker - it was a new car, and any reputable large car rental agency would surely have a mechanism by which to retrieve it...right? That information on where the car is should have been known almost immediately.

And while I'm here...too many LE agencies in this day in age go to "Voluntary Missing" as the default position. Look, maybe that playbook worked and made sense in the 1960's, when people were tethered to home, landlines, use of cash, etc. But nowadays? The majority of people leave behind a trial of electronic data that is astonishing. When that trail abruptly stops, endangered missing should be the starting point at a minimum.

ETA: To quote @PaulR: "OK. Having just rented a car from Hertz - you can get built-in navigation, but it's optional and you have to pay extra. I just used my phone to navigate. At least on the model of Nissan I rented."

I think many of us are thinking of a tracker that the agency places under the car, in case of theft, not the optional GPS that a renter purchases.

 

[afitzy]

Good morning, everyone.



You can rent cars with a navigation system, but many times it is optional and reserved for higher (or the highest) trim. The alternative is either using your phone directly by turning it on and having it read out and show directions, or (if the car supports it) using Apple Carplay/Android Auto by plugging your phone into one of the USB jacks in the car, which effectively projects the screen from your phone into the car's LCD screen. I'm a techie and I prefer using my phone because it gives me up-to-date traffic information, I can plug addresses that I am driving to beforehand, etc.

Under this scenario, the phone could run out of juice if she was using the phone directly for navigation instead of having a car with a navigation system or using Carplay/Auto.

All that being said, I'm also a bit surprised she didn't just use Uber/Lyft. I work for a large tech company and many times this is what we do when traveling. It's easier than renting a car, you don't have to worry about finding parking, etc.

Also you'd be surprised how many people are not prepared with electronic devices, by not having a portable charger/power bank with them.

Here is what her husband had to say about some tech related issues from the Help Find Erin Valenti FB Page:

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

 

[PommyMommy]

OCT 11, 2019
Utah CEO reported missing in San Jose, family speaks out
[...]

“She told me she was driving around because the GPS wasn’t working,” AV, Erin’s mother said.

Her mom was the last one to speak to her on the phone.

“There’s no phone activity and my daughter was very techy and always on the phone,” AV said. “And no credit card activity so we don’t know what’s happened and we can’t find her or the car.”

[...]

 

[Kapua]

Good morning, everyone.



You can rent cars with a navigation system, but many times it is optional and reserved for higher (or the highest) trim. The alternative is either using your phone directly by turning it on and having it read out and show directions, or (if the car supports it) using Apple Carplay/Android Auto by plugging your phone into one of the USB jacks in the car, which effectively projects the screen from your phone into the car's LCD screen. I'm a techie and I prefer using my phone because it gives me up-to-date traffic information, I can plug addresses that I am driving to beforehand, etc.

Under this scenario, the phone could run out of juice if she was using the phone directly for navigation instead of having a car with a navigation system or using Carplay/Auto.

All that being said, I'm also a bit surprised she didn't just use Uber/Lyft. I work for a large tech company and many times this is what we do when traveling. It's easier than renting a car, you don't have to worry about finding parking, etc.

Also you'd be surprised how many people are not prepared with electronic devices, by not having a portable charger/power bank with them.

She likely rented the car rather than Uber because she needed/wanted to go to Monterey last week (about 1 1/2 hour drive from SJ airport), and then go to Palo Alto for the weekend (about 1 hr. 40 minutes from Monterey) - drive times approximate and highly dependent upon traffic.

Admittedly, I am biased because of my familiarity with the area, but I cannot imagine her missing the exits to the airport. MOO

 

[PaulR]

OCT 11, 2019
Utah CEO reported missing in San Jose, family speaks out
[...]

“She told me she was driving around because the GPS wasn’t working,” Agnes Valenti, Erin’s mother said.

Her mom was the last one to speak to her on the phone.

“There’s no phone activity and my daughter was very techy and always on the phone,” Agnes said. “And no credit card activity so we don’t know what’s happened and we can’t find her or the car.”

[...]

It seems really unlikely to me that the GPS wasn't working in a very literal sense.

Maybe the GPS told her that she was in a different location than she expected herself to be, and she trusted herself over the GPS.

 

[afitzy]

Local kidnapping of a Santa Cruz County Tech CEO (roughly 1 hr away from Palo Alto, CA) in October - motive was allegedly robbery:

Body found during search for Bay Area tech executive kidnapped from Santa Cruz County home

Body found in Santa Cruz Mountains identified as kidnapped Bay Area tech executive: Sheriff

Autopsy: Tech exec Tushar Atre, kidnapped in Santa Cruz County, died from gunshot wound

 

[Kapua]

OCT 11, 2019
Utah CEO reported missing in San Jose, family speaks out
[...]

“She told me she was driving around because the GPS wasn’t working,” Agnes Valenti, Erin’s mother said.

Her mom was the last one to speak to her on the phone.

“There’s no phone activity and my daughter was very techy and always on the phone,” Agnes said. “And no credit card activity so we don’t know what’s happened and we can’t find her or the car.”

[...]

This is new. I could be very wrong about her not being able to find the airport. I hope they've checked Good Samaritan and Santa Teresa hospitals - maybe even Valley Medical Center.

I will search for her tomorrow morning if she is not found - have commitments today.

 

[10ofRods]

She could definitely be bipolar and it could have gone undiagnosed until now (type I). That would explain all her many success and interests. Bipolars are really common in the start-up field and can be really successful.

I agree she should be endangered missing.

Sounds like she might have her Google data turned off.

If she's manic, she could easily miss the airport turnoff (especially if she took the 280). If she asked directions at her hotel (I hope someone is interviewing hotel staff), they would likely have told her to take Page Mill Road up to the 280 (faster, less traffic). Unfortunately, the various interchanges once in San Jose are a bit confusing to a newcomer.

I also hope that LE or family ask the mall near where she apparently pinged for security footage. Needle in a haystack kind of thing, though.

If she ran out of gas in south San Jose, what would she do? If she was "textbook manic" then it's harder to predict. I can picture it, though.

Family should probably start calling every individual police precinct at increasing distance from where she last pinged (and also sending pictures and flyers to each individual precinct, including resource officers in malls and schools).

 

[rosesfromangels]

My thoughts as someone in tech:
- Georgetown is good. No MBA though, that is unusual.
- Summit Partners is well known in the VC world.
- Experience at actual tech companies developing products, not so good. Obligatory first startup, Skycrane, which doesn't appear to be around anymore but that is not unusual. Overstock is kind of a joke. There are lots of companies that do what Tinker does.

Everyone should read LinkedIn profiles as resumes, meaning you should expect puffery.

The fact her husband is a therapist per OP, and that he used the word “manic” is concerning.

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[MJPeony]

She likely rented the car rather than Uber because she needed/wanted to go to Monterey last week (about 1 1/2 hour drive from SJ airport), and then go to Palo Alto for the weekend (about 1 hr. 40 minutes from Monterey) - drive times approximate and highly dependent upon traffic.

Admittedly, I am biased because of my familiarity with the area, but I cannot imagine her missing the exits to the airport. MOO

BBM

I’ve tended to agree. Highway 101 is generally the most logical route from Palo Alto to San Jose airport, and I do not see how she’d have gotten lost. But now that we know she left from The Nest hotel, it’s very possible she took 280. And 280 is much more remote and does not have freeway signs to that airport.

For what it’s worth, from The Nest to the airport my map is routing me to 101 and then down to the airport (it’s the way I’d have gone myself), but the hotel was closer to 280 than I’d assumed.

To note, if she left at 3:30 on a Monday she would hit had significant rush hour traffic!

MOO.

 

[Knox]

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.

Ok, so now we have details to work with. But what I most want to know is who she was last with, and what did they observe her behavior to be like?

This is beginning to sound a bit like Karlie Guse. Is there a possibility that Erin consumed some type of drug?

 

[Jo in Calif]

Ok, so now we have details to work with. But what I most want to know is who she was last with, and what did they observe her behavior to be like?

This is beginning to sound a bit like Karlie Guse. Is there a possibility that Erin consumed some type of drug?

As long as it doesn't start to sound like Sherri Papini.

 

[Seattle1]

I just don’t understand how the police consider her voluntarily missing. Surely she would be thinking they would come looking for her because she didn’t return the rental car whether she was in trouble, or if she just left on purpose. That is a huge red flag!

Without immediate evidence of foul play at the time a person is reported missing to police, all missing ADULTS begins with "voluntarily missing." This classification is not unique to EV, and key word here is ADULT.

It's a process LE are currently going through (behind the public scenes) prior to missing subject upgraded to "involuntary missing."

SJ Police Sgt E Garcia's last public statement provided they are in preliminary investigation phase -- and they will not release any information at this time.

I'm confident that LE are processing and confirming information they've been given from the family. Confirming their information will include subpoenaing EV's phone and SM data to confirm in fact who EV last had contact with. Husband is assuming it was him but LE would not be doing their job if they didn't confirm this.

MOO

 

[Knox]

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.

Thank you for delving into things I know nothing about, and giving us a clearer picture of her professional life. That doesn't lower my concern for Erin, but helps put the circumstances of her missing in perspective.

 

[Knox]

Help Find Erin Valenti
1 hr ·
I would like to emphasize how out of character this would be for Erin. While she is adventurous, she is not foolhardy and would never intentionally be out of contact with her family. As a psychologist, I am especially concerned about her last calls which were confusing and disjointed. It is completely possible to have a sudden onset of symptoms like this for a variety of mental health and physical reasons (even if there have not been previous symptoms). Erin should be considered a vulnerable person at severe risk and the police should be involved, although they have continued to treat her as a voluntary missing person. If anyone has any influence with the San Jose of California police, I urge you to make this point.

Harrison is also a psychologist and Erin's mother is a nurse. It is difficult for me to understand why the police are not giving greater credence to people who have experience with people in psychiatric and medical crises and who absolutely believe that Erin's last calls indicate that she was at peril.