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

[Independent Investigator]

Regardless we all should remember the family, and grief they are living in right now. It’s really impossible to know until you have been there, and it pains me to think what Her family, husband and friends are going through. I’ve conducted those interviews and you never forget that look in their eye despite their answers

There will be police reports, toxicology, autopsy, follow Up interviews that will give better detail how Erin’s life ended. Hopefully she will be remembered for more than the way she died, or the theories about it.

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

IMO: If she was otherwise mentally/physically stable it sounds like she was on a psychedelic like shrooms, LSD, MDMA, ecstasy, etc. BUT those on their own don't kill. And if what she took was tainted she would have been deceased way sooner than 8 hours. So... IF she was given/taken a psychedelic - what happened? MOO

Can kill if a bad batch, or if it was a first time and/or if she took more than she should, or simply had an adverse reaction. We have had a number of cases like this in UK, mainly with teens or 20s.

 

[Blonde_AF]

What amazes me is that she was able to drive through a densely populated area and park inconspicuously while not being able to make sense nor call out for help.

I actually don’t think she was parked inconspicuously. She was right in front of a house in a neighborhood. People just didn’t notice her. One news article a neighbor admitted to seeing the SUV but assuming a nearby neighbor had a visitor.

 

[Blonde_AF]

I am new here since this case started so if I’m breaking rules or not doing things right, someone please let me know!!

The other concerning thing is if SJPD is really so seriously understaffed and already feels that no foul play was involved, will it be overlooked if there was? I’ve also heard theories (only theories) that perhaps she hadn’t been there for 5 days but once the media released the last cell phone ping it helped fit the timeline etc to drop the car there.

 

[PaulR]

What amazes me is that she was able to drive through a densely populated area and park inconspicuously while not being able to make sense nor call out for help.

Think of all the drunk drivers who manage to get home every night somehow without killing themselves or anyone else.

 

[Seattle1]

Random question but does anyone know how long toxicology takes to come back? I had read in a completely different story that toxicology takes awhile to come back. I didn’t understand why. If a blood test is done for a driving under the influence for instance the results don’t take that long.

I did hear in the video news clip below that the Santa Clara County Coroner's office will be determining the cause of death. Locals may know more about this county office, and the typical or average timeline.

Body found in San Jose neighborhood where Utah-based CEO went missing

 

[Independent Investigator]

It usually takes 3-4 weeks. Salt Lake City corners office took that long to get my cousins daughter’s toxicology report.

 

[kittythehare]

@kittythehare MDMA, yep, was thinking that.

I think she may have got in back of car when she ran out of gas (we await to see if the car's tank was indeed empty) and given the effects she was under, and it would have been dark by then, decided to sleep it off.

Again, no evidence she ingested any drug at all.
Another possibility could be a meningitis... high temperature.. confusion...
If any of those illnesses she would have required immediate hospitalisation.
It's not clear what her estimated time of death is. Nor is it clear whether any further information will be publicly released. That is understandable too.

 

[Seattle1]

I am new here since this case started so if I’m breaking rules or not doing things right, someone please let me know!!

The other concerning thing is if SJPD is really so seriously understaffed and already feels that no foul play was involved, will it be overlooked if there was? I’ve also heard theories (only theories) that perhaps she hadn’t been there for 5 days but once the media released the last cell phone ping it helped fit the timeline etc to drop the car there.

Welcome to WS @Blonde_AF and glad you joined us.

To my knowledge - EV's last "live sighting" was confirmed in Palo Alto, CA on Monday afternoon. I believe it was around 2pm, when she had a late check out from her hotel.

I've seen no reports stating her car was ever spotted, or that she was seen in San Jose before vehicle located with her body. I'm sure investigators are probably going through surveillance, now that they have a death investigation.

There was a neighbor (lived on the street) on news last night who said she saw the vehicle but I don't recall her saying how long it had been there.

No confirmation the car was there for 5 days that I'm aware of.

 

[afitzy]

In looking for alternative explanations other than illegal substances, I came across this information about the presence of West Nile in San Jose. It was a serious enough concern that it looks like extensive spraying/fogging had been done fairly recently in Santa Clara County in late July.

The impact of some of these infected mosquitoes can be deadly. In CT, I believe 3 people have died of EEE infection (not West Nile but another potentially deadly disease). There have been a total of 12 human cases of EEE infection in Massachusetts, including three fatalities, and three human cases in Rhode Island, including one fatality.

We have the statements from the family that what they experienced on the phone from EV was out of character and I respect them and their knowledge of the victim in this case and absent a toxicology report, which depending on the substances tested for could take up to 6-8 weeks in a busy lab, I am unwilling to speculate on the possible impact of illegal substances.

West Nile Virus Positive Mosquitoes Detected in San José and Campbell - County News - County of Santa Clara
West Nile Virus - Vector Control District - County of Santa Clara

Quotes from Bulletin:

The Santa Clara County Vector Control District (SCCvcd) has confirmed that adult mosquitoes collected from the 95117, 95128, 95008, 95050 ZIP code areas of the cities of San José and Campbell have tested positive for West Nile virus (WNV). The detection of mosquitoes infected with WNV has prompted the scheduling of a mosquito fogging treatment in the surrounding areas in an effort to prevent human cases of WNV. Weather permitting, the ground fogging operations are scheduled for 11 p.m. on Thursday, July 21, and will conclude a few hours later.

Health Effects of West Nile Virus
Since the arrival of WNV to California in 2003, 5,588 people across the State have contracted the disease; 229 of those cases were fatal. 2015 was a record year for fatalities in the state with 53 deaths.

WNV infection does not cause symptoms in most people, but in some individuals it can cause fever, headache, body aches, and in severe cases, significant neurological damage or death. Adults older than 50 years and individuals with certain chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, and kidney disease are most at risk for serious complications.

 

[SAMS]

Dragging my husband around would give me one more thing to worry about...

Im Done!

 

[SAMS]

Maybe, in her mind, she was making sense. Maybe she believed that the GPS was broken and she was fine. Maybe she thought the people she was talking to were not making sense. Maybe she didn't realize that 8 hours were gone because she was mentally racing. Maybe she took some kind of drug for whatever reason and didn't want anyone to know. Maybe she assumed that she could sleep it off and all would be well.

This makes me sad.

 

[kittythehare]

Welcome to WS @Blonde_AF and glad you joined us.

To my knowledge - EV's last "live sighting" was confirmed in Palo Alto, CA on Monday afternoon. I believe it was around 2pm, when she had a late check out from her hotel.

I've seen no reports stating her car was ever spotted, or that she was seen in San Jose before vehicle located with her body. I'm sure investigators are probably going through surveillance, now that they have a death investigation.

There was a neighbor (lived on the street) on news last night who said she saw the vehicle but I don't recall her saying how long it had been there.

No confirmation the car was there for 5 days that I'm aware of.

I'm wondering at the late checkout,was it a pre-arranged late checkout or did she oversleep?
It may be something of no consequence but struck me all the same?

 

[katydid23]

Can kill if a bad batch, or if it was a first time and/or if she took more than she should, or simply had an adverse reaction. We have had a number of cases like this in UK, mainly with teens or 20s.

Yes, bad batches of ecstasy have killed young people at raves/concerts. It happened recently at the EDC concert. Electric Daisy Concert I believe it was called.

 

[otto]

Here's something I'm curious about. Her mother is a nurse. She called her mother when she was having difficulties finding her car. Her mom was so concerned about her that she stayed on the phone and continued to talk to her after she found her car. I wonder why she started driving to the airport if she wasn't making sense, or did she start to make sense so the phone call ended?

 

[MsBetsy]

But, with respect, those cases you cite didn't just go from normal to full on in less than 24 hours. They would have had little signs and symptoms manifesting in personality changes for maybe many months previously, perhaps imperceptible to only to those who knew them well. Erin, according to all those who were close to her, had not shown any signs whatsoever.

Yes, she apparently had not shown any signs before and had no history of mental health problems.

According to her family, however, she was showing signs of mania when they spoke to her on the phone throughout the evening. They believed she was in danger.

The question I replied to was just a general question as to whether or not people can suddenly develop symptoms similar to hers at age 33.

And in my opinion they can, and do experience symptoms for the first time later in life. There obviously has to be a first day at some point.
Even many people who are bipolar have reported experiencing only one manic episode in their lifetime. There are also medical conditions that can cause someone to suddenly have symptoms at any age.

We don't know yet what happened in this case. We don't know why she experienced what she did or what brought it on, at this point all we can do is speculate until we know the answers.

At least her family believes that whatever happened to her was out of the ordinary and unusual for her.

The real question is how did she die? What could have caused her death?

Imo

 

[Blonde_AF]

I'm wondering at the late checkout,was it a pre-arranged late checkout or did she oversleep?
It may be something of no consequence but struck me all the same?

Only my opinion the late checkout was pre arranged. Most hotels have an 11am or 12pm check out and her flight wasn’t until 6:40 pm at an airport about 25 miles away with traffic maybe up to an hour. Her husband seemed to be aware of the late check out on the Facebook page.

 

[Blonde_AF]

Here's something I'm curious about. Her mother is a nurse. She called her mother when she was having difficulties finding her car. Her mom was so concerned about her that she stayed on the phone and continued to talk to her after she found her car. I wonder why she started driving to the airport if she wasn't making sense, or did she start to make sense so the phone call ended?

Everything stated thus far suggests she made the decision to drive to the airport and family including mom already knew something was wrong. They actually called in a welfare check based on her behavior and an SJPD officer talked to her on the phone and agreed her behavior was erratic but was unable to locate her. Moms last call was I believe some where around midnight.

 

[otto]

Yes, she apparently had not shown any signs before and had no history of mental health problems.

According to her family, however, she was showing signs of mania when they spoke to her on the phone throughout the evening. They believed she was in danger.

The question I replied to was just a general question as to whether or not people can suddenly develop symptoms similar to hers at age 33.

And in my opinion they can, and do experience symptoms for the first time later in life. There obviously has to be a first day at some point.
Even many people who are bipolar have reported experiencing only one manic episode in their lifetime. There are also medical conditions that can cause someone to suddenly have symptoms at any age.

We don't know yet what happened in this case. We don't know why she experienced what she did or what brought it on, at this point all we can do is speculate until we know the answers.

At least her family believes that whatever happened to her was out of the ordinary and unusual for her.

The real question is how did she die? What could have caused her death?

Imo

That is the big question - how did she die. Her husband said that she "seemed manic" and that she has no mental illness. Whatever she was experiencing caused her death, so it has to be more than a psychotic break.

This is one reason that I wonder if she bumped her head and didn't know it (loss of consciousness and missing memory) or an adverse reaction to a combination of, for example, a prescription or over-the-counter drug with alcohol.

 

[Seattle1]

Family of missing tech executive calls off search, body found – East Bay Times

The San Jose Police Department reported finding a body inside a vehicle parked on the 6500 block of Bose Lane, only a half-mile from Valenti’s last known location, near Almaden Expressway and Camden Avenue. Records show that the San Jose Fire Department responded to a medical call at 3:56 p.m. near 6582 Bose Lane.

The name of the victim will be released after confirmation of their identity and notification next of kin, according to Sergeant Enrique Garcia. The Santa Clara County Coroner’s Office will identify the manner and cause of death.

[...]

Nothing seemed amiss until she called her parents about 3:30 p.m. on Monday after she met with a former colleague on Sand Hill Road, and said she couldn’t find her rental car. Once she found the car, she stayed on the phone with her parents, her conversation became bizarre.

[...]

“We talked to her for hours on and off” on Monday night, Valenti said. “Her thoughts were disconnected. She talked a mile a minute.

[...]

The family planned to hire someone on Saturday with a drone to search the rugged areas of Quicksilver Park in the Almaden Valley. On Friday, they reviewed security camera footage at gas stations and plastered missing fliers throughout Almaden, including the areas around Redmond and Camden avenues and Washoe Drive. Verizon Wireless picked up pings in that area on Monday.

[...]

Attempts to locate her through “find my phone” apps and other digital search tools were unsuccessful. During the phone calls with family members Monday night, Valenti said she was low on gas. With a request from the family, a San Jose police officer contacted Valenti by phone Monday night.

[...]

During her trip to California the week of Oct. 1, the couple spoke each night, he said, and everything was fine. She stayed at the Ritz Carlton in Laguna Beach for an executive leadership workshop called “Create the Powerful,” and on Thursday flew to San Jose and rented the Nissan. She drove to a tech conference in Monterey late in the week before returning last weekend to the Bay Area to reconnect with old friends and colleagues.

^^bbm

ETA:

So many questions beginning with former colleague on Sand Hill Road; Attendees at Laguna Beach and Monterey Conferences, and old friends and colleagues in Bay area. .....And hope all their questions are answered.