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

[otto]

True, unless she left it at the hotel, or in a manic state she forgot it was in her luggage or something like that.

I know I've driven all the way back home before for my laptop and badge, and it was in my vehicle the whole time!

My vehicle is a 2020 and there's a charging station. I just put the phone in it and it charges without any type of plug-in cable. It automatically connects to hands-free use. Furthermore, a tech person should normally check that she had all her tech stuff when she got in the car.

I can't think of any reason why her phone battery would not be fully charged if she was driving.

 

[rosesfromangels]

Yeah


, I understand, just trying to think what might cause me to veer way off course like that when traveling. If I knew the flight was a bust, in a strange city, and my phone was about to die and I had no way to charge it, that might be my first priority.

Apparently the GPS in her car wasn't working or she couldn't figure it out. If you look at the map I posted upthread, it's clear her intent *was* to get to the airport, but instead of turning L on 87, she turned R. I know that exchange and it *is* very confusing.

That Almaden/Camden cross section is known to be very hazardous. However, there would be reports of any accidents, unless she has gone down an embankment unspotted (which seems highly unlikely given the dense population in that area).

*However*, and oddly enough, I personally went off an embankment in that area about 20 years ago with *lots* of traffic around me (hit by a careening drunk driver), and was in my car upside down off the embankment until *ONE* good soul got off at the next exit, circled back, and came to find me. One. The freeway was packed with cars that given night, only one cared enough to help. So you never know.

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[azure]

It's absolutely shocking that they haven't found the car yet. I literally cannot believe that the rental company doesn't have any sort of tracking device in their 2020 rentals. Even without it, it's such a populous area that if the car were disabled in any way, it would have been found and towed by now. Either the car is hiding in plain sight in a crowded parking lot, or it's in water. It doesn't seem like she had enough gas to get out of the metro so those are the only options I can think of.

 

[SAMS]

Interesting post on July 4

Erin Valenti on Instagram: “Packing light as per usual. If I’m not back by 7am on Monday. Forget about me. I died.”

What in the world?

 

[otto]

Although I'm sure that the same is probably true for the 2020 model, I just wanted to point out that that is what she was driving . MOO

Utah woman failed to return home from California, reported missing
The Utah native was last seen driving a gray 2020 Nissan Murano with the California license plate 8LUD641.

Thanks. I wanted to check the earlier years, as that gives an indication of whether charging stations and ports are a standard feature in the 2020 model. Since she could charge her phone in her car and could use the phone non-stop while driving without depleting the battery, if her car stopped working, why couldn't she call the rental agency or someone else for assistance?

 

[Seattle1]

Question: If EV's last verified live sighting was in Palo Alto, CA - why wasn't she reported missing with PA Police Dept?

Palo Alto Police‏Verified account @PaloAltoPolice
Palo Alto Police Retweeted Palo Alto Police

Good news: The missing person has been safely located in Palo Alto. Thanks for your help in keeping an eye out for him!

Palo Alto Police added,

Palo Alto PoliceVerified account @PaloAltoPolice
Have you seen this missing man? He was last seen on foot in #PaloAlto at 2:20 p.m. He is 84 years old and walks with a slouch. He's wearing a white sweater, black pants, and dark shoes. If you spot him, pls call us so we can get him home. Info: …
7:16 PM - 5 Oct 2019 from City of Palo Alto

 

[Knox]

What is a Silver Alert?

The purpose of the Silver Alert program is to establish a quick response system designed to issue and coordinate alerts following the unexplained or suspicious disappearance of an elderly person, or a person who is developmentally disabled or cognitively impaired. The goal of a Silver Alert is to provide immediate information to the public about the missing person, including images or descriptions and the time and location last seen to speed the process to locate the person and return them to safety.


Silver Alert Criteria


In accordance with Government Code 8594.10, the Silver Alert system will be coordinated by the California Highway Patrol. Upon activation of a Silver Alert, the California Highway Patrol will assist the investigating law enforcement agency by activating changeable message signs, issuing be-on-the-lookout alerts, sending Emergency Digital Information Service Messages and posting electronic flyers.

A Silver Alert will not be initiated by the California Highway Patrol unless it meets all the following criteria:

• The missing person is 65 years of age or older, developmentally disabled or cognitively impaired.
  
  
• The investigating agency has utilized all available local resources.
  
  
• The law enforcement agency determines that the person has gone missing under unexplained or suspicious circumstances.
  

• The law enforcement agency believes that the person is in danger because of age, health, mental or physical disability, environment or weather conditions, that the person is in the company of a potentially dangerous person, or that there are other factors indicating that the person may be in peril.
  
  
• There is information available that, if disseminated to the public, could assist in the safe recovery of the missing person.
  

California Highway Patrol Resources

• Be-On-The-Lookout (BOLO) BOLOs will be issued/broadcast by CHP Communication Centers to CHP personnel located in the affected areas. BOLOs will contain suspect, victim, and vehicle information, if available.
  
  
• Emergency Digital Information Service provides local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies with a direct computer link to media outlets and other law enforcement agencies. Standard EDIS text messages can be sent via the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (CLETS).
  
  
• APBnet This is an image-based system linking state, county, and local law enforcement. APBnet can capture and immediately distribute color photographs and images to law enforcement agencies, the media, and other organizations. The system can also forward information via fax to businesses, hospitals, schools, the media, and agencies without an APBnet system.
  

Silver Alert

 

[Vail]

A few things I notice in checking out the area her phone last pinged:

1. There s a venture tech company called Access Consolidated Tech right there. Could just be a coincidence, or she could know someone there as it happens to be in her sector. Access Consolidated Technologies, Inc.
2. On the corner of the interection is a 76 gas station, hopefully footage was available/asked for
3. She had already missed her flight, what if she chose to drive back to SLC?

 

[PommyMommy]

Thanks. I wanted to check the earlier years, as that gives an indication of whether charging stations and ports are a standard feature in the 2020 model. Since she could charge her phone in her car and could use the phone non-stop while driving without depleting the battery, if her car stopped working, why couldn't she call the rental agency or someone else for assistance?

She was disoriented and confused. Her family questioned whether she had been drinking or if someone could have slipped her drugs.

She told her mother that the GPS wasn't working. Her husband said she was low on gas and there were no charges for gas on her debit/credit cards.

We don't know if she had a cord to charge her phone. You would think so, but the phone went dead, so...?

There are a variety of things in play here. MOO

ETA: Also "distraught"

Utah tech CEO reported missing in San Francisco Bay Area
Valenti's family disagrees and says the CEO seemed to be distraught on the night she went missing.

 

[Knox]

I don't understand why SJPD won't issue a Silver Alert? The circumstances of Erin's MP case seem to clearly indicate it qualifies, IMO.

Wondering if she had made any ATM withdrawals in the previous days and if she had cash. If so, she may have purchased gas and like Vail mused, thought she would drive back to SLC. In her state of mind, we would should consider this. So should the search net be widened? That's why the Silver Alert is necessary. She could have headed south down 101 towards the Central Coast (that's where I live), so many possibilities!

 

[katydid23]

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

Yeah, I grew up in Palo Alto/Los Altos. You can't miss the exits to the SJ airport. Something else was going on with her if she missed the exit. Huge signs on the fwy.

ETA: Just saw Peony's post--I had assumed 101. But 280 would have made it more difficult to know which exit to take.

Although I dont know why she wasn't using Waze or something on her phone.

 

[PommyMommy]

I don't understand why SJPD won't issue a Silver Alert? The circumstances of Erin's MP case seem to clearly indicate it qualifies, IMO.

Wondering if she had made any ATM withdrawals in the previous days and if she had cash. If so, she may have purchased gas and like Vail mused, thought she would drive back to SLC. In her state of mind, we would should consider this. So should the search net be widened? That's why the Silver Alert is necessary. She could have headed south down 101 towards the Central Coast (that's where I live), so many possibilities!

I thought about that too - her using cash - but her husband said she rarely did that. I am all for the Silver Alert! (And, maybe we'll see that soon.) MOO

 

[otto]

She was disoriented and confused. Her family questioned whether she had been drinking or if someone could have slipped her drugs.

She told her mother that the GPS wasn't working. Her husband said she was low on gas and there were no charges for gas on her debit/credit cards.

We don't know if she had a cord to charge her phone. You would think so, but the phone went dead, so...?

There are a variety of things in play here. MOO

Turning off the phone and a dead battery give the same result. We don't know that the battery was dead. The GPS wasn't working, or she was unable to follow the GPS directions? Does the GPS work for everyone else who uses it in that area or is the mapping of that area completely messed up? Low on gas should mean that the vehicle is near the area where she last spoke to him. How many technology experts fail to ensure that they have a phone cord when they need it - at the time that they enter the vehicle?

What we have to believe is that:

• the technology expert did not know how to, or think to, charge her phone when she got in the car
• GPS mapping in the area works - but not for her
• she was low on gas and did not buy gas
• her car has not been found in the area where she was low on gas
• her phone stopped working and may have been turned off
• when she spoke to family she sounded confused - presumably because she was stressed and lost

 

[Knox]

I thought about that too - her using cash - but her husband said she rarely did that. I am all for the Silver Alert! (And, maybe we'll see that soon.) MOO

Yes, this is attracting a lot of media/social media attention now. The pressure for a SA should produce results soon, hoping anyway!

 

[katydid23]

She was disoriented and confused. Her family questioned whether she had been drinking or if someone could have slipped her drugs.

She told her mother that the GPS wasn't working. Her husband said she was low on gas and there were no charges for gas on her debit/credit cards.

We don't know if she had a cord to charge her phone. You would think so, but the phone went dead, so...?

There are a variety of things in play here. MOO

ETA: Also "distraught"

Utah tech CEO reported missing in San Francisco Bay Area
Valenti's family disagrees and says the CEO seemed to be distraught on the night she went missing.

One other possibility. We don't know who she last met with. But could she have taken or been given or slipped, some edibles? Edible THC products are very big in the Bay Area. And they affect everyone differently. They can produce mania.

 

[MJPeony]

I don't understand why SJPD won't issue a Silver Alert? The circumstances of Erin's MP case seem to clearly indicate it qualifies, IMO.

Wondering if she had made any ATM withdrawals in the previous days and if she had cash. If so, she may have purchased gas and like Vail mused, thought she would drive back to SLC. In her state of mind, we would should consider this. So should the search net be widened? That's why the Silver Alert is necessary. She could have headed south down 101 towards the Central Coast (that's where I live), so many possibilities!

If we consider she could’ve set out to SLC in her car because she’d already missed the flight, then yeah the search area becomes a whole different ballgame. I think it’s possible. Although she’d have had to get gas. And no charges have been found. So she’d have had to pay cash for the gas, and that seems odd to me considering she almost certainly would have had her credit card(s).

I’m going to be down that way this afternoon, so I’m going to tool around and look a bit. I think I’m going to take 85 from 280 and head that way into the Almaden area. I think if she took 280 and was disoriented she could have accidentally turned onto 85 instead of continuing 280 to take 17 to the airport. 85 would take her directly to the area she last pinged.

Not entirely sure what I’ll be looking for, other than her car of course. But driving around there may give me some ideas.

I’ll report back.

 

[PommyMommy]

Turning off the phone and a dead battery give the same result. We don't know that the battery was dead. The GPS wasn't working, or she was unable to follow the GPS directions? Does the GPS work for everyone else who uses it in that area or is the mapping of that area completely messed up? Low on gas should mean that the vehicle is near the area where she last spoke to him. How many technology experts fail to ensure that they have a phone cord when they need it - at the time that they enter the vehicle?

What we have to believe is that:

• the technology expert did not know how to, or think to, charge her phone when she got in the car
• GPS mapping in the area works - but not for her
• she was low on gas and did not buy gas
• her car has not been found in the area where she was low on gas
• her phone stopped working and may have been turned off
• when she spoke to family she sounded confused - presumably because she was stressed and lost

I understand what you're saying, Otto. One would expect a tech-savvy individual to have a phone cord. Her mother said she is always on her phone which makes the possibility that she didn't have one even more curious. But, I still have to consider it a possibility as she has been described as disoriented, confused, distraught and not her normal self.

I trust the opinions of her husband and her mother that there was more going on than just the stress of being lost. MOO

 

[Steelslady]

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."

Years ago, an old friend of mine had a manic episode after smoking pot- it was laced with something- angel dust was it? I never smoked it, so i might have the wrong term, sorry. What happened afterwards was just awful for him and his family. Let's just say, very confused and ended up in a mental hospital for a couple of weeks. Great guy and we're still in touch all these years later. He was home at the time he smoked it and then drove to meet his family at a gathering- how he got there and remembered to go, is a mystery, because shortly after, strange things came out of his mouth verbally and actions way out there for him.

Just wondering if something like this could have happened to Erin.

I'd like to know who was the very last person to see her- hotel clerk checking out? Friend? Acquaintance through a friend or co-workers?

 

[PommyMommy]

If we consider she could’ve set out to SLC in her car because she’d already missed the flight, then yeah the search area becomes a whole different ballgame. I think it’s possible. Although she’d have had to get gas. And no charges have been found. So she’d have had to pay cash for the gas, and that seems odd to me considering she almost certainly would have had her credit card(s).

I’m going to be down that way this afternoon, so I’m going to tool around and look a bit. I think I’m going to take 85 from 280 and head that way into the Almaden area. I think if she took 280 and was disoriented she could have accidentally turned onto 85 instead of continuing 280 to take 17 to the airport. 85 would take her directly to the area she last pinged.

Not entirely sure what I’ll be looking for, other than her car of course. But driving around there may give me some ideas.

I’ll report back.

Thank you for doing this. I would be right behind you if I was there! So concerned about EV and frustrated that LE isn't looking for her. MOO

 

[Steelslady]

If we consider she could’ve set out to SLC in her car because she’d already missed the flight, then yeah the search area becomes a whole different ballgame. I think it’s possible. Although she’d have had to get gas. And no charges have been found. So she’d have had to pay cash for the gas, and that seems odd to me considering she almost certainly would have had her credit card(s).

I’m going to be down that way this afternoon, so I’m going to tool around and look a bit. I think I’m going to take 85 from 280 and head that way into the Almaden area. I think if she took 280 and was disoriented she could have accidentally turned onto 85 instead of continuing 280 to take 17 to the airport. 85 would take her directly to the area she last pinged.

Not entirely sure what I’ll be looking for, other than her car of course. But driving around there may give me some ideas.

I’ll report back.

Thank you for doing this. Even if you don't find her or her car, at least that area can be ruled out for now.