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

[otto]

That's the part I don't undestand. You get lost in an urban area and your GPS isn't working. Instead of stopping to ask for directions (though she might have done that as well) you drive around for several more hours, talking to your family and friends on the phone. Didn't her husband say that she appeared confused in her last exchanges? I think it was mentioned that they spoke with her in the afternoon as well. Did she sound normal then?

Even if the family suspects that she is voluntarily missing, they desperately want an official search so they may be inclined to portray her as acting out of character.

Everyone has been lost at some point in their lives. Most people eventually pull over and ask someone for help. Instead, the technology expert claimed that she couldn't figure out GPS mapping, couldn't figure out how to buy gas, couldn't follow signage to the airport, and couldn't use the built-in car phone charger. That's a lot of things to go wrong at the same time by accident.

 

[SAMS]

Her family was alarmed enough to ask whether she had been drinking or if anybody gave her "anything." MOO

Utah tech CEO goes missing on way to San Jose airport
Valenti's husband and parents say they all spoke to her by phone Monday and something wasn't right. They say she seemed manic, but has no history of mental illness.

"She seemed confused. We said, 'Did you drink anything? Did anybody give you anything?' and she said, 'No,'" her mother said, "But my daughter is so smart and she is such a strong independent lady and this has never happened before."

So she did answer “no”. But would she tell her mom if she had? She may not have wanted to alarm her even further. MOO EBM

 

[PommyMommy]

So she did answer “no”. But would she tell her mom if she had? She may not have wanted to alarm her even further. MOO EBM

I don't know. It's not even clear to me that it was her mother who asked her. MOO

 

[Knox]

Thank you...of course mom did. We know our children. Mother’s intuition was probably correct. IMO

I agree with you. Absent this being a MH issue, which everyone says would be a complete surprise. I'm going with a reaction to something she willingly, or unknowingly, ingested. I'll once again reference Karlie Guse, who supposedly only "smoked pot" with friends the night she began acting strangely.

It's the only thing that makes sense given what her loved ones are telling us.

 

[SAMS]

Since LE isn’t investigating this as a missing person case, yet, I wonder if the family could contact the hotel restaurant to have them check cameras from Monday night. (If there are any) To see if she was there and if so, was she with anyone or was anyone suspicious around? Not even sure they would do this without LE involvement. They need to start looking for this woman. MOO

 

[tabitha111]

Simple map from Nest Hotel (Palo Alto) to last known spot with final destination of San Jose Airport.

Wonder if she just took a wrong turn off of 280 while heading to the airport and couldn't figure out how to circle back OR perhaps took an exit to find gas if tank was low?

Google Maps

thanks for this very helpful map. I can see where she might have taken a right over the left towards the airport, especially if she was talking on the phone and was distracted at that point, and esp. if she was in a confused state. Sure there might be blatant signs, but I have missed lots of signs, especially at night when I am distracted by something. I try not talk on my cell when driving but I do find when I do, I do not notice the stuff around me very much...it is scary, so I try not to do it. I also noticed there is a place called the Sierra Azul Preserve close to where her phone last pinged. How close is this to that intersection? that is where I would def. look. Maybe she got out and started walking or even drove the car in there.

 

[Blonde_AF]

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."

I’ve seen two post one stating the last cellphone ping was around Vegas Dr and Menlo Im San Jose which is residential. Another saying between Camden and Almaden Expressway. Both are further south from the airport than where she would be.

 

[MissMalowe]

Did she have plans between checking out of the hotel and returning car/taking her return flight?

Is she the type who generally likes to arrive really early to the airport or just in time?

Does a late check-out at 2pm from the hotel support her usual behavior or should she have checked out earlier/later?

 

[Blonde_AF]

I wonder if once her phone died and she realized she had missed the airport, that maybe she went searching for a place to buy a phone charger.

Is it possible she was on 101, missed the turn off for the airport and then got funneled down to 87 which looks like it's headed towards where her last phone ping was.

It's been awhile since I was in San Jose.

I wonder if 87 would have picked up any license plate info on the bay areas Fast Track toll system. If you don’t have the toll box, it snaps a pic of your license plate.

 

[rosesfromangels]

This is where I would look for her, and would want to rule this area out first. It's between her last known location of Almaden/Camden, and the path leading to Hwy 101. I would look for her just off road. The McKean area has water. So Almaden/Camden to McKean to Bailey to 101.
Google Maps
Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[Blonde_AF]

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.

Can you check Vegas Dr and Menlo Dr area for the car parked in a residential or shopping center near there?

 

[Blonde_AF]

I hope the family sends drones up.

They have requested that on the missing Facebook page. They are looking for anyone with drones available.

 

[crhedBngr]

Following. Hoping and praying EV is found soon.

 

[MJPeony]

I

Can you check Vegas Dr and Menlo Dr area for the car parked in a residential or shopping center near there?

I think family did that yesterday but I’ll take a look. I’m heading that way now.

 

[Suglo]

They have requested that on the missing Facebook page. They are looking for anyone with drones available.

There’s a Facebook group called Wings of Mercy that is public. They have many drone volunteers all over North America that fly when people are missing. The family should get in touch with them ASAP to see if they have any drone operators in the area.

 

[Andreee]

You are awesome, thank you!!! Can't wait to hear your report.

Any bodies of water in the area you are going to drive thru? yes, we look forward to hearing back from you!

 

[PommyMommy]

I’ve seen two post one stating the last cellphone ping was around Vegas Dr and Menlo Im San Jose which is residential. Another saying between Camden and Almaden Expressway. Both are further south from the airport than where she would be.

They are the same general area - just described differently. See post below. MOO

Excellent!

Help Find Erin Valenti
Last known location was near Almaden Expressway and Camden Avenue in San Jose.

Erin Valenti missing: How Erin Valenti went missing
Last phone ping in San Jose around Vegas Drive and Menlo Street at 1 am.

(Basically, these are the same location: Google Maps)

 

[Andreee]

I agree with you. Absent this being a MH issue, which everyone says would be a complete surprise. I'm going with a reaction to something she willingly, or unknowingly, ingested. I'll once again reference Karlie Guse, who supposedly only "smoked pot" with friends the night she began acting strangely.

It's the only thing that makes sense given what her loved ones are telling us.

We've seen a number of other cases where a person is travelling solo and for some reason or another gets into a confused and dazed state, talking to family on phone, and becoming missing, and it is a real mystery sometimes!

 

[Mountain Misst]

IMO, if there has been erratic conversations (as reported on SM), then Erin's cellphone could well have been off-loaded by her in frustration; perhaps even mid-afternoon on 7 October and Erin is not to be found in the area of the phone ping.
I'd be suggesting that all dumpsters and trash in that area be checked in an effort to locate her phone.

 

[interestedincases]

I’m not able to look at any maps at the moment, but this reminds me so much of the case of my friends aunt that we had going on here. Same thing, stopped at a gas station to ask for directions, she was confused and disoriented also, it was late, and never heard from again. It ends up she crashed, she went off the side of a cliff and her car was upside down in the river below. The family rented a plane to fly over and never spotted the car. Since it was upside down, the dark underneath blended into the river. Months and months later kids walking the banks of the river found her bag with personal info and she was finally recovered.

Are there any bodies of water around the area EV was lost in? It’s the only reason I can imagine the car hasn’t been found (if it’s not voluntary). Well, not the only reason, but a good reason.