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

[SAMS]

Well the fact there is a Casino Matrix *right next* to the airport seems rather coincidental...?

Could she have went into the casino? Hence, “I’m in the Matrix?” MOO

 

[claudianunes]

Is Utah a booming tech area these days? Where is she from exactly? Where is her family from, where did she grew up?

 

[PommyMommy]

See snips below from article (emphasis added, mine) - which says a police officer contacted her by phone Monday night and found her to be disoriented. Sounds like there is definitely interest by PD behind the scenes.
Also, friends and family conveying some specific comments she made during the disjointed phone calls, and that her problems seemed to commence after meeting with a "colleague." I sure would want to speak with that colleague and find out more about that encounter! I'm tending more toward the possibility she was given or took something that induced this episode.
It also gives info on what is happening with regard to areas searched, planned to search over the weekend, etc.

Sure hope she is found very soon in good condition!

My apologies if I post more from this article than I should - I found it very informative...

Tech exec who told family “We’re in the Matrix” still missing – East Bay Times

Tech exec who told family “we’re in the Matrix” still missing
...
Relatives continued their frantic search Saturday for a missing young tech executive who they said apparently suffered a manic episode early in the week, telling them in a string of bizarre phone calls that “it’s all a game, it’s a thought experiment, we’re in the Matrix.”
...
“We talked to her for hours on and off” on Monday night, Valenti said. “Her thoughts were disconnected. She talked a mile a minute. She’d say I’m coming home for Thanksgiving, then in the next she was saying she’s in the Matrix,” a reference to a science fiction movie about a virtual reality world.
...
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 have been 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.
“The officer said she wasn’t making any sense. They drove around looking for her on Monday night and never found her,” Valenti’s husband, Harrison Weinstein, said.

When reached by email Saturday, San Jose Police Sgt. Enrique Garcia didn’t explain the department’s approach to the case, saying only that “we are not sharing additional information about the investigation at this time.”...
...
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.

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.
...

@PaulR, according to this article her phone carrier was Verizon.

Tech exec who told family “We’re in the Matrix” still missing – East Bay Times
Verizon Wireless picked up pings in that area on Monday.

 

[rosesfromangels]

Could she have went into the casino? Hence, “I’m in the Matrix?” MOO

I alerted the family via the FB page about this casino. At minimum, I would ask them to screen security footage to see if she was there.

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[crhedBngr]

The fact that she says "We're in the Matrix" indicates there is someone with her, or maybe just a symptom of some psychotic break...Schizophrenia? (Although she does not fit the stereotype....Multiple personality disorder? Even Bi-polar could probably present that way?....I don't know...I'm obviously not a physician.) ETA: We're=plural

I wonder if she's referring to the film called "The Matrix", with Keanu Reeves. Could be an expression of speech that EV picked up and liked after watching this movie.

And, yes, she could have gone into Casino Matrix. If so, the casino's cameras hopefully caught her going in.

JMVHO.

 

[FlamingoLady]

I wonder if she's referring to the film called "The Matrix", with Keanu Reeves. Could be an expression of speech that EV picked up and liked after watching this movie.

JMVHO.

Could very well be referring to the film...or the casino next to the airport called The Matrix. I was mostly zeroing in on the "We're" in the Matrix, as opposed to the "I'm" in the Matrix.

 

[rosesfromangels]

I wonder if she's referring to the film called "The Matrix", with Keanu Reeves. Could be an expression of speech that EV picked up and liked after watching this movie.

JMVHO.

That seems to be the general opinion, but I pointed out that “coincidentally” there is a very popular casino of that name right next to the airport.

 

[otto]

See snips below from article (emphasis added, mine) - which says a police officer contacted her by phone Monday night and found her to be disoriented. Sounds like there is definitely interest by PD behind the scenes.
Also, friends and family conveying some specific comments she made during the disjointed phone calls, and that her problems seemed to commence after meeting with a "colleague." I sure would want to speak with that colleague and find out more about that encounter! I'm tending more toward the possibility she was given or took something that induced this episode.
It also gives info on what is happening with regard to areas searched, planned to search over the weekend, etc.

Sure hope she is found very soon in good condition!

My apologies if I post more from this article than I should - I found it very informative...

Tech exec who told family “We’re in the Matrix” still missing – East Bay Times

Tech exec who told family “we’re in the Matrix” still missing
...
Relatives continued their frantic search Saturday for a missing young tech executive who they said apparently suffered a manic episode early in the week, telling them in a string of bizarre phone calls that “it’s all a game, it’s a thought experiment, we’re in the Matrix.”
...
“We talked to her for hours on and off” on Monday night, Valenti said. “Her thoughts were disconnected. She talked a mile a minute. She’d say I’m coming home for Thanksgiving, then in the next she was saying she’s in the Matrix,” a reference to a science fiction movie about a virtual reality world.
...
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 have been 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.
“The officer said she wasn’t making any sense. They drove around looking for her on Monday night and never found her,” Valenti’s husband, Harrison Weinstein, said.

When reached by email Saturday, San Jose Police Sgt. Enrique Garcia didn’t explain the department’s approach to the case, saying only that “we are not sharing additional information about the investigation at this time.”...
...
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.

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.
...

That sounds rather serious!

I'm looking for input to understand the big picture. Are these the correct locations? Can we add some times? When was the last contact by phone, when did the phone stop working? Was the flight at 6:30PM?

 

[SAMS]

I alerted the family via the FB page about this casino. At minimum, I would ask them to screen security footage to see if she was there.

Amateur opinion and speculation

Good. She could’ve went in disoriented and/or drugged (or intoxicated) and was lost and met with foul play. One of the many possibilities here. MOO

 

[FlamingoLady]

Does anyone else find it odd that the family was able to get a police officer to speak with EV on the phone Monday night, who then said she was acting disoriented, but still the case is being considered a "voluntary missing"? I mean, how do you even get a cop to call your wife? And then what....? "Oh, yep. She sounds disoriented. Ok bye."???That whole scenario sounds weird to me. IMO

 

[crhedBngr]

That sounds rather serious!

I'm looking for input to understand the big picture. Are these the correct locations? Can we add some times? When was the last contact by phone, when did the phone stop working? Was the flight at 6:30PM?

View attachment 208776

I believe the flight was at 6:40 p.m. Her husband posted this on the Help Find Erin Valenti page.

ETA: Here's an MSM link that references the flight.

Tech exec who told family “We’re in the Matrix” still missing – East Bay Times

 

[MJPeony]

Ok, I’ve made my rounds down in the Almaden area. Not at my computer but a quick rundown of my observations until I can post some pictures later-

Based on my other activities today I took 280 to 85 to the location of her last ping (Vegas and Menlo) and poked around that area. Unfortunately I did not/do not have time to take 85 farther south to then go up 101 like Rosesfromangels suggested (although that is a good idea).

The area of last ping is a little neighborhood (Sunrise Almaden) right next to the Boulder Creek golf club and Almaden Lake Regional Park as you can see on map. Sunrise Almaden neighborhood looked quiet. Meandering little curvy streets and no reason to turn into it really. My guess is she turned in to the neighborhood so she could turn back and go back north on Almaden Expwy to try to get to airport. But just my hunch having driven around down there.

There are a couple of trailheads in the hills there in the Boulder Creek golf club area near her last ping. I drove into that nature area and could see lots of little paths. I printed out some missing flyers before I headed out- so I put one at the trailhead near the supposed ping. There were no other fliers for her.

I also turned into the Almaden Lake Regional Park and put a flier at one of the trailhead entrances right along the lake. Again, no other fliers for her. I did see a missing cat flier however... which was somehow a bit frustrating.

I also looked around some more remote looking parking lots there on Almaden Expwy. And I stopped at the two 76 gas stations nearby and gave them a flier. Neither gas stations had any fliers for EV, and neither of the attendant guys who I spoke had heard about her. The Chevron station near her ping is closed/under construction by the way.

I looked up for drones while I was out and didn’t see any.

So that’s my very brief summary while I’m still out. Will try to upload some pics and more thoughts later.

My general takeaway (besides being sad I saw no posters for her whatsoever) is that she turned into that ”neighborhood of the ping” to turn around- maybe because she could see her phone battery was about to go out. I kept asking myself “if I were in this location and my phone battery died, and I still wanted to get to SJC what would I personally do?”, and I decided I would likely go back the way I’d just come. Which IMO would likely have been back up Almaden Expwy. And then I think Rosesfromangels idea could be her next turn. Or she could have gone north, or really anywhere at that point.

Just a quick update. Wish it were more helpful!

MOO

 

[SAMS]

Could very well be referring to the film...or the casino next to the airport called The Matrix. I was mostly zeroing in on the "We're" in the Matrix, as opposed to the "I'm" in the Matrix.

Tech exec who told family “We’re in the Matrix” still missing – East Bay Times

“We talked to her for hours on and off” on Monday night, Valenti said. “Her thoughts were disconnected. She talked a mile a minute. She’d say I’m coming home for Thanksgiving, then in the next she was saying she’s in the Matrix,” a reference to a science fiction movie about a virtual reality world.”

Now in this article mom says “she” instead of “we”. So who knows? Lol.

 

[rosesfromangels]

Does anyone else find it odd that the family was able to get a police officer to speak with EV on the phone Monday night, who then said she was acting disoriented, but still the case is being considered a "voluntary missing"? I mean, how do you even get a cop to call your wife? And then what....? "Oh, yep. She sounds disoriented. Ok bye."???That whole scenario sounds weird to me. IMO

It sounds like a "welfare check" request. Apparently they tried to find her but couldn't. It's good to know LE is there to help when they can.

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[SAMS]

Does anyone else find it odd that the family was able to get a police officer to speak with EV on the phone Monday night, who then said she was acting disoriented, but still the case is being considered a "voluntary missing"? I mean, how do you even get a cop to call your wife? And then what....? "Oh, yep. She sounds disoriented. Ok bye."???That whole scenario sounds weird to me. IMO

I find it very odd that with their actual knowledge of that call (one of their own officers made the call) they are still not calling this what it is, a missing persons investigation, not voluntary. MOO IMO ETC;

 

[FlamingoLady]

It sounds like a "welfare check" request. Apparently they tried to find her but couldn't. It's good to know LE is there to help when they can.

Amateur opinion and speculation

Yes, it does sound like a "welfare check". I've just never thought of one being done over the phone. And yes, I function under the premise that LE will always try to help when they can.

 

[Ontario Mom]

Looking at this through her lens as a technology expert, an App developer and an entrepreneur, would she throw her phone away because she got lost driving to the airport and missed a flight?

I wonder how she felt about the award - since she missed the event where she received the award.

Just based on her SM, this young lady could 100% be my own daughter. Both into tech, both heavily into SM, travel and networking. My answer to the idea of tossing the phone: NO. She likely kicked herself for not charging it but I seriously doubt she'd toss her device.
As for the award, I suspect she would have shown up to accept (again, networking in her field, the optics are everything) if she were able, no matter how she felt about the actual award.

 

[FlamingoLady]

I find it very odd that with their actual knowledge of that call (one of their own officers made the call) they are still not calling this what it is, a missing persons investigation, not voluntary. MOO IMO ETC;

Yes! This is what I'm getting at...

 

[CSIDreamer]

If she thought she was in the Matrix, not the casino, she may be hiding somewhere. Along with the car. I wonder if they checked the airport parking lot.

 

[crhedBngr]

If she thought she was in the Matrix, not the casino, she may be hiding somewhere. Along with the car. I wonder if they checked the airport parking lot.

Let's get that GPS fired up . . .