The South Carolina personal trainer who vanished into the woods this week was acting "paranoid" and feared for her life ... at least according to a close friend.
Sondra Campbell -- who says she was a longtime pal of Elena Katherine Moore -- tells TMZ ... they were at brunch May 31 when Elena's behavior raised red flags.
We're told Elena was acting abnormally during the outing ... frequently getting up from her seat and looking around and out the window as if she was keeping an eye out for someone.
Sondra tells us she didn't say anything because she isn't close with the other girls, but at the end of the brunch, she says Elena opened up to her as they hugged goodbye. She claims Elena told her she was "scared for her life" due to unspecified issues and would fill her in at a later time.
The cause of death for the Central Park carriage horse that collapsed in front of horrified onlookers has officially been revealed ... and investigators say a toxic plant is to blame.
According to a report released Tuesday by the Transport Workers Union of America, the horse stopped during a ride near East 90th Street in Manhattan and ate part of a Japanese yew shrub ... an ornamental plant known to be highly toxic and often fatal to horses.
The union cited findings from the horse's necropsy report, arguing the death was not the result of mistreatment ... pushing back against renewed calls to ban carriage horses in New York City.
A Florida couple who gave birth through IVF were shocked to learn the baby isn't genetically theirs ... but they still want to be her mother and father ... and they've struck a deal with the biological parents.
Here's the deal ... Tiffany Score and Steven Mills are suing Fertility Center of Orlando for allegedly implanting the wrong embryo. Tiffany gave birth to Shea Score Mills, who doesn't look like her or Steven.
Tiffany and Steven have finally reached a custody agreement with their daughter's biological parents, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE ... six months after Tiffany gave birth. The filing says Tiffany and Steven retain their rights to continue as Shea's permanent custodial parents.
The person killed in the tragic Texas plane crash has been identified ... and he's even being honored by folks at the highest reaches of government.
Joshua Baer -- a prominent tech and finance mogul who has been called the godfather of Austin, Texas' startup scene -- died in Tuesday night's crash, according to multiple reports.
Joshua was the founder of Capital Factory ... a startup accelerator and investment group, which injected life into Texas' economy by bringing in and nurturing multiple businesses over the last two decades.
The Gilgo Beach serial killer, Rex Heuermann, will be spending the rest of his life behind bars.
The judge sentenced Heuermann to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Wednesday, calling him a "disgusting and despicable man," according to multiple reports.
The judge addressed Heuermann directly during sentencing, telling him straight up ... "You're a coward." According to PEOPLE, he then ordered the killer be removed from court, saying ... "Get him out of here."
Luigi Mangione wants to mount a seldom-used defense in his murder trial -- Extreme Emotional Disturbance -- and if the jury buys it, Mangione could become a free man one day.
Mangione appeared in court Wednesday with his lawyers, who informed the judge he will use the defense when he goes on trial for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
What's fascinating ... the defense would allow Mangione and his lawyers to effectively put UnitedHealthCare on trial, showing the company's conduct in denying claims was so egregious it upset Mangione to the point of meltdown. As TMZ has extensively reported, Mangione was extremely upset with the way corporate greed controlled the United States.
A federal judge accused of having sex inside a courthouse and attending a political event tied to Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis is stepping aside from a major Georgia election case.
U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross filed an order Monday recusing herself after lawmakers pushed for her impeachment and the Department of Justice sought her removal from the case -- a lawsuit the DOJ filed against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
As we reported ... judicial investigation found Ross had sex with a high-ranking police officer inside the courthouse, attended a partisan event linked to Willis, and initially denied aspects of the misconduct when confronted.
A private jet carrying six passengers crashed Tuesday night on a highway in Texas, killing one person and triggering a massive rescue operation, according to police.
The fiery disaster was captured through multiple videos ... including one showing the plane slamming down on a highway.
WATCH: Moment plane crashes onto highway in Laredo, Texas, killing one onboard.
Five others onboard were injured, in addition to five police officers who were transported to the hospital for smoke inhalation.
As seen in one of the angles captured via dashcam ... a car is driving down the highway in Laredo while filming the plane flying low in the near distance. It's a bit hard to see at first, but suddenly, the plane drops down from the sky and crashes on the other side of the highway with what appears to be flames shooting up.
Texas officials say they're still gathering facts about Tuesday night's private jet crash, which resulted in one person's death.
Several officials and representatives of the Laredo Police Department providing updates Wednesday morning on the joint investigation between LPD and federal agencies.
Donald Trump says officials in Iran don't have a high opinion of one of his predecessors ... claiming some of them think Barack Obama's a "stupid son of a bitch."
POTUS made the shocking claim during the G7 Summit in Évian-les-Bains, France while sitting with Egypt's president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi ... insisting Obama never could've nailed down as good of a deal with Iran as he did, while railing against the deal Obama signed with Iran over a decade ago.
Trump mentioned a $1.7 billion cash payment the United States made to Iran back in early 2016 ... money which the administration insisted was not connected to the deal. Critics have often brought up the suspicious timing of the payments.
A personal trainer in South Carolina has gone missing ... eerily vanishing into the woods after she was done working out at the gym.
According to Lexington police ... Elena Katherine Moore has been missing since last Thursday ... when she was last seen leaving Planet Fitness just after 9 PM ... wandering into a nearby wooded area.
Authorities have searched the area on foot and with a drone ... and so far, nothing.
At the end of Tuesday's episode, "Love Island USA" aired a photo tribute to Barker, featuring pictures of the longtime producer with his partner, Adam Roth, as well as solo shots from throughout his life. RÜFÜS DU SOL's "Next to Me" played over the montage, which ended with the message ... "James Barker, We Love You."
We broke the story ... Barker died in Fiji after suffering what ITV America and Peacock described as an unexpected medical emergency while production on Season 8 was underway.
Meghan McCain is taking a flamethrower to her former co-hosts on "The View" ... unloading on the panel after their interview with Vice President J.D. Vance.
In a scorching X post Tuesday, the former co-host didn't hold back, saying her biggest takeaway from the interview was just how "sh**** and undisciplined the hosts STILL ARE."
Peep the all-caps message she wrote for emphasis ... making it crystal clear she doesn't think much has changed since her time at the table. And she was far from finished.
Lindsey Graham's about to shock you ... not with something he says, but with his physical prowess ... breaking down UFC Freedom 250 while he's on the climb.
Charlie got Senator Graham in a tricky moment for any 70-year-old ... or so you would think. He asked Lindsey what he thought of the competition at UFC 250 just as they started climbing up a long flight of stairs.
Here's the thing ... LG's obviously been getting in his steps, because even as he commends the "very athletic" fighters for their impressive displays in the Octagon, he is going step after step after step like some cardio master!
Tyler Brodsky went viral for trying to help his young girls in a gas station bathroom when another dude lost his mind and called the freaking cops ... and now the dad's hoping the ridiculous situation starts a larger conversation.
Here's the deal ... Tyler started filming an irate customer when the man confronted him in an Alabama QuikTrip gas station because the dude's wife needed to use the bathroom, and he was livid when she told him a man was in the ladies' room.
Tyler tells TMZ ... he's shocked the video went viral ... but the situation is one many solo girl dads find themselves in when the little ladies need to do their business. And he makes it clear to us ... the bathroom was empty when the three went in. So, WTF?!
A woman wanted in connection with a violent kidnapping investigation near the home of Savannah Guthrie's missing mom, Nancy Guthrie, has been arrested in Arizona.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department says 40-year-old Coral Michelle Smith was taken into custody Monday on an active arrest warrant tied to a May aggravated assault and kidnapping case.
According to authorities, Smith allegedly assaulted a woman who later died from her injuries. Detectives say the investigation remains ongoing.
