Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SAN JOSE — A missing Utah Tech CEO was found in San Jose, California Saturday, according to a family statement released Saturday evening. This statement came after other sources reported that the woman had been found dead.
"Erin has been found. Please call off the search," read the family's statement. "We all greatly appreciate the effort and support people have provided. The family will release more information as they are able to."
The statement came after KPIX reporter Maria Medina said that San Jose police had found Erin Valenti's body. Valenti's friends also confirmed with KSL that her body was found in a car that was parked on the street.
When asked to confirm whether they had found Erin, San Jose police said they were "conducting a death investigation in the 6500 block of Bose Lane in San Jose. A body was located inside a vehicle parked on the street."
Officials said the Santa Clara County coroner's office would officially release the identity once it was confirmed and family was notified. The cause and manner of the death are under investigation.
Valenti, 33, went missing on Monday afternoon in Palo Alto, California. She was supposed to return her rental car in San Jose and fly back to Utah, but never did.
Her phone has been turned off since Monday, according to her husband, Harrison Weinstein.
Valenti is the founder and CEO of Tinker Ventures and was due to return for the Women Tech Awards Wednesday evening where she was to receive an award for Entrepreneurial Excellence, said Sara Jones, co-founder of the Women Tech Council, of which Valenti is a member.
Valenti was initally considered a "voluntary missing person," meaning she likely left on purpose, and there was not an active search by law enforcement, according to San Jose Police Sgt. Enrique Garcia.
However, friends and family said it was very unlikely of Valenti to go days without contacting anyone and nothing like this had happened before; many traveled to California to help with the search.
Contributing: Garna Mejia and Alex Cabrero, KSL TV
