Elijah Hassan Moore, a 17-year-old from Woodland, California, was last seen on November 4, 2016. That day, he attended school and then cashed a check at a California Check Cashing store on Main Street in Woodland. He disappeared shortly after and was reported missing by his mother two days later. A text message sent from his phone that day suggested he was heading to the Bay Area, but he was never heard from again. His case became more concerning when it was linked to the disappearance of his friend, Enrique Rios, who had gone missing just three weeks earlier.
Elijah and Enrique were both involved in the Northern California Construction Training (NCCT) program and attended Cesar Chavez Community School in Woodland. Both teens were close and had no history of running away. Initially, authorities believed they might have left voluntarily, but the suspicious circumstances surrounding their disappearances soon led investigators to look for other explanations.
In 2018, after nearly two years of little progress, new information surfaced when one of the suspects, Jonathan Froste, came forward. He implicated his brother David Froste and two other men, Chandale Shannon and Jesus Campos, in the murders of both boys. According to testimony, Elijah was abducted in retaliation for a previous incident where he and Enrique were involved in a robbery. The four suspects severely beat and murdered Elijah, later burning his body in an attempt to conceal evidence. Although their remains were never recovered, all four men were eventually convicted of the teens' murders.
Despite the tragic outcome, Elijah's case remains a reminder of the importance of justice for missing persons and their families, who continue to seek closure.
Last Seen: Nov 04, 2016
