Eliana Moreno had recently celebrated major milestones with her fiancé before the NBC Los Angeles aerial photojournalist was killed in a helicopter crash.Robert Barrientos was beside Moreno during some of the moments she proudly shared before her death. Their posts documented a relationship that had reached several significant milestones in the months before the fatal crasMoreno publicly confirmed her engagement to Barrientos months before her death. On October 28, 2025, her Facebook account showed an “Engaged to Robert” relationship update.The following day, Moreno shared an Instagram video from a trip to Tennessee. In the video, she showed a ring on her hand and later displayed it while standing beside Barrientos.
Moreno shared this image with Barrientos during a Tennessee trip in October 2025. The post came one day after she announced their engagement on Facebook, and the accompanying video showed her displaying a ring. | Source: Instagram/eli_in_the_heli
Moreno shared this image with Barrientos during a Tennessee trip in October 2025. The post came one day after she announced their engagement on Facebook, and the accompanying video showed her displaying a ring. | Source: Instagram/eli_in_the_heliThe engagement remained part of Moreno’s public posts in the months that followed.Barrientos Was Beside Moreno for a Major Milestone in MayIn May, Moreno shared another milestone with Barrientos when the couple completed a half-marathon together.NBC News also reported that Moreno and her fiancé had run the race together.The accomplishment was significant for Moreno, who said on Instagram that she had “always” had bad asthma. She wrote that she had been medically excused from running in school because it was “guaranteed to send me into an asthma attack.”Moreno began 2026 with a goal of running one mile by the end of the year. Instead, she eventually completed the OC Marathon half-marathon with Barrientos in under two hours.”I ran the half-marathon at the @ocmarathon with my fiancé @rob3rt_z in under two hours!” she wrote.
