A Kansas elementary school teacher went missing after leaving a downtown bar late on Friday night and was later found deceased in a wooded area, according to authorities.
The Emporia Police Department reported on Sunday that a K-9 team discovered the body of 28-year-old Rebecca Lauber approximately 300 yards south of West 4th Street, which is where she was last seen on surveillance footage.
It appears that Lauber was covered in snow, and early indications suggest she might have succumbed to hypothermia during the early hours of the morning, coinciding with a snowstorm that intensified on Saturday.
The investigation into her death is still ongoing, and her family has been informed about the situation.
Lauber was reported missing early Saturday after she left the Town Royal bar on foot, without essentials like her phone, wallet, or jacket. Surveillance footage showed her walking alone westbound on West Fifth Avenue late Friday night.
Home surveillance images indicated that she walked north on Neosho Avenue around 11:37 p.m., but further footage from the intersection of Sixth Avenue and Neosho Avenue did not capture her crossing there.
Additional video later revealed Lauber around 1,000 feet from where she was discovered, in the 700 block of West 4th Street, shortly before midnight on Friday.
By the time Lauber left the bar, temperatures had plummeted into the single digits, with wind chills nearing -15 degrees Celsius.
Emporia Public Schools’ director of community relations, Lindel Lundgren, expressed the school’s grief over Lauber’s loss, stating she was a “valued member” of the community. Lundgren added that the focus is now on supporting students and staff as they process this tragic news, with counselors available in schools for those who need assistance.
