Kansas elementary school teacher found dead in snow days after going missing
A Kansas elementary school teacher who went missing after leaving a downtown bar late Friday night was found dead in a wooded area near where she was last seen, authorities said.
The Emporia Police Department said Sunday that officers, assisted by K-9 teams, located the body of 28-year-old Rebecca Rauber about 300 yards south of West 4th Avenue, an area where she was last seen on video.
Police said Rauber was covered in snow and early indications suggest she may have succumbed to hypothermia during the early hours of her disappearance amid a snowstorm that intensified on Saturday.
The investigation into her death is ongoing, and her family has been notified.
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"We want to thank our community for the outpouring of care and assistance during this situation. We also want to thank KHP [Kansas Highway Patrol], Lyon County Sheriff’s office, Search and Rescue of Kansas and the Lyon County Communications Center for their efforts in trying to locate Rebecca. All of the agencies listed poured many hours of manpower, involving many resources in the hope of positive outcome. Our hearts and prayers are truly with the Rauber family," the Emporia Police Department said in a statement on its website.
Rauber was reported missing early Saturday after leaving the Town Royal bar on foot without her phone, purse or jacket.
Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators showed her walking alone westbound on West 5th Avenue late Friday night.
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Police said residential surveillance footage captured Rauber walking north on Neosho Street from West 5th Avenue at approximately 11:37 p.m., but a review of additional videos from the intersection of 6th Avenue and Neosho Street did not show her crossing at that location.
During the investigation Sunday, police said additional video showed the school teacher in the 700 block of West 4th Avenue at approximately 11:44 p.m. on Friday, about 300 yards from where her body was later found.
The KVOE radio station in Emporia reported that temperatures had dropped into the single digits at the time Rauber left the bar, with wind chills nearing -15 degrees.
USD 253 Emporia Public Schools Director of Community Relations Lyndel Landgren told Fox News Digital in a statement that Rauber "was a valued member of our school community, and her loss is felt deeply across our district."
"At this time, we are focused on supporting our students and staff as they process this difficult news. Counselors and district support teams will be available at our schools to provide care and assistance for anyone who needs it," Landgren said.