TOPEKA (KSNT) – Police have released the cause of death for an Emporia teacher who went missing in January and was later found dead.
The Emporia Police Department (EPD) issued an update on May 6 for the case of 28-year-old USD 253 teacher Rebecca Rauber. She went missing earlier this year in January, with first responders later locating her body in a local wooded area.
The EPD, in coordination with the Coroner’s Officer, reports that it has concluded its investigation into Rauber’s death. Police said her official cause of death is listed as hypothermia and her manner of death was determined to be accidental/natural.
Law enforcement reports there were no indications of foul play in Rauber’s death. The EPD has declared her case as closed.
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Past reporting
Police started looking for Rauber after she was last seen leaving a downtown Emporia bar on the night of Friday, Jan. 23 amid wintry weather conditions. Numerous first responders from several agencies responded to the search efforts, pitching in to help locate the missing teacher.
Law enforcement found her body covered in snow not long after the search began a short distance south of where she was last observed on video. Investigators initially said she appeared to have succumbed to hypothermia.
Staff with USD 253 mourned Rauber’s loss after police recovered her body. Rauber worked at the district as a 2nd Grade teacher at Riverside Elementary School.
Members of the Emporia community later held a ceremony to honor Rauber’s life and mourn her loss together. Many attendees shared that Rauber was known for expressing love to those around her, especially towards her students, and spoke highly of the joy she brought to their lives.
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