Kansas elementary school teacher found dead in snow days after going missing

A Kansas simple schoolhouse teacher who went missing aft leaving a downtown barroom precocious Friday nighttime was recovered dormant successful a wooded country adjacent wherever she was past seen, authorities said.

The Emporia Police Department said Sunday that officers, assisted by K-9 teams, located the assemblage of 28-year-old Rebecca Rauber astir 300 yards southbound of West 4th Avenue, an country wherever she was past seen connected video. 

Police said Rauber was covered successful snowfall and aboriginal indications suggest she whitethorn person succumbed to hypothermia during the aboriginal hours of her disappearance amid a snowstorm that intensified connected Saturday.

The probe into her decease is ongoing, and her household has been notified.

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Rebecca Rauber was recovered dormant by constabulary successful Emporia, Kansas, connected Sunday, Jan. 26, 2026. (Facebook; Photo by Chase Castor/Getty Images)

"We privation to convey our assemblage for the outpouring of attraction and assistance during this situation. We besides privation to convey KHP [Kansas Highway Patrol], Lyon County Sheriff’s office, Search and Rescue of Kansas and the Lyon County Communications Center for their efforts successful trying to find Rebecca. All of the agencies listed poured galore hours of manpower, involving galore resources successful the anticipation of affirmative outcome. Our hearts and prayers are genuinely with the Rauber family," the Emporia Police Department said successful a connection connected its website.

Rauber was reported missing aboriginal Saturday aft leaving the Town Royal barroom connected ft without her phone, purse oregon jacket. 

Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators showed her walking unsocial westbound connected West 5th Avenue precocious Friday night.

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Snow falls on S. Kansas Avenue successful Topeka, Kansas, connected Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Police said residential surveillance footage captured Rauber walking northbound connected Neosho Street from West 5th Avenue astatine astir 11:37 p.m., but a reappraisal of further videos from the intersection of 6th Avenue and Neosho Street did not amusement her crossing astatine that location.

During the probe Sunday, constabulary said further video showed the schoolhouse teacher successful the 700 artifact of West 4th Avenue astatine astir 11:44 p.m. connected Friday, astir 300 yards from wherever her assemblage was aboriginal found.

The KVOE vigor presumption successful Emporia reported that temperatures had dropped into the azygous digits astatine the clip Rauber near the bar, with upwind chills nearing -15 degrees.

A antheral walks on a snow-covered thoroughfare arsenic a wintertime tempest moves done Prairie Village, Kansas, connected Jan. 24, 2026. (Charlie Riedel/AP)

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USD 253 Emporia Public Schools Director of Community Relations Lyndel Landgren told Fox News Digital successful a connection that Rauber "was a valued subordinate of our schoolhouse community, and her nonaccomplishment is felt profoundly crossed our district."

"At this time, we are focused connected supporting our students and unit arsenic they process this hard news. Counselors and territory enactment teams volition beryllium disposable astatine our schools to supply attraction and assistance for anyone who needs it," Landgren said.