Missing teacher found dead in Roxbury following monthslong search
Authorities say there was no sign of foul play. The official cause of death by the medical examiner is undetermined.
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After a monthslong search, a 46-year-old elementary school teacher who went missing in Roxbury has been found dead.
Lara Emanuele was first reported missing on June 7 after not returning home from work. Morris County prosecutors say Emanuele's body was found Sunday by police in a wooded area off Howard Boulevard and Route 80 in Roxbury, utilizing K-9 Denali from the Ramapo Search and Rescue Organization. Emanuele was last seen on that same road in June.
Authorities say there was no sign of foul play. The official cause of death by the medical examiner is undetermined.
RELATED: Roxbury teacher disappearance not suspicious but search continues
Police say they previously found a note in Emanuele's car saying she did not want to be found. They say surveillance footage from Walmart showed her shopping alone prior to her disappearance, and additional footage showed her exiting her vehicle in the parking lot alone and departing of her own free will.
Emanuele was a teacher at the Roxbury Alexander Hamilton School in Morristown.
Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll said, “I realize her disappearance has also generated rumors on social media that foul play was involved. While a thorough investigation continues into her death, at this time, evidence points to Emanuele having taken her own life. This was a determination that could not have been made prior to the recovery of her body."
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